Has God Begun a Good Work IN You?
Do you have confidence that God has begun a good work IN you? If you are saved, you are a new creation and have put aside the old things and everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6
I am praying that you have the confidence to believe that God is doing a good work in you. When the old habits and lifestyle seem to be constantly cropping up, it can be hard to believe that God is working on you.
This verse is not saying that you can continue in sin and God will keep working on you.
For instance . . .
When you are saved, your lifestyle changes to one that is holy (1 Peter 1:16). If you keep slipping back into your old lifestyle, God isn’t going to say, “Well, that’s OK because I am doing a good work in you!”
This verse is saying that God will be working on you for the rest of your life. You have to do your part and forsake your old sinful ways.
When I was 33, I wanted to find a godly older woman but there really wasn’t one. I wanted to become that woman but I was so disappointed to realize that if I live to 90, my heart will still have issues God needs to work on!
Be Confident in God!
I want you to have confidence that God is doing a good work even as you struggle with the day-to-day.
Are you a mother or grandmother? Some days you might lay your head on your pillow and feel like you were a failure. Believe and have confidence that God is working on you!
If you have a ministry as I do with blogging, I want you to know that God is working on you!
Maybe you have a home business or work out in your neighborhood. You are coming in contact with people that a pastor would never be able to reach. God can use you in a way you never imagined!
You may not ever see the fruit. You may feel totally inadequate and feel you fall short by nighttime, yet God is reminding you that He is doing a good work IN you!
Dialysis in God’s Word
Someone with kidney failure has to get dialysis in order to keep living. It is the same with you. God isn’t going to be able to effectually work in you if you don’t sit in his presence daily like Mary.
Often, I start off thinking I don’t have the capability of doing a task at all.
Let’s say I am clueless about cooking. Then I pray and ask God to help me. Meanwhile, I head over to Pinterest and find an amazing recipe. “I” pull it off and it is out-of-this-world delicious!
My friends all compliment me, and I try to be humble and thank them for all their compliments. By this time, if I am at all normal, I have subconsciously started thinking that I had something to do with my new-found cooking ability.
God gives us our abilities, so even if I was able to do an awesome job cooking the meal, all the praise and honor ought to go to God.
I am to be confident and believe that it is God doing the good work in me! It has little if anything to do with me!
Believe that God is working IN you and that He will grant the ‘believing’ process.
Not only are your abilities given to you by God, but even believing is from God!
But . . . How Does God Begin a Good Work in You?
In the middle of writing this, I heard that someone I know had suddenly passed away.
Most of the time we live without ever thinking about our eventual end. It is devastating when a friend or relative passes.
But . . .
What I want to really impress on your heart is that if you are NOT doing the right things, God will not be able to do a good work in you until your last breath.
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” C.T. Studd
I want you to pause and really think of that quote.
How are you living your life?
What are you filling it with?
You will love the beautiful Psalms Journaling Workbook (43 Pages)
it will inspire you to draw closer to Jesus with its gorgeous worksheets, designed to record your spiritual journey through Psalms. Read more . . .
God is able to do a good work in your life ONLY if you are totally surrendered to Him. That way He can do the work to make you more like Him?
Do you do creative Bible journaling?
If so, you might enjoy Jesus Journaling a group on Facebook.
This is How God Works IN You
- Reading & studying God’s Word!
- Spending time talking with God in prayer!
- Memorizing Scripture! (Ouch!)
I need to make myself available for God to work in me more fully!
As you and I avail ourselves more fully to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness.
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:11
Did this challenge you? How can you do your part so God can fill you with the fruit of righteousness?
