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

No matter
what you're going to face this next week, you're not going to face it alone.
God is with you, he is in you, and he is for you.

Philippians
2:13 says, "For God is working in you,
giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (NLT).

"God is
working in you." The word "working" in Greek is the word energos, from which we get the word "energy." God is the energy
driver in your life. You're not just going on willpower. You're not just going
on your own power. God says he will give you the power you need, no matter what
you're facing.

Not only is
he in you, he is with you. The Bible
says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I
will come to you. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you
are in me, and I am in you" (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That's quite a promise!
The Bible says Christ is in you; the Bible says you're hid with Christ in God;
and the Bible says you're sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means for the devil
to get to you, he's got to get through the Trinity! That's a pretty good
protection. That is a great fear reliever.

Not only is
God with you and in you; God is also for
you. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us,
no one can defeat us" (NCV).

When a
shepherd leads the sheep, there are always guard dogs at the back, nipping at
the sheep to keep them moving in the right direction.

The Bible
says that the guard dogs in your life are goodness and mercy. God gives you the
things you don't deserve - that is his goodness. And, he doesn't give you the
things you do deserve - that's his
mercy.

Do you ever
feel the smile of God in your life? If you don't, you don't really know God.
Some people think God is like the angry parent who's mad at them all the time.
No. God is for you!

If you want
to be happy, you need to get up every morning and say, "God, thank you that
you're going to be with me today, you're going to be in me today, and you're
going to be for me today."

Isn't that
great news? If God is with you, and God is in you, and God is for you, what in
the world are you doing being depressed?

Talk It Over

How
do you think God wants you to access his power that is available to you?When
do you doubt God's presence the most? Ask God for faith to see him at work in
your life.How
will your perspective of a difficult situation change now that you know God is
on your side?