Daily Word – Tuesday 03 October 2006

I received this a couple of days ago and was so blessed by it I wanted to share it with you.

GOD IS AT WORK WITHIN US

Introduction:
• God is at work within each one of us.
• Sometimes it may not feel like it.
• Sometimes we may even feel as if God has forgotten about us.
• BUT the truth is that God has not forgotten about any of us and He is at work within our hearts and   lives.
• We have a choice to embrace what He is doing in our lives or we can reject it.
• Whether we embrace or reject God's working in our lives does not change the fact that He is at work!

1. GOD USES WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH
• God often uses the situation and circumstances that we are facing to work within us.
• We may not enjoy what we are facing, we may even despise some of the issues we are dealing with, but God in His grace and wisdom often uses those very things to bring us to a place of dependence on Him.
• The issue is often that we need to discover what it is that God is trying to teach us or show us and move on.
• Challenges and difficulties are things we must move through, they are not places at which we should ‘set up camp’.
• We must make sure we pass the test that God is trying to teach us so that we can move on and become all that God intended for us to become.

2. GOD CAN USE ANYTHING
• God can use anything to bring about His purposes in our lives.
• He may use the fact that there is so much happening in our lives to work within us.
• He may use the fact that so little is happening in our lives to work within us.
• He may use the fact that things are moving so fast or the fact that things are moving too slowly to work within us!
• He may use the fact that things are very difficult or the fact that things are flowing very smoothly to work within us.
• The fact remains, God is at work within each one of us and the work that He is doing is a GOOD WORK.
• Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
• Ephesians 4:23-24 Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.

3. GOD HAS A WAY OF WORKING THINGS OUT
• God truly has a way of working things out.
• We must trust Him in this aspect.
• We must realize that God is at work within us.
• We must believe that the work He is doing within us is for our good and not for our destruction!
• Romans 8:28 And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.
• God has a way of working things out. We may not be able to see the big picture, but He can and that should give us confidence!

4. THE SECRET
• If we are going to benefit from the work that God is doing in our lives, we need to take note of the following:
• A) We must never force things. This may include our own agenda, things that seem ‘good to us’ or what we think should or should not be happening.
• B) We must wait for God. We must not become impatient or in a hurry.
• C) We must beware of preempting things. There is a time for everything in God’s hands. We must understand that God’s timing is not our timing and He has everything in His impeccable timing!
• D) We must let God do the work that He wants to do within us. I like to use the term ‘embrace’. We need to embrace the working of God within us!
• E) We must give God ‘right of way’ to work within us as He sees fit!
• F) We need to surrender ourselves to God. This includes our ideas, what we think should be happening and leave it to God.
• G) We must rest. This is a resting in God and in His ability to work within us! (Hebrews 4)

5. CO-OPERATING WITH GOD
• Life is not always easy, but God is at work.
• We need to co-operate with what God is doing in our lives.
• Philippians 2:13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey Him, and then helping you do what He wants.
• James 1:12 Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love Him.

By: Andrew W Roebert