Nothing is clearer to me in the scriptures than the total inability of fallen men to do anything spiritual. He must be born again and given what he could never produce of himself. These facts alone ought to convince me that the Lord is not here telling me to take inventory to see if I have in myself what it takes to be a disciple of Christ. When he tells us to count the cost of the tower and consult as to our power to overcome greater odds it is not to muster in ourselves what is needed but rather to convince us that we cannot do what is demanded. To build this tower and fight this battle I must depend and look to Christ alone.