Does the Bible teach that if our faith is strong enough, we can do anything?

You want to be a Navy pilot and land a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier in rough seas. Or maybe a brain surgeon or the best opera singer of all time. If you have enough faith God can make it happen, right? Wrong! Many people point to this verse to uphold their belief.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Many people take verses out of the Bible and out of context, to mean things that scripture does not teach. This verse from Philippians is often taken to mean that if our faith is strong enough we will receive the strength to realize all our personal goals. But the setting shows that the apostle Paul was talking specifically about receiving the strength to live in times of great poverty as well as times of plenty. Read what verse 12 tells us.

I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:12

Misinterpretation of Bible verses can be avoided if the setting is taken into account. Looking at the verses that precede and follow a passage should be a natural and logical way to avoid confusion.