Today we continue our series entitled “Destiny’s Child – You Are Not a Mistake!” Today I was led to look at Philippians 2:13. Let’s look at it from two translations and then get into it.
(Phil 2:13 NLT)
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
(Phil 2:13 ERV)
Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God gives you the desire to do what He called you to do.
God gives you the desire before He gives you the manifestation of it (Phil 2:13).
By now, you should know that God came up with your divine assignment before the world began. This is the main point of this series, and it is a major point because:
a) If you came up with your own life’s purpose, it would be too small for God.
b) Since God came up with your purpose, it is always TOO BIG for you!
This means that God has to basically convince you to WANT to do what He has called you to do. God will not force you to do anything because He made you a free-moral agent. And since He loves you with unconditional love, He goes out of His way to win you over. He puts glimpses of His purpose in your heart, to the point where you WANT to do it.
— If God forced you to do what He called you to do, it would not be an act of your free will, it would not be submission, and it would not involve faith.
— God set up a system where He desires for us to desire what He wants in our lives. He works with us, by His Spirit, to build up a desire to accomplish His plans and purposes.
— One of the reasons why God does this is because He does not want us to be saved and miserable. If you are doing something you don’t want to do, you may do it, but your heart will not be in it, and you will be miserable in the process.
— Not only does God want you to do what He called you to do, but He wants you to ENJOY the process. Said another way, God wants you to make it heaven, but He also wants you to ENJOY THE RIDE!
This reminds me of something that happened back in 1999. I had just got back from Bosnia. I was stationed at Fort Hood. I had served as the Pastor of the Gospel service during the deployment. I had a major desire to be a Pastor. I did not want to do what I was doing in the Army anymore. My boss at the time was (then) Major John Morrison. MAJ Morrison was moving from the Division Staff to the Battalion S-3. He had known me for years, and we were close, so he wanted me to go with him. But this meant that I needed to learn new equipment. I had no desire to do it. I was just coming up the 10-year mark of my military service, and I wanted to get out. Long story short, God led me to stay in. But then I said to God, “Lord if you want me to stay in the Army for 10 more years and retire, I need you to give me the DESIRE to want it. I don’t want it anymore. I hate it. I don’t like coming to work. I just want to be a Pastor. If you want me to stay, I don’t want to be miserable for 10 years. Please put Your desire in my heart.” Since the Lord wanted me to remain in the Army, not only did God give me the desire, but He restored for love for it. I wound up serving 15 more years, and I loved every bit of it. We serve a God who loves you enough to help you DESIRE what He DESIRES for your life!
I may talk about this verse more tomorrow, but I want you to take a look at Ecclesiastes 3:11 from the Amplified translation.
(Ecc 3:11 AMPC)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
God puts an eternal purpose in your heart and mind (in time) so that you would not be satisfied until you FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH that purpose. Once you embrace the desire God puts in your heart, you spend the rest of your life wanting what God wants for you and enjoying the process of becoming the man/woman you are birthed to be!
2. God gives you the power to do what He called you to do.
For the sake of time, I will simply introduce you to this second point and deal with it more tomorrow.
I will just share a few quick thoughts here:
— God’s instruction is always equal to His injection! This means that when God tells you to do something, it is only because He has already injected you with the grace to get it done
— God will then work in you, with you, and through you, to do what He has called you to do.
(1 Cor 15:10 KJV)
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
That’s enough for today. We will pick this up tomorrow.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me. I LEVEL UP by aligning my life with Your plans. All I want is what You want for me. I don’t want anything more or less. You put Your desire in my heart, and I then desire what You desire for me. Thank You, Father, for giving me the desires of my heart and for then working through me to bring those things to pass. Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
