EMPOWERED TO DO THE FATHER'S WILL

Prior to Jesus' crucifixion, He prayed to the Father on behalf of His followers.  He prayed on behalf of those who followed Him then and for those also who would "believe on Him through their word." (John 17:20) Within this prayer, Jesus stressed the utmost importance of the brethren walking in unity.  He prayed, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.  Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE.  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE "ONE IN US": that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me." (John 17:11,20-21)
Jesus wanted the bond that He had with the Father to be the same among the brethren.  Jesus wanted the unity of the brethren to reflect the same unity that He enjoyed with the Father.  Notice that He prayed that we'd be made "One In Us."
The key to unity is being planted "In Us."  That "us" Jesus was referring to was His union with God the Father.  If we've been planted (rooted) in union with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we have the capacity to enjoy a seamless connection with one another and the Godhead.
Genesis 1:26 declares that God made man in His image.  It reads, "And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness...."  Notice that, according to this passage, God consists of more than one person.  The pronouns "US" and "OUR" reveal that man was made in the image of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Every person on the planet is made in the image and likeness of all three.  We are not designed to operate independent of God.  There are no "self-made" individuals.  Disunity erupts when we fail to know our true identity.  Insecurity erupts when we fail to know our true identity.  Confusion erupts when we fail to know our true identity.  Unity can only be achieved as we come to know and embrace the fact that each of us has been made in the image of THE SAME God the Father, THE SAME God the Son, and THE SAME God the Holy Spirit.  
From previous articles, we discovered that God the Father has a will.  We too have a will and we can choose whether to follow God’s will or our own.  During Jesus' earthly ministry, He declared, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." (John 6:38) Notice that though Jesus had a will, He was not self-willed. His will became the will of the Father and His mission as God the Son was to reveal and reflect the Father's will in the earth.  He came fulfilling a prayer He prayed saying, "Thy kingdom come THY WILL BE DONE, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:2)
Made in the image of God the Father and God the Son, we too should be about fulfilling the will of the Father.  We too should reveal and reflect the Father's will throughout the world, in our homes, in our marriages, at work, in the ministry, and wherever we go.  As each of us discovers that our true identity is found in "US" (in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) we will all come together in unity to accomplish one central purpose. As we study the Word of God, we'll discover God's plan for our lives so we too, like Jesus, can reveal and reflect His will throughout the earth.
We are made in the image and likeness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Thus, our will should reflect the will of the Father.  Thus, like Jesus, our mission should be to reveal God's will on the earth.  But what part does the Holy Spirit play in our lives?
The Holy Spirit plays the same part in our lives as He did in the life of Jesus.  This is reflected in Acts 10:38 Amp. which reads, "How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the (power of) the devil, for God was with Him."
The role of the Holy Spirit is TO EMPOWER US to do the Father's will.  Once we know what the Father's will is.  Once Jesus, the Word of God, reveals to us the will of the Father, then the Holy Spirit provides us the strength, ability, and power to do it.  Before Jesus' final ascension, He told His followers, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." (Acts 1:8) To carry out the Father's will we must be endowed with supernatural ability.  We cannot accomplish a supernatural mission through human strength.  We cannot have a Christ-centered marriage apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Relationships become bankrupt because we rely upon our flesh to do what our flesh is not designed to do apart from the power of God.  To the Romans, Paul wrote, "For if you live according to the dictates of the flesh, you will surely die.  But if THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT you are (habitually) putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the (evil) deeds prompted by the body, you shall (really and genuinely) live forever." (Romans 8:13 Amp.)
We'll never be free to follow the will of the Father if we are bound to the dictates of our flesh.  Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we gain ascendency over our flesh so we can live an overcoming life.
The more we come to know and embrace who we are in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the more we can become the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer that we all may be made one.  As we come to know and walk in the light of who we truly are, divorce and division of every kind will be eradicated.  The church will come together and fulfill its mission.  And that which the angels proclaimed at Jesus' birth will come to pass, "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men." (Luke 2:14)