Because of the way it is written, I had always heard/read this verse to mean that it was God's will and God's action that fulfills His good purpose in me. Though it's true that my faith-filled life begins with His will and His action on my behalf, that's not what the writer was talking about here.
Apart from Christ we are unable to do what is good in the eyes of God. Apart from His Spirit living inside us, our best efforts to do good are like filthy rags in the presence of a holy God. Without the counsel of His Word we are powerless to change.
But with Him, look out!
The amplified Bible puts it this way... (read it slowly and thoughtfully)
[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
There is so much packed into those precious words.
When our lives call for a change that honors God, there is nothing that should be allowed to get in the way. Our lives, if we believe Him, are to be a reflection of who God is - His character, His nature, His glory! The Lord gives us the desire and the power to do exactly that. It is only our forgivable sin that gets in the way. (1John 1.9)
"Now may the God of hope [the God from Whom hope comes] fill you with every sort of joy and peace in believing, so that you may have an abundance of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15.13
"Whatever was written before was written for our instruction that by the endurance and the encouragement that the Scriptures give us we may have hope." Romans 15.4
Lord, help me to honor You. I don't want to be stuck in old ways, old patterns, the old me. Let my life be a reflection of Your glory. Help me to be more like Jesus, who died to give me life and make me free! I love You, Lord. You are El Shaddai... all I need. Fill me with Your Spirit. Forgive me of my unbelief and that sin that entangles me. You are good. Amen.
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