PHILIPPIANS 2:12–13

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

God is working in us, but we must obey Him and do what He’s called us to do.

My husband and I are doing today what God called us to do more than 50 years ago. We’ve been praying out God’s plan since the Lord laid it upon our hearts in the 1970s. It takes time to learn the “hows” and “whens” of God’s plan. And it takes time for God to develop us and bring His plan to full completion in our lives.

Are you allowing the Lord to develop you? Does He have such a hold on you that you can’t do anything but obey Him? Are you committed wholeheartedly to following the Father’s plan for your life?

No matter what God has called you to do, you won’t be able to accomplish it in your own wisdom or strength. You must rely on His power, just as the Apostle Paul forsook man’s wisdom to rely on God’s power.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:1–5 (NIV 1984)

1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

I don’t have anything against natural wisdom or education. Just ask my kids. They both knew that getting a college education was not an option; it was mandatory. But I believe it’s more important to have God’s power in demonstration in our lives than to have man’s wisdom.

When you rely on God to see you through, it won’t matter if you don’t have all the answers. You don’t always know why bad things happen in life, but you can know that you serve a good God Who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all you can ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

You need to get past the questions in your mind that hold you back. They have been roadblocks in your life, keeping you from going on in your relationship with God because you’re not trusting Him as you should. The Lord wants you to follow Him and commit yourself to Him. He wants you to be willing to say, “No matter what has happened in the past or what happens in the future, I will do whatever God asks me to do.”

You may wonder, “Does God even have something for me to do?” Yes, He has a wonderful plan for your life. First Corinthians 2:9–10 (NIV 1984) says, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”

You will never be completely happy or at peace until you commit to following God’s plan. Are you ready to make that consecration today? God has a great job for you to do.

If you want to see mighty demonstrations of God’s power and be used in a mighty way, God’s desires must become your desires. You must learn to listen to His voice and spend time communing with Him on a regular basis.

It’s time to gear yourself up. God has a mighty work for you to accomplish. Make that dedication today and commit yourself to be faithful—even in the hard times.

Will you accept God’s call on your life? Will you do what He’s asked you to do? Will you minister to your world, in your sphere of influence? Your world may be in your home, on your job, in your community, or around the nation. Are you willing to go to your world?

If you aren’t feeling up to the task, remember that the Greater One is at work within you. Philippians 2:13 in the Amplified Classic says you don’t have to follow God’s plan in your own strength. That’s because He energizes and creates in you both the power to obey Him and the desire to do so. Whenever I reach a place where I’m nearly overwhelmed by what I have to accomplish, I remember this powerful saying: “THE TASK AHEAD OF YOU IS NOT GREATER THAN THE FORCE BEHIND YOU.” Thank God for His power—mighty in demonstration! You can truly do all things through Him Who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13)!