1. Introduction
· God is at work in you!
· Phil.1:13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure”.
· God has planned a purpose for every believer – our responsibility is to discover and fulfil it.
· God is at “work” – within you.
· Work =NT1756= to be active, efficient, mighty, to energise and empower your life.
· We are joined to the Spirit of God – our spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17)
· What does the Holy Spirit do?
· Energise you to will (be resolved or determined) and to do (put forth energy) the things that bring pleasure to God – this is His mission and assignment.
2. Other Forces that Work in You
(a) Sin Works in You
Rom.7:13 “But sin that it might appear sin working death in me”
· “Working” =NT2716= to thoroughly work.
· Rom. 7:5 “For when we were in the flesh the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death”.
· Work =NT2716= energeo = to energize, to rouse into activity.
· Sin works to create strong negative energies within us that influence us and bring about death – spiritual isolation and separation from the Life of God.
(b) Evil Spirits can Work in You
Eph. 2:2 “In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that spirit now works in the children of disobedience”.
· Evil spirits work =NT1756= energeo = to energise, to rouse into activity.
· Evil spirits work to energise sin and disobedience within the lives of people.
· They use sin (disobedience) as the gateway to enter and ‘energise’ people to live in bondage.
3. How can I co-operate with the Holy Spirit to increase His working in My Life?
(a) His working releases supernatural energy
Eph.3:16-20 “He is able to do more exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us”.
· Power =NT1411= Dunamis = supernatural power and ability.
· He is talking about the Holy Spirit at work with us.
· The working of the Holy Spirit is to strengthen us with ‘dunamis’ in our spirit.
· The key is activating the moving of the Holy Spirit within us.
· The law of life (of the spirit) is what overcomes the law of sin and death.
(i) Speak in Tongues
· 1 Cor.14:4 “When you speak in tongues you strengthen and build your spirit”.
Speak fluently – speak strongly – speak often.
· Speaking in tongues activates your spirit to flow with the Holy Spirit.
(ii) Practise Praise and Gratitude
· Ps. 69:30 “I will praise the name of the Lord with a song, I will magnify Him with thanksgiving”.
· Lack of gratitude and honour creates disrespect.
· Constant gratitude and honour expressed creates room for the Holy Spirit to move.
· Ps. 95:4 “We enter (experience) His presence with gratitude and praise”.
(iii) Tune into the Voice of the Holy Spirit
· Gal.5:6 “He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you does He do it by the works of the Law or the hearing of Faith?”
· Practice turning in to impressions from the Holy Spirit, words, thoughts, pictures.
· Obey promptly – this releases life - tune to spontaneity – tune to flow
(iv) Give Voice to the Word of God
· 1 Thess. 2:13 “…the word of God which works effectively in you who believe”.
· Works =NT1756= Energeo = to energise
· The Word of God works – but only if we respond to it with faith (Heb.4:2)
· We take in the word of God through mediation and speak it forth.
· Jer. 23:28-29 “He who has my Word let Him speak it forth faithfully”.
· Is. 40:9 “Lift up your voice with strength”.
· Words carry information but your voice carries your spirit.
· It’s not what you say but how you say it that releases the anointing. Speaking forth the Word of God stirs your spirit and gives room for the Spirit of God to work in you!