“…it is God who WORKS IN YOU both TO WILL and TO DO for HIS GOOD PLEASURE.” (Phil. 2:13) In order for us to fully obey the Lord WILL, we need His work WITHIN US for both the WILLING and the DOING. The Lord wants to affect our willingness to obey Him (to fulfill “His good pleasure.“)
So, He invites us into His word to learn of His will. “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, and would WALK in My ways!” (Psa. 81:13) Then, His word goes to work within our hearts, convicting us of our need TO OBEY IT. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jam. 1:22). While He is doing this He is He is nurturing in us a love for HIS WORD. “Therefore I love your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!“ (Psa. 119:127) As a result we become more increasingly willing to obey His word. “I delight TO DO Your will, O my God” (Psa. 40:8).
After working in our hearts, a WILLINGNESS to obey Him, the Lord also wants to work in us until we are DOING His will. Yes, willing and doing are two different matters. We easily forget this difference. We wrongly assume that once the willingness is present, the doing will inevitably follow. Jesus revealed the fallacy of this thinking in a well-known warning to His disciples. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The SPIRIT indeed is WILLING, but the FLESH is WEAK“ (Matt. 26:41). Even when our hearts are willing to obey, our flesh is often too weak to bring the willingness to actual obedience. Thus, we must recognize our need for PRAYER, that we might obey and not give in to temptation. The word even teaches us how to cry out to God for the desire to obey so we will actually obey His will. “Make me walk in the path of Your commandments…Incline my heart to Your testimonies.” (Psa. 119:35-36).
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham