God Works in You

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). God's good pleasure is in you, when the Holy Spirit works in your life. The Holy Spirit works in you through the abiding gifts of faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

God works in all who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19). God is working in you to do his will. God changes your heart (Romans 2:28-29). That's called regeneration or new birth. He gives you a renewed will with a desire to do his will.

God works in your mind, will, and emotions. He is doing more in you than you can understand. He is always doing more than you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). God is working in your heart to bring glory to His name. God gives you the ability to do all that pleases him. That includes your ministry gift and power to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

As a believer, God works in you through the Holy Spirit. He will never leave you nor forsake you (John 14:16-17). Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, at the coming of Christ (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). God, who began the good work in you, will perform it until the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6; 2:13).

The Anointing in You

Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught, "We have been anointed and been set apart; we have received this unction, and it has given us this understanding of truth which enables us to say that 'we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).

"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you" (1 John 2:27). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is received to abide in us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word Christ means "anointed one." Christ abides in us as believers, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? It means the anointing of the Holy Spirit abides in believers to teach us (1 John 2:27). He teaches us according to Holy Scripture, inspired of the Holy Spirit. The mind of Christ is always according to Scripture.

According to the New Testament, believers are taught by God. Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:45).

Certainly, God uses people to teach us, such as evangelists, pastors, and other teachers. However, we are all dependent upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit to teach us. Both teachers and those who are taught must depend upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit to understand the truth. The anointing of the Spirit abides in every believer.

Holy Spirit Conviction

Holy Spirit conviction focuses on the sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us of our need to believe in Christ. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me" (John 16:8-9).

Holy Spirit conviction prepares us for repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). God's grace enables us to repent and believe the gospel of Christ. God's goodness leads us to repent (Romans 2:4). 

The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is a change of mind through the renewing of the Holy Spirit transforming your life (Romans 12:2). Faith is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit. God's preceding grace enables us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 18:27).

Both conviction and new birth are the work of the Holy Spirit. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him (1 John 5:1). Both faith to believe and love are gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). From conviction to new birth, it's the Holy Spirit working within us.

The Messiah Cut Off

Daniel has an amazing prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus is the Christ, also known as the Messiah. Both terms mean "the anointed one." Daniel prophesied about "Messiah the Prince" (Daniel 9:25). He prophesied that Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself (Daniel 9:26). To be cut off speaks of a curse. The word curse means marked for destruction and cut off. The Son of God died for the curse of our sins at the cross (Galatians 3:13).

Christ was crucified to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins (Daniel 9:24). On the cross, Jesus cried out, It is finished (John 19:30). Jesus came as the Messiah to take away the sin of the world. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). 

Jesus the Messiah was crucified to make reconciliation for iniquity (Daniel 9:24). Iniquity is a synonym for our sin. As sinners, we must be reconciled to our holy God. Only the Son of God can reconcile sinners at the cross. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead, to bring in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24). This is the good news, known as the gospel of Christ. He not only died to take away all our sin, but believers receive His righteousness. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Living Faith Works

Dead faith will not obey the word and will of God. Dead faith does not do God's will. Dead faith will not work. God can do anything that He chooses to do without us. However, God has chosen to work through us. Living faith works to do the the will of God. Dead faith does nothing. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26).

The Bible teaches that we are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). It is God's will for faith to work through us. You may put a glove on your hand to do the work before you. The glove does not do the work alone, neither can it. The hand works through the glove. So, it is God who works in you both to will and do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Dead faith says, There is nothing that we can do. What will be, will be. Nothing we can do will make any difference. To the contrary, living faith says, I will do the word of God. He has put it in my heart. He is working through me to the praise of his glory. I am a doer of the word. The Bible says, Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22).

Maybe you are in a situation where you are asking God to do something about it. Living faith prays like this: God what would you have me to do? Faith acts on the word of God. Living faith rises up to do something about it. Living faith works.

The Trinity of Salvation

The Trinity of salvation is the work of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is election by the Father, redemption by the Son, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The three eternal Persons of the Holy Trinity work in perfect harmony from the beginning to the completion of our salvation.

Water baptism is in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus commanded believers to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for our salvation. The Triune God saves us as believers, to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

God the Father chose to save sinners by grace through faith in his Son Jesus. God the Son came to reveal the fullness of God's grace (John 1:14). That grace was fully revealed at the cross of Jesus. His substitutionary death guarantees the complete salvation for all who believe the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). His glorious resurrection is every believer's justification. Jesus completely saves!

God the Holy Spirit is also known as the Spirit of grace, applying salvation to every believer's heart. The Holy Spirit seals every believer as the guarantee of our complete salvation unto glorification in the day Christ returns (Ephesians 1:13-14).

How to Hear God

God speaks to us. "Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks today through the Bible. It's God's love letter to us. The Holy Spirit inspired the words of Holy Scripture centuries ago, and still speaks today through it. Hear God today through the Bible.

Hear God with your heart. The heart is your mind, will, and emotions. His word to you is through the Holy Spirit. God's voice has been seldom heard by the ears of men, even in Bible times. God's word in the Bible will speak daily to your heart. 

God speaks to all of his children. God has important things to say to us through the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). He is speaking in a personal and intimate way to every believer. God communicates that we may experience his love in our hearts, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).

The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Holy Scripture, speaks to the hearts of all God's children. God shares His thoughts with us. They are eternal thoughts found in the Bible from the Father above. God speaks to encourage us, console and comfort us. He speaks to strengthen our faith and assure us. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God speaks to us with love.