…work out your own salvation…for it is God who works in you…[Philippians 2:12-13]
Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.
The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not workto accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based withdetermined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will— God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.Philippians 2:12 So, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey now when I am away from you: keep working out your deliverance with fear and trembling,[a] 13 for God is the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases him.[Footnotes:
Philippians 2:12 Psalm 2:11]
Bible in One Year:
2 Chronicles 25:1 Amatzyahu was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Y’ho‘adan, from Yerushalayim. 2 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, but not wholeheartedly.
3 As soon as he had the kingdom firmly in his control, he put to death the servants of his who had assassinated the king his father. 4 But he did not put their children to death; rather, he acted according to what is written in the Torah, in the scroll of Moshe, as Adonai ordered when he said, “Fathers are not to die for the children, nor are the children to die for the fathers; every person will die for his own sin.”
5 Amatzyahu assembled Y’hudah together and put them in order by clans under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds — all Y’hudah and Binyamin. He registered everyone twenty years old and older, and found that there were 300,000 select troops able to go to war, capable of using spears and shields. 6 He also hired 100,000 strong, brave men from Isra’el for three-and-a-third tons of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “King, don’t let the army of Isra’el go with you; because Adonai is not with Isra’el or with any of the people of Efrayim. 8 And if you do go, then no matter how fiercely you fight, God will cause you to fail before the enemy. For God has the power to help and to cause failure.” 9 Amatzyahu said to the man of God, “But what do we do about the three-and-a-third tons [of silver] I paid for Isra’el’s army?” The man of God answered, “Adonai can give you far more than that!” 10 Then Amatzyahu separated out the battalion that had come to him from Efrayim and told them to go back home — which made their anger burn hotly against Y’hudah, and they returned home enraged.
11 Amatzyahu took courage, led his people out and went to the Salt Valley, where he killed 10,000 of the people of Se‘ir. 12 The people of Y’hudah took another 10,000 away alive, brought them to the top of the Rock and threw them off the top of the Rock, so that they were all dashed to pieces.
13 Meanwhile, the men in the army that Amatzyahu had sent back and hadn’t allowed to join him in battle fell on the cities of Y’hudah, all the way from Shomron to Beit-Horon, killed 3,000 of them and took much spoil.
14 After Amatzyahu returned from the slaughter of the people from Edom, he brought the gods of the people of Se‘ir and set them up as his own gods, prostrating himself before them and offering incense to them. 15 As a result, the anger of Adonai blazed up against Amatzyah, and he sent him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought out the gods of those people, when they couldn’t even rescue their own people from you?” 16 But as [the prophet] was speaking to him, he interrupted him: “Were you made an adviser to the king? You had better stop before you get yourself killed!” So the prophet stopped, but he added, “I know that God is planning to destroy you for having done this and for refusing to listen to my advice.”
17 Then, after taking counsel, Amatzyah king of Y’hudah sent a challenge to Yo’ash the son of Y’ho’achaz, the son of Yehu, king of Isra’el: “Come on, let’s have it out face-to-face.” 18 Yo’ash the king of Isra’el sent this reply to Amatzyah king of Y’hudah: “Once, in the L’vanon, the thistle sent a message to the cedar: ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild animal passed by the thistle and squashed it. 19 You say you defeated Edom, which is true; so you’re excited and itching for more glory. But now, stay home! Why provoke calamity, to your own ruin, yours and Y’hudah’s too?” 20 But Amatzyah wouldn’t listen. And this was from God, so that he could hand them over [to their enemies], because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Yo’ash king of Isra’el went up; and he and Amatzyah king of Y’hudah had it out face-to-face at Beit-Shemesh, which belongs to Y’hudah. 22 Y’hudah was defeated by Isra’el, and every man fled to his tent. 23 Yo’ash king of Isra’el took Amatzyah king of Y’hudah, the son of Yo’ash the son of Y’ho’achaz, prisoner at Beit-Shemesh. Then he brought him to Yerushalayim and demolished the wall of Yerushalayim between the Gate of Efrayim and the Corner Gate, a section 600 feet long. 24 [He took] all the gold and silver, all the articles he could find in the house of God, with ‘Oved-Edom, and the treasures of the royal palace, together with hostages; then he returned to Shomron.
25 Amatzyahu the son of Yo’ash, king of Y’hudah, lived another fifteen years after the death of Yo’ash son of Y’ho’achaz king of Isra’el. 26 Other activities of Amatzyah, from beginning to end, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah and Isra’el.
27 From the time that Amatzyahu turned away from following Adonai, they formed a conspiracy against him in Yerushalayim. So he fled to Lakhish; but they followed him to Lakhish and killed him there. 28 They brought his body back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the City of Y’hudah.
26:1 Meanwhile, all the people of Y’hudah had taken ‘Uziyahu at the age of sixteen and made him king in place of his father Amatzyahu. 2 He recovered Eilot for Y’hudah and rebuilt it; it was after this that the king [Amatzyahu] slept with his ancestors.
3 ‘Uziyahu was sixteen years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Y’kholyahu, from Yerushalayim. 4 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father Amatzyahu had done. 5 He consulted God during the lifetime of Z’kharyahu, who understood visions of God; and as long as he consulted Adonai, God gave him success.
6 He went out to fight the P’lishtim, breaking down the walls of Gat, Yavneh and Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the P’lishtim. 7 God helped him against the P’lishtim, against the Arabs living in Gur-Ba‘al, and against the Me‘unim. 8 The ‘Amonim brought tribute to ‘Uziyahu, and his fame spread abroad as far as the Egyptian frontier, since he kept growing stronger.
