In Christ, we are new creations, born again, empowered to live the Christian life. And because we are working from salvation and not for salvation, our work is no longer to gain favor with God, but simply to please Him (Colossians 1:10).

God is at work in us who believe (Phil 2:13). He empowers us by His Spirit to live the Christian life (Gal 5:16). I love this truth. It is crucial for us to understand that our work in the Lord is really His work in us. It is a pride killer and a confidence builder all the same time. It kills our pride in ourselves, but boosts our confidence in Him! But have you ever had this question: What does it feel like for God to be working in you? I hear it all the time: “How do I know that God is working in me and not me working in my own strength?” I get it. Our hearts are deceitful (Jer 17:9). We love the praise of men, and we love to feel like we’ve earned what we’ve gained. It can be hard to discern when I’m working out of my own supply. So I want to give a few thoughts about what it is like to be working in God’s strength.

We Are Not Marionet Puppets

This might come as a shock, but God does not control us like marionet puppets. He doesn’t grab us by divine strings and begin marching us around making us follow Him. We aren’t caught up in some trance while God moves us around without our knowledge or effort. In other words, God’s work in us still feels like work! When God is working in us to read our Bible in the morning, guess what? It’s still going to feel like waking up early. When God works in us to deny ourselves, we will still feel the sting of that denial. When God works in us an ability to share the gospel, our palms might still sweat and we are still going to feel the rush of starting that conversation. Just because it still feels like work, doesn’t mean it is any less God working in you.

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