v 13. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Now if all this sounds idealistic and unachievable, just take hold of this remarkable reality. It is God who gives you both the desire and the power to become the kind of person He wants. It is God who has set within your heart and mind a desire to live His way as a disciple of Jesus. It is not purely natural to want to be like that; our natural desires are usually selfish and try to put ME first. God is changing that self-centredness; He is working in you to develop a new focus in life that will enable you to understand what He wants. And more yet – once you understand His way for life, He also empowers you to follow it.
Grasping hold of this dimension to life releases us from feeling we are always having to struggle to reach a certain standard. It frees us to say ‘YES’ to God and allow Him to achieve His purposes in us.
Thank God that He is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him