Solutions February 2019 | Page 55

One of the biggest lies we can believe is that God is exactly like we are. Meaning we often think God struggles with the same failures, limitations, and weaknesses that we do. After all, if I am a certain way, then the One who created me must be the same, right? If I am limited by time and space, then God must be limited by time and space. If I am limited in power, then God must be limited in power. If I break promises, then I bet God breaks His promises too. If I tend to love only those who can love me back, then surely God loves in the same way. If I am limited in knowledge and can easily forget things and people, then God must suffer from forgetfulness as well. However, this is the fundamental difference between God and us. He is God, and we are not. He is not limited in the ways we are. We may suffer from amnesia (partial or total loss of memory), but He doesn’t! You must realize that He is different from you. That is what it means for Him to be holy. Holy means that He is set apart. There is no one, or nothing, like Him. Out of all the things that are, He is completely different from them all. He has characteristics and attributes that only He possesses. Understanding some of these wonderful attributes of God will help you experience freedom from the lie that whispers ever so subtly in your ear, “God doesn’t really care.” These attributes are powers only God has. They are God powers. If there were ever a moment when He stopped operating in any one of these powers, He would cease being God because it would mean He was lacking, was in need, and was, sadly, like us. It would mean He was no longer perfect. If He wasn’t perfect, then He could easily forget us. Thankfully, this is not like Him at all. So what are these powers God possesses that prove He needs nothing at all and is self-sufficient in every way? In particular, there are four characteristics of God that demonstrate He is not like us, is not limited, and will never forget us. God Is Omnipotent This is a fancy word that simply means God is all-powerful. God can do everything—possible or impossible. He is not limited. He will do anything He pleases, and He has the power to restrain Himself from doing anything He doesn’t want to do. His self-control is absolutely perfect. Nothing is too difficult for Him. God never gets tired. He never forgets. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26, ESV). “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28, ESV). Solutions • 55