Empowered!!!

Philippians 2:12b-13 - Be even more careful to put into action God's saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. - New Living Translation

...A great verse here! And just another example of how we as God's children, heirs of the promises of God, are co-workers with Jesus (2nd Corinthians 6:1). The statement the Holy Spirit gave me in regards to this concept of being partners with Christ is this: I have a part to play and God has a part to play in every aspect of my life. As Christians we often limit the concept to hearing from God so that we can do his bidding on the Earth. While this is absolutely true it's also incomplete. Because that's not true partnership. God is interested in your desires, your thoughts, your dreams too! When he created man in his image (Genesis 1:26) he didn't do so so he could have employees he did so so that he could have friends and partners. Now...I realize that this may be somewhat difficult to grasp, AND we run the risk with this truth of getting into the flesh, getting selfish, getting into the ME mentality that scripture is so clearly in opposition to. I also realize that this truth may seem to contradict teaching you've been taught in church...but hang in there. I understand and absolutely agree with the teaching of letting the spirit of God rule and reign in your life. Giving God full control over your thoughts and actions and will. Jesus prayed before his death "Father not my will but yours". When God gives specific instructions we are to follow them! Think of it like this...God's Kingdom is the longest running and most successful company in the history of existence! God the father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been running it since the inception. When you get saved or come into the kingdom you have permission and invitation to become a partner in the business. In fact you are a partner immediately. But you are new to the business. Before you start to get input you need to prove that you understand the business, you are a motivated/hard worker, ect. The business owner doesn't just let the new employee make decisions about the business his first day, week, or month on the job! But the owners goal is to get the new employee into a position where they understand the business, know how the owner thinks and would respond to various situations, and how to efficiently conduct the goings on of the business. So for a season it's I tell you what to do and you do it. So it is on the journey of being spirit led in the Kingdom. The first step in beginning to walk in partnership with Christ is learning his way of doing things, which is found in scripture and doing them. If you can't follow simple instructions from God's written word why would he ever give you more responsibility? Because he who is faithful over little will be made ruler over much. As we progress in maturity, show ourselves approved we begin to obtain more responsibility. God's final intent isn't for us to decrease so that he can increase. Although that statement is in scripture in John 3:30, and I think a lot of people quote it not understanding what it means. It's a condition of the heart. Is your heart that...I get noticed, I get complimented, I get attention, I get praise for the things I do for God? Well then you can quote that scripture all day, but your heart is still wrong. It also does not mean that we as Christians are to shrink back, be weak, hide from the world, or be lazy (because God hasn't told me to do anything and I'm spirit led. God has told you what to do....read the Bible!). It means living our life so that others see Jesus in us! It's our destiny Romans 8:29...to become the image of Christ on the Earth. SO just as with the business owner who doesn't want to spend the rest of their life babysitting employees it is with God. He wants you to become mature, he want you to constantly press for more understanding and knowledge and wisdom in him. He wants you to be transformed by renewing your mind to his word (Romans 12:2) so that your NATURAL response to life is what HIS NATURAL response to life is. Then he can begin to trust you to act as a partner....instead of an employee. I believe to get to this point it takes discipline, desire, and a lot of proactive action on our part. As we are faithful to do what we know and learn concerning God's order...we'll find ourselves in the same position Moses did at the Red Sea saying "God what are you going to do?" and having God's response be "What are you going to do?" you know how I think...do what I'd do and my power will be there to back you up!

Okay back to Philippians 2. Be careful to PUT INTO ACTION God's saving work! Too many Christians are saved and on their way to Heaven when they die but are living like hell while they are on earth...constantly facing crisis and sickness, depressed, broke, ect. I understand life is full of seasons. I've learned that especially in the past few years of my life. But God's desire is for our lives to show the world his power and glory, and for us to overcome the trials of life and come out victorious!! Where does it start? Philippians 2: end of verse 12 - Obeying God! If Christians would obey God's word and keep his word in front of their eyes and on their lips and DO what it says to do, I think we would avoid a lot of the disasters of life. And when those seasons of challenge come, we will win in life! I love verse 13 - For God is working IN you not falling on you. You don't need to pray for more of God you just need to position your heart to access what is already in you! It's a choice! Giving you the DESIRE The SPIRIT (the part of you that God resides within, the deepest part of you) is willing but the flesh is weak Matthew 26:41---to obey him and the POWER we don't need more power...God is already in us working! The bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:19 my strength is made perfect in weakness. That means when our flesh is rising up we can still obey God. When we are beaten down and discouraged and life is hard we can still obey God. But it's a choice the bible says in Colossians 3:2 set your mind on things above. To set or position your mind is a choice...we are inundated with the messages of the world. It's a choice to set our minds on the realities of Heaven (NLT). Which doesn't mean thinking about what the angels look like or what your mansion in heaven is going to be like...you can do that but it's not going to do you much good right now. It means set your mind on God's word...meditate on what God says...and you will be empowered by his spirit living in you to do what pleases him.

Do you know why God gave us scripture? Do you know why God set his order in motion and asks us to follow that order? Because he has good plans for us, and he knows that his outline for life is going to produce the ultimate happiness, success, and fulfillment we could ever experience on the Earth and in Eternity. He isn't fascinated with seeing us struggle to do what he says, he's not interested in us asking "how high" when he says jump. He simply loves us, and want's the best for us, and knows how to get us to that place of fulfillment we all long for anyway! DECIDE to be a doer of the word...and you are on your way to success in life!

-Chad