‘People do not lack strength; they lack will.’
Victor Hugo

 

God Gives Strength and Will

 

Philippians 2:13 clearly tells us that God supplies what we need to do His will.

When my husband first began to minister in Ghana, West Africa he experienced this over and over again. He’d had no training for ‘Missionary’ work. But where he saw a need he tried to meet that need. And there you see the first half of Philippians 2:13,

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

God gave him the will to do it. Describe it as a burden, or a calling. Its origin is something on God’s heart that He imparts to a human heart as desire, impetus, motivation. He works in us to will. The question is, will we receive what God is trying to impart? Will we take on what He wants us to want to do?

 

Where There’s a Will

Then once there is a will, God makes a way. He gives the strength. It may come in the form of physical stamina, mental clarity, emotional balance, or intellectual understanding. In infinite ways God supplies all we need to carry out His will.


The pattern is always the same. First we begin to know what God’s will is. Then we receive the strength to carry it out.

For the Christian God gives both.
. . .filled with the knowledge of His will . . .strengthened with all might according to His glorious power . . .

Colossians 1:9-11

Nothing is required of us other than willingness. Hebrews 10:7 reminds us that Jesus came to do the will of God. And Jesus Himself says in John 6:37-39 that He came down from heaven to do the will of the Father.

3 Promises For Doing God’s Will

If you want to do God’s will I can promise you three things.
First, the will of God will be made known to you. Much of it already is. Just read the Bible and you’ll find a million ways in which God has made His will clear and simple to comprehend. For other things you will need to pray to discern God’s will in fellowship and communion with Christ. The Holy Spirit will confirm it to your heart and mind.

Second, the desire to do this thing will take root in your heart. And it will grow there. Some people hold a desire for years before they discover a way, or find an opportunity to achieve it. Be patient, but never lagging in desire. In His time God will open a door for the work to go forward.

Third, when the time comes God will provide that open door. An opportunity to carry out His will. You’ll know the joy of working with God. (See 1 Corinthians 3:9) Paul sensed it in his ministry, but as a parent leading a young child to faith in Jesus-you will feel it too. As a wife praying for an unbelieving spouse-you will feel it too. In ways most natural, God’s will presents itself wrapped in every day life and circumstances. Be patient and don’t seek to reap the fruit before it is ripened, lest you ruin the harvest. Let God lead you and you will find in His time and by His strength, His will will be accomplished.