COMPLETE IN CHRIST

“For GOD IS WORKING IN YOU, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT) 
Neglecting a desire and an opportunity to do that which is good is contrary to the will of God and is not a purpose that originates from God. God is good all the time and He is the author of all that is good all the time (James 1:17). Jesus affirmed this when He said, “… only God is good” (Mark 10:18).

God is working in you to desire and to do good. Be careful then that you do not resist God. The devil cannot create in your heart a desire to do something that delights and honours the Father, nor can he empower you to accomplish it. Your desire for good and your ability to do good comes from God! 
Christian, one area that you urgently need to renew your mind, if you haven’t already done that, is in respect of the need to acknowledge and to continually stand firm in every situation in the reality that “God is working in you” all that is good and pleasing to Him.

As our text quite clearly indicates, God has not saved the believer only to stand aloof leaving the person to their own devices to either “sink or swim”; rather God is actively working out two inter-connected purposes in the believer’s life.

First, God is stirring up in you a desire to want to do things that give expression to the love of God that has been poured into your heart, things that reflect the fruits of righteousness you are called to produce, things that manifest the character of God’s kingdom, things that bear the mark of the wisdom that comes from above, and all of those things that confirm that the life of Christ and the mind of Christ are indeed in you.

Secondly, not only does God stir up in your heart this desire to want to do these things which delight Him, He also enables you to do them. He strengthens you, equips you, and empowers you to do all. No one can please God by their own power – “Without faith no one can please God”. It is God Himself, through the work that He is continually doing in us, who prepares us to do every good work.
“Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20–21, NLT)
We are complete in Christ! We are ready by divine stimulation to desire to do every good thing and, being supernaturally prepared to live a fruitful Christian life, we have the grace to do such works that honours, glorifies and delights God our Father.

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