Focus: Philippians 2:13 - KJV
13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Hebrews 13:20-21
The Lord has made us to realize again that we are created as believers for good works. But we are not able to produce good works of ourselves as, without Christ, we can do nothing. Hence, the place of the believer is to attempt to do nothing by himself but through Christ that is to strengthen him. In other words, the believer in Christ abides in Christ, and does all things through the one in whom he dwells, as the same supplies him the strength to do and accomplish well. The beauty of that is that Christ knows the mind of the father more than anyone else, therefore He knows what to do to bring the father pleasure. For instance, there are times when the enemy baits man with things that seem like a blessing whereas they are what they are, baits. Imagine Peter not having Jesus to pray for him when the enemy sought to sift him like wheat, after he had boasted he would never desert Jesus? It was the strength in Christ’s prayer that brought him out clean.
Those who submit to Christ end up receiving guidance that dovetails into pleasure for God. The Christians in Macedonia needed help and did not know how to get any. If in their plight they had been discovered by Saul of Tarsus, he would have bundled them to prison in Jerusalem. But when Saul submitted to Christ and became Paul, the hitherto murderer became a pleasure giver to God in that Christ guided him in the right direction. Whilst the Macedonians were in confusion, Paul was strengthened and encouraged to go and minister life to the children of God in Macedonia, thereby bringing pleasure to God since everyone that caters for God’s flock genuinely, is pleasing to Him. Philip was in a crusade in Samaria when the Spirit moved him to meet with the journeying eunuch of Ethiopia. That was only possible because he was fully submitted to Christ. He brought the light to the darkened eyes of the eunuch who in turn took the good news to his land. By the salvation of one, many others must have been saved. God is pleased with such.
The Lord is calling our attention to the fact that the non-performance we have been witnessing is because we are not fully submitted to Christ. If we be fully submitted, we have no personal opinion or direction again in life but that which Christ gives. For as long as we struggle with Christ’s direction and supplants it in anyway with ours, there is no way we can satisfy God. It is clear that without Christ, the believer can do nothing. Someone once said that the word Christian is better explained as “without Christ, - I – am – nothing”. If we take that to heart, we will be guided in every way of our lives to always put Christ in total control of our lives if we must amount to something particularly before God. All those who had gone before can be judged on that premise. They that fully submitted finished well; those that did not, have their pitfalls that are written and spoken about today. Submit wholly, and there will never be a regret.
SOLUTION: Submit yourself wholly unto Christ for it is through Him you can please the father. It is God that works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. If it is not according to His will, that deed cannot please Him.
Please pray:
Father, I thank you for locating me in Christ. Please keep me embedded in Him forever more, in Jesus’ name. I subsume my will to yours: do guide me every second of my life that I may not stray from your will. And as I remain in your will, let your hedge of protection be sure for my family and I, in Jesus’ name. In all I do, whenever I appear to be thinking to stray from you, please draw me back by your Spirit so as not to become a dog because outside are the dogs. Keep me as part of your body to the end, in Jesus’ name.
If you are blessed by this post, kindly share with your contacts, as well as others, that they may be blessed also. Thank you and may God bless you abundantly as you do so, in Jesus’ name
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