In Philippians 2:13 I read, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (NLT)
No matter what I’m going to face this week, I won’t face it alone. God is with me, he is in me, and he is for me.
Philippians 2:13 says, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT).
“God is working in you.” The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get our word “energy.” God is the energy driver in my life. I’m not just going on willpower. I’m not just going on my own power. God says he will give me the power I need, no matter what I’m facing.
Not only is he in me, he also is with me. The Bible says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you . . . On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That’s quite a promise! The Bible says Christ is in me, I’m sheltered with Christ, and I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means for the Devil to get to me, he’s got to get through the Trinity! That’s pretty good protection and a great fear reliever.
Not only is God with me and in me, God is also for me. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, no one can defeat us” (NCV).
When a shepherd leads the sheep, guard dogs stay at the back, nipping at the sheep to keep them moving in the right direction. The Bible says the guard dogs in my life are God’s goodness and mercy. God gives me the things I don’t deserve, that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the things I do deserve, that’s his mercy.
Get up every morning and say, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”
In summary, God is working in me, to give me the desire and the power to do what pleases him. No matter what I’m going to face this week, I won’t face it alone. God is with me, he is in me, and he is for me. The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get our word “energy.” God is the energy driver in my life. I’m not just going on willpower or on my own power. God says he will give me the power I need, no matter what I’m facing. He also is with me. I’m sheltered with Christ, and I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. God is also for me. God provides me with goodness and mercy. God gives me the things I don’t deserve, that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the things I do deserve, that’s his mercy. I need to say each day, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”
God is with me, God is in me, and God is for me. So, what do I do when I don't feel like obeying? God has not left me alone in my struggle to do his will. He wants to come alongside me and be within me to help. God gives me the desire and the power to do what pleases him. The secret to a changed life is to submit to God's control and let him work and to ask Him to help me with the desire to do his will. To be like Christ, I must train myself to think like Christ does. To change my desires, I need the power of the Holy Spirit, the influence of faithful Christians, obedience to God's Word and sacrificial service. As I do his will, I'll gain the desire to do it. So I should do what he wants and then trust him to change my desires.
Father, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my work, my schedule, my leadership, my interactions with others, preparing for my future job role and leading a small group. These things I ask in your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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