God Working in Us Both to Will and to Do
Obedience flows not from effort, but from stepping forward as He works within.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace, by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra draws us back to Philippians 2:12–13, where Paul reveals the mystery of God's work within us: not only giving us the desire to do His will, but also the ability to carry it out. We often place the burden of obedience entirely on our shoulders, assuming that once we want to do what is right, we can muster the strength to follow through. But Scripture gently corrects this misunderstanding. Even when the heart is willing, the flesh is still weak.
God does not stand at a distance, waiting to see if we will obey. He moves into the inner recesses of our heart, shaping our desires through His Word and forming in us a love for His commands. He is the One who gives us the willingness to obey. But He doesn't stop there—He also supplies the power, moment by moment, to walk in obedience. That’s why Paul writes that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling—not because obedience depends on our efforts, but because we stand in awe of God’s personal and powerful involvement in our daily living.
We are not left to perform God’s will in our own strength. The same grace that stirred our hearts to want what He wants also carries us forward in doing it. The Word of God does not merely inform—it transforms. Our obedience, then, is not a work of willpower, but the outflow of God’s life within.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the One who placed within you the desire to follow Me. That spark of willingness you feel is not your own invention—it is My doing. I have stirred your heart with My Word, whispered My ways into your spirit, and made My commands lovely in your eyes.
But know this: I do not ask you to carry out My will in your own effort. The desire I placed within you was never meant to stand alone. I supply not only the willingness but the doing. My life in you is your strength. The path of obedience is not walked by gritted teeth but by yielded hearts. Even when your flesh is weak, I remain your sufficiency.
So abide in Me. Let My words abide in you. Delight in what I delight in, and you will find yourself walking in My ways—not because you tried harder, but because you trusted deeper. This is not your burden to carry, but your joy to live. The fear and trembling you experience is not from fear of failure—it is the holy awe of realizing that I, the Living God, am at work in you.
Scriptures referenced: Philippians 2:12–13; Psalm 81:13; James 1:22; Psalm 119:127; Psalm 40:8; Matthew 26:41; Psalm 119:35–36
🪟 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like automatic sliding doors at a grocery store. You step forward, and they open—not because you pried them open with your strength, but because you moved in the direction they were designed to respond to. God works in us the desire to walk forward, and as we do, His power opens the way.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that I am not left to carry out Your will by my own resolve. You have already placed within me both the desire and the ability to walk in Your ways. I rejoice that even my longing to obey You is the fruit of Your Spirit within me. I rest in Your promise to work in me what pleases You, and I step forward today in faith—not striving, but trusting that You will do what You have already begun. My life is Yours, and Your life in me is enough.