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 today or this week or next year, 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 within 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 with 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, but he is also 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 that Christ is in me, that I’m sheltered with him, and that I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means that, for the Devil to get to me, he’s got to get through the Trinity. That’s pretty good protection and a great relief from fear.
Not only is God with and in me, but God is also for me. Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (ESV).
When a shepherd leads the sheep, guard dogs are always at the back, keeping watch and making sure the sheep move in the right direction. The Bible says that the guard dogs in my life are God’s goodness and mercy.
God’s goodness and mercy are always at work in my life. God gives me the things I don’t deserve—that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the punishment I deserve for my sins—that’s his mercy.
His goodness includes the blessings I experience now but also the gift of my salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).
God is watching over my life! I ought to get up every morning and say with confidence, “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.”
That’s good news that helps me get rid of fear of whatever I’m facing and replace it with happiness instead.
In summary, no matter what I’m going to face today or this week or next year, 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. God says he will give me the power I need, no matter what I’m facing. He is also with me. He says, “I will not leave you as orphans”. Christ is in me, I’m sheltered with him, and I’m sealed with the Holy Spirit. For the Devil to get to me, he’s got to get through the Trinity. God’s word also tells me that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. When a shepherd leads the sheep, guard dogs are always at the back, keeping watch and making sure the sheep move in the right direction. The guard dogs in my life are God’s goodness and mercy. God’s goodness and mercy are always at work in my life. God gives me the things I don’t deserve—that’s his goodness. And he doesn’t give me the punishment I deserve for my sins—that’s his mercy. His goodness includes the blessings I experience now but also the gift of my salvation. God is watching over my life! Given this, I can say with confidence, “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.”
What do I do when I don't feel like obeying? God has not left me alone in my struggles 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. Next time ask God to help me desire to do his will.
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