“Work Out” What God “Works in” You

. . . work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you . . . —Philippians 2:12-13

Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.

The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “. . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not work to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will— God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.

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活出神在我裡面所成就的

作成你們得救的功夫。 （腓二12-13）

你的意志是與神一致的，但你肉體中有一種傾向，叫你無法實行所該行的。當主進入你的心，良心就會喚醒意志，而意志必定是與神一致的。你會說：[可是我不知道自己的意志，是否與神的一致。 ]仰望耶穌，你就必發現你的良心與意志是與他相合的。那在你裡面叫你說[我不會]的，是比意志更薄弱的背逆頑梗，它們永遠與神背道而馳。在人最深處的是他的意志，而不是罪。意志是神創造人最基本的元素；罪確實闖進人心的偏頗性情。一個重生的人意志的根源是全能的神。 [因為你們立志行事，都是神在你們心裡運行，為要成就他的美意。 ]

你要把神在你身上所成就的，謹慎地活出來。你不是自己去成全救恩，而是活出救恩，以堅定不移的信心倚靠主完全的救贖，作為根基。這樣，你心裡所發出來的意志，就不會與神相違；神的旨意就是你的旨意，你順其自然的選擇，就會跟神的旨意一致，生命乃像呼吸一樣自然。神是你意向的根源。因此你可以完成他的旨意。頑梗是不明智的楔子，阻礙真理，不肯受光照；唯一的方法是用炸藥把它炸開，這炸藥就是對聖靈的順服。

我相信全能的神是我意志的源頭嗎？神不但期望我遵行他的旨意，他更在我裡面實行出來。

祈禱◆主啊，當我仰望你的時候，求你高舉我。求你將你的臉光光照我，讓我可以將它反照給你。