How does our willpower work in our relationship with God?

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

God’s indwelling Spirit assists us at both the desire and the action phases of life. He alerts us to opportunities to cooperate with his desires and then empowers us to overcome our limitations.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

God’s dealings with us are fair and consistent while at the same time personal and individual. He empowers us with spiritual gifting and places us in certain situations to use those gifts. The best uses of our willpower are in harmony with God’s purposes and plans.

Galatians 5:16-26So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Our willpower and all our capacities are either submitted to the Holy Spirit or controlled by destructive evil influences and our fallen nature. The most effective use of our willpower is to consistently and intentionally give God permission to do his work in and through our lives.

Hebrews 13:20-21Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

This blessing reminds us of the importance of depending on God to direct and empower our wills to carry out what he wants us to do.