This week’s topic: The Power Of The Spirit
Christians have a lot that they can be frustrated about these days. Many churches are in a re-invention season, church leadership has its hands full, the desire to read scripture is challenged by the gap in understanding, as well as the challenge of finding other believers who aren’t spooky or aloof to real life and living, among other things. And all of this doesn’t match the personal, day-to-day realities that the average believer faces. Beyond the realities of spiritual warfare, the duties of full-time work, full-time family, full-time financial issues, full-time to-do list, full-time goals, full-time dreams, full-time emotional and mental management, and on and on, many Christians are simply frustrated.
The good news is that there is hope and a bright side to all of this. As believers we’ve not been left without a solution to the challenges of life. It sounds so very simple to share it, but it’s even more powerful to embrace it. The solution could sound like a quickly thrown out colloquial phrase around religious circles that makes one feel good in the moment, but doesn’t have a long-lasting transformation in the life of the person. Its sound cute, but if engaged – the solution is refreshing, life-giving, and fulfilling. The solution is this – we are not expected to live and manage our lives on our own.
One of the most powerful verses for a New Testament believer is found in an ever-present truth sandwiched in the Old Testament. The verse (Zechariah 4: 6) shares this wisdom, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” Zerubbabel has a vision from God about work that he must get done (life responsibilities!). As he asks God for explanation of the vision (explain the to-do list…), God shares with him that there is ONLY one way that the work will get done effectively. He says to him, not by “might”, that is your own collective resources or relationships. He then says to him, not by “power”, that is your individual abilities, brain-power, or the like. He says, only by “My Spirit”, that is his Holy Spirit. The light bulb for us goes off! We get total clarity now, we are frustrated Christians because we have work to do, but we’re doing the work only from our own resources, relationships, and individual abilities. The Holy Spirit has been sidelined by our eagerness to get the job done.
The challenge for us today is to acknowledge that we have reduced the Holy Spirit’s role in our daily lives. We have often felt like God wanted us to solely handle life alone or we’ve not been trained in how to incorporate the Holy Spirit to direct us. The real story is that he desires the total opposite. He desires to be actively involved in our daily decision making, real relationships, financial pursuits, and meandering thought life. Hire the person of the Holy Spirit to manage your life, and as you obey him, you’ll see the person of frustration have to vacate the grounds of your mind and heart. Life for you will become so much more fulfilling and satisfying rather than cycles and confusion.
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article courtesy of TheStreamingFaith.com
