Right relationship with God is established when we believe the gospel and receive the Spirit of adoption.
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Roman's 8:15
We receive His Spirit by faith and through the asking, but even that is His work. When Peter laid the foundation of the church with his great confession, what did Jesus say?
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17
We can't take credit for our confession of faith in the person of Christ, that confession issues from God's witness on Earth, the Holy Spirit.
Good works issue from God through us as the scripture says, they don't contribute to our salvation, but are a result of our salvation. If God doesn't do them, they aren't good.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Phillipians 2:12-13
The verse plainly says that God gives us the will to do His good pleasure and does His good pleasure through us. We can't take credit for our "good works." God does all the work, so God gets all the glory, we're really just tabernacles for His Spirit if we indeed know Him, but the tabernacle has 2 occupants, His Spirit and our spirit. We can do His will in obedience or do our will. When our will aligns with His will, we can ask Him for anything and receive His desire. That's what it means to be one with Christ as He is One with the Father. We receive the presence of God not just with us, but in us and find unity through the Holy Spirit.
That's the troubling thing with this website. There's very little unity, which shouldn't be the case if we all drank from the same spiritual well. I can tell by reading the posts of some that they have the Witness in them, but others seem devoid of His Spirit. However, we're not supposed to judge before the time of judgment and it takes time to mature. It also takes time to renew our mind through the word. We're born into a world that is carnal and consequently with a carnal mind. We grow in the world, we perceive as the world perceives, we think as the world thinks. The world tries to conform us to its character, but we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Even that is the work of the Holy Spirit and through His word. All we can do is cooperate or rebel and grieve Him. However, even our cooperation is His work because He works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure. We're obviously not automatons, but God is zealous for His word and His testimony. God is deeply committed to us, primarily because He's committed to Himself.
11 This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13
These verses are things which the carnal mind can't comprehend, but can be received by the spiritual mind. The epistles weren't written for the world, but for the church.