Vital signs- Saturday, February 12th, 2022

God's Work in You

It is the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christlike character in you. You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus on your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives. The Bible says, "God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him." (Philippians 2:13 NLT) Mention the "power of the Holy Spirit" and many people think of miraculous demonstrations and intense emotions. But most of the time the Holy Spirit's power is released in your life in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren't even aware of or feel. Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us.

How does this happen? Through the choices we make. We choose to do the right thing in situations and then trust God's Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God's Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking.