Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hello, welcome to your daily grace. By Timothy Wilder Foundations Episode 99 Growing in Grace God works in you One of the most reassuring truths in the Christian life is knowing that God Himself is at work within us.
[00:00:19] Philippians 2:13 says, it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. I don't hear those words as pressure. I hear them as comfort. They remind me that the deepest parts of my growth, my desires, and even my obedience are not things I have to manufacture.
[00:00:40] God is not standing at a distance waiting for me to improve.
[00:00:44] He is present, active, and gently shaping me from the inside out.
[00:00:49] I've learned over the years that his work in us is often quieter than we expect.
[00:00:54] Hebrews 13:21 says, God is working in us that which is pleasing in his sight. That means he isn't waiting for for us to become pleasing. He is forming what pleases him within us.
[00:01:09] It's His Spirit stirring new desires, his grace strengthening weak places, his presence guiding us even when we don't realize it. We participate, but we don't generate the power. The engine of our growth is God Himself.
[00:01:25] Paul understood this deeply. In First Corinthians 15:10 he says, I labored, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. I love the honesty in that.
[00:01:37] Paul wasn't pretending. He didn't work hard, but he also wasn't claiming the credit. He recognized that every good thing flowing out of his life had a source, and that source was grace.
[00:01:50] The same grace is at work in us, often in ways we don't see until later.
[00:01:55] Galatians 5:17 18 reminds us that the Spirit leads us, even in the tension between flesh and spirit.
[00:02:04] That tension doesn't mean we're failing. It means God is active. The very fact that we feel the pull toward what is good is evidence that His Spirit is working. He is guiding, nudging, whispering and strengthening us from within. We're not left to navigate growth alone.
[00:02:23] Ezekiel 36:27 gives us one of the most beautiful I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. That word cause has carried me through many seasons. It means God doesn't simply instruct us, he enables us. He creates the desire. He supplies the strength. He produces the fruit. Our role is not to force transformation, but to trust the one who lives within us.
[00:02:53] This truth changes how we see spiritual growth. Instead of asking, why can't I do better? Grace teaches us to ask, what is God doing in me right now? Instead of feeling defeated by weakness, we learn to recognize God's activity in the struggle. Instead of trying to force change, we learn to cooperate with the Spirit's gentle work.
[00:03:17] God working in us means we are never alone in our growth. It means our failures don't disqualify us and our successes don't come from us. It means transformation is not a burden, but a gift. It means the pressure is off and the presence of Christ is on.
[00:03:36] This is the heart of grace driven Growth Growth. God Himself is at work in you, shaping your desires, strengthening your steps, and producing his life through yours.
[00:03:49] Thanks for listening. If you are being fed and or uplifted by these messages, we encourage you to like, comment, share, and subscribe. These things help us spread the message of grace.