9 ‘Uziyahu built towers in Yerushalayim at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them. 10 He built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock, likewise in the Sh’felah and the coastal plain. He had farmers and vineyard-workers in the hills and in the fertile lands, because he loved the soil.
11 ‘Uziyahu had a standing army of fit soldiers divided into units according to the census taken by the secretary Ye‘i’el and the officer Ma‘aseiyah, under the direction of Hananyah, one of the king’s officials. 12 The total number of clan heads over these strong, brave men was 2,600. 13 They directed a trained army of 307,500 fighting men, a strong force supporting the king in war against the enemy. 14 ‘Uziyahu equipped them, the whole army, with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones.
15 In Yerushalayim he built devices designed by experts for the towers and angles, from which to shoot arrows and lob large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was miraculously helped, until he became strong.
16 But when he was strong, he became arrogant, which caused him to become corrupt, so that he sinned against Adonai his God by going into the temple of Adonai to burn incense on the incense altar. 17 ‘Azaryahu the cohen went in after him, and with him were eighty of Adonai’s cohanim, brave men. 18 They stood up to ‘Uziyahu the king; they told him, “It isn’t your job, ‘Uziyahu, to burn incense to Adonai! The job of burning incense belongs to the cohanim, the descendants of Aharon, who have been consecrated. Get out of the sanctuary! You have trespassed, and Adonai, God, will not honor you for this.” 19 This made ‘Uziyahu angry as he stood there with a censer in his hand ready to burn incense; and in his anger at the cohanim, tzara‘at broke out on his forehead right in front of the cohanim in the house of Adonai beside the altar for incense. 20 ‘Azaryahu the chief cohen and all the cohanim stared at him — there he was, with tzara‘at on his forehead! Quickly they threw him out of there; and indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because Adonai had struck him. 21 ‘Uziyahu the king had tzara‘at until his dying day; he lived in a separate house because he had tzara‘at, and was not allowed into the house of Adonai. Meanwhile, Yotam the king’s son ran the king’s household and was regent over the people of the land.
22 Other activities of ‘Uziyahu, from beginning to end, were recorded by Yesha‘yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz. 23 So ‘Uziyahu slept with his ancestors, and they buried him with his ancestors in the graveyard belonging to the kings, because they said, “He had tzara‘at.” Then Yotam his son took his place as king.
27:1 Yotam was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Yerushah the daughter of Tzadok. 2 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father ‘Uziyah had done, except that he did not enter the temple of Adonai. Nevertheless, the people acted corruptly.
3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of Adonai and added considerably to the wall of the ‘Ofel. 4 He built cities in the hills of Y’hudah, and in the wooded areas he built forts and towers.
5 He fought with the king of the people of ‘Amon and defeated them. That year the people of ‘Amon paid him tribute of three-and-a-third tons of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat and 50,000 [bushels] of barley. The people of ‘Amon paid him the same amount the second and third years also. 6 Thus Yotam became strong, because he prepared his ways [of doing things] before Adonai his God.
7 Other activities of Yotam, all his wars and his ways [of doing things] are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el and Y’hudah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. 9 Yotam slept with his ancestors and they buried him in the City of David. Then Achaz his son took his place as king.
John 16:1 “I have told you these things so that you won’t be caught by surprise. 2 They will ban you from the synagogue; in fact, the time will come when anyone who kills you will think he is serving God! 3 They will do these things because they have understood neither the Father nor me. 4 But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for it to happen, you will remember that I told you. I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to the One who sent me.
“Not one of you is asking me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Instead, because I have said these things to you, you are overcome with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the comforting Counselor will not come to you. However, if I do go, I will send him to you.
8 “When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment — 9 about sin, in that people don’t put their trust in me; 10 about righteousness, in that I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 about judgment, in that the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future. 14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and announce it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine; this is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will announce it to you.
16 “In a little while, you will see me no more; then, a little while later, you will see me.” 17 At this, some of the talmidim said to one another, “What is this that he’s telling us, ‘In a little while, you won’t see me; then, a little while later, you will see me’? and, ‘I am going to the Father’?” 18 They went on saying, “What is this ‘little while’? We don’t understand what he’s talking about.”
19 Yeshua knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you asking each other what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while, you won’t see me; and then, a little while later, you will see me’? 20 Yes, it’s true. I tell you that you will sob and mourn, and the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she is in pain; because her time has come. But when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering out of joy that a child has come into the world. 22 So you do indeed feel grief now, but I am going to see you again. Then your hearts will be full of joy, and no one will take your joy away from you.
23 “When that day comes, you won’t ask anything of me! Yes, indeed! I tell you that whatever you ask from the Father, he will give you in my name. 24 Till now you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
25 “I have said these things to you with the help of illustrations; however, a time is coming when I will no longer speak indirectly but will talk about the Father in plain language. 26 When that day comes, you will ask in my name. I am not telling you that I will pray to the Father on your behalf, 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
28 “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and returning to the Father.”
29 The talmidim said to him, “Look, you’re talking plainly right now, you’re not speaking indirectly at all. 30 Now we know that you know everything, and that you don’t need to have people put their questions into words. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 Yeshua answered, “Now you do believe. 32 But a time is coming — indeed it has come already — when you will be scattered, each one looking out for himself; and you will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone; because the Father is with me.
33 “I have said these things to you so that, united with me, you may have shalom. In the world, you have tsuris. But be brave! I have conquered the world!”
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