Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
The book of Zechariah captures a powerful time in the life of Israel as a people. For a long time they had been in captivity and their own homeland laid in ruins. During that time the Lord had called them to return and to rebuild those same walls which had been destroyed. However, with the divine task given to them came potential opposition and tough times for them. The Assyrian enemies did not want for the wall to be built, nor did they want God’s people to succeed, so they did all they could to make the work tough for them. In the midst of the work, the Lord spoke a word to Zechariah to tell His people: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. The work they were called to do was going to require the work of the Spirit of God. The obstacles they were going to face were not going to be overcome by mere will, but rather by Spirit work.
The Lord makes mention here of the reality of the work the people of Israel were called to do in rebuilding the wall. The work was not going to be easy by any means. As a matter of fact it was going to be impossible without His Spirit intervening in the work. The reality was that the people of Israel were in need of the Lord’s Spirit to be able to accomplish the work they were called to do.
Here is the problem friend: what can happen in our life is that we can rely solely on our own ingenuity and skill in order to accomplish the work God has called for us to do. We can rely on our sheer might, strength and mental capability to do God’s work because we may feel as though we are accomplished individuals or because we are independent folks who need no help; but here is the deal, that is a scary place to be. The truth is we need the Spirit of God present and active in every part of our lives, but we need him especially present and moving in the work God has called us to do. Whether it is serving in our children’s ministry, or serving with our students on Wednesday nights, we need the Spirit. Whether you are teaching a life group or serving at Tylertown Church, we need the Spirit’s intervention in our ministries and in our lives.
The reason we need the Spirit active and present in our life is that without the Spirit, there is no power in your ministry. The Spirit of God is the true power at hand. When the Spirit of God is present and moving, lives change, people get saved, and hearts are encouraged! The call for us then is to choose to rely on the Spirit of God to work in our life.
What does that look like for us? It is choosing to lay down ourselves every single day and asking for the Spirit of God to move and work. It is preparing for the assignment God has given you yes, but even more than that, submitting your preparation to the Spirit and asking Him to move in your heart and illuminate the hearts of your hearers. It is asking the Spirit to guide and lead your conversation with that lost person and for Him to move in their heart.
The governor who received the word of the Lord from Zechariah heeded his truth and allowed for the Spirit to work and move in their work to rebuild the wall, and guess what: they were successful in their efforts because of the power of the Spirit. Understand that the work God has called us to do is Spirit work. Let us let the Spirit of God lead our work and trust that through the Spirit fruit will be produced and that lives will be changed! Let us let the Spirit lead!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Spirit! Help me to become more and more aware of my need for your Spirit to move. I know that no change is going to come unless your Spirit moves and changes hearts. So Lord please move in me and in the lives of those around me as I choose to live for you today. Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Mark 14:38
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.