Notes follow the video link below for the hearing impaired.

So far in our series on Everyday Gifts, we have discussed enjoying the fruits of our labors, being contented with what we have, and having eyes that see and ears that hear.  Hold onto your hats, folks, because we are about to look at a gift from God that will revolutionize your life, if you will just believe you have it and use it.

Philippians 2:13 KJVS. [13] For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13 NLT. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Everyday Gifts—The Ability to Please God

            When you repent of your sins and are forgiven your spirit is born again through the cleansing power of the blood sacrifice of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit brings that rebirth into existence and influences your life, giving you guidance and His anointing.  When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, you receive power to witness about Jesus.

            The closer you walk with Jesus, the more like Him you become.  Jesus told His disciples He had come to do the will of the Father.  As you become more and more like Jesus, you will want to do the will of the Father, too.  The reason is He has given you the ability to please Him, just like Jesus had the ability to do His will.

            As the Holy Spirit works in your life, that ability becomes more and more influential in your decision making.  You want to do right.  You want to walk in the love of God.  You want to live in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.  You want to live according to the will of God for your life.  You exercise your free will choice, and you strive to please God.

            Here’s a news bulletin for you:  Your adversary, the devil, does not want you to do what pleases God.  That’s why he doesn’t want you to know you can please God.  Satan constantly tries to get you to think you are a failure as a follower of Jesus.  He tries to get you to focus on any failure or weakness you have, instead of on your victory over him through Christ.  He tries to make you think you’re too sinful to live in holiness, instead of walking in the power that comes from the Holy Spirit to be holy. 

            He tries to get you to forget your desire to please God by tricking you into trying to satisfy your flesh and its desires.  He wants you to forget you are now a child of God and a joint-heir with Jesus.  He wants you to never learn about this wonderful and powerful gift, and he throws every temptation he can your way to keep you occupied with the world instead of God’s Kingdom.  Satan simply doesn’t want you to recognize and enjoy this gift from God.  He knows if you do, he will be defeated on a regular basis.

            The ability to please God comes to us by way of our coupling faith in Jesus with our decision making.  When we put our eternal future in Christ and decide to live like Jesus, the devil is defeated.  When we exercise faith in Christ’s promises to us and choose to live in those promises, the devil is defeated.  When we choose to pick up our cross and follow Jesus into the future as our Lord and Savior, the devil is defeated.

            You have the ability to live in God’s will for your life because you have the ability to choose to live in His will.  You have the ability to become more and more like Jesus day after day because you have the ability to choose to become conformed to His image.  I’ll say it again—You have the ability to please God because you can choose to please God!

            Do you want to live in holiness?  Choose holiness!  Do you want to walk in the anointing of the Holy Spirit?  Ask for His anointing!  Do you desire to spread the love of God to others?  Open your mouth and let the Holy Spirit speak through you.

            Choose to receive this great gift, this great ability to please God.  Allow God to work in your life.  Allow the Holy Spirit to move you out of where you are in your relationship with God into a place you have never been before.  Choose to seek the freedom and the power that can exist in your life because you choose to please God.

            Do you want to see your family and friends come to forgiveness?  Exercise your gift!  Do you long to see God move in this community?  Exercise your gift!  Do you desire to see miracles and sign and wonders that prove Jesus is Messiah?  Put your gift to work!  Do you really want to see our Children’s and Youth Center become all God wants it to be?  Let your gift flow through you and out into this community!

            As you choose to please God, you will see miracles happen.  You will experience the power of God at work through you.  People will be healed and delivered.  The chains that bind people through worries, sickness, possession and addiction will be broken.  You will see this congregation make a powerful positive impact for the Kingdom of God.

            God has given you the desire to please Him.  He has also given you the power you need to please Him.  Are you ready to proclaim you have the ability to please God?  If you are, then make that proclamation right now.  Shout it out so the folks down the street will know you choose to please God!

            God has given me the ability to please Him!

            I desire to please God!

            I have the power to please God!

            I choose to please God!