BUT BY MY SPIRIT

Zech. 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.”  NLT

      It would do well for us to remember this truth. It is only in and through Christ that we are able to do what we do in life for Him. So often we plow ahead with little thought to whether or not the Lord is ahead of the plow driving it. We act as if it is us who is doing the good. We act as if the Lord needs us more than we need Him. Foolishly, we get the idea that we are an indispensable part of the work of Christ on earth. The reality is the kingdom of God will be built with or without us. The will of God being fulfilled through us is more for our benefit than His. We need to contribute to the work of Christ on earth in order for us to become whom God created us to be. If we fail to be who we are created to be, we miss out on the abundant life God has for us to enjoy. We are the losers, not God.

       We can do nothing apart from God working in us. We owe Him the very essence of who we are. We have nothing to offer to Him except our hearts. Let us never forget this important truth. It has never been, is not now, nor ever will be, about us. It is by the Spirit of God that we become servants of God.  It is by the Spirit of God that we can do anything for God.

      It is only in and through Christ that we are able to be in life who God created us to be. We cannot quit sinning on our own. We cannot see the truth of the Gospel on our own. We cannot know the guilt and shame of sin on our own. We can only be who God created us to be by the working of the Spirit of God in us. If you, or someone you know and love, is living in sin, take the matter to the Lord. Pray fervently and consistently over their souls. Pray that the Spirit will do His work of convicting. Pray faithfully and believe that the Spirit will give what you ask Him for. People do not come underneath the convicting work of the Spirit without first someone praying. It is our prayers that move the heart of God, not our friendship or love.

TAKE COURAGE AND WORK

Haggai 2:4  “But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD…….Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty.  NLT

       The temple had fallen into rubble.  Invading armies had broken down the walls of Jerusalem and set fire to the temple and the king’s palace.  Things were a total mess and the task of rebuilding was a daunting one at the least. 

      Zerubbabel had been commissioned to oversee the project.  From the looks of things, it seemed almost impossible.  Yet, God had raised him up to do the work.  God patted him on the back, reassured him of His presence, and encouraged him to get busy and do the work.

      There are times in which we are given tasks to do that seems virtually impossible for us to do.  We look at the size of the task and don’t want to even start it.  We lose confidence that we are up to the task.  Yet, when God moves us to do something it’s because He knows we are able to do it and will do it if we let Him be with us to help us.

      The issue is not are we able.  We are able to do anything God gives us to do.  The issue is whether or not we will let God be the overseer of our project and helper to do it.  We can do all things through Christ if we simply are submissive to Him. 

      Take courage, get to work, you can do it with Christ’s help. 

THINGS GOING OK?

Haggai 1:5  This is what the LORD Almighty says, “Consider how things are going for you!”  NLT

      Haggai prophesized during the time in which Israel was rebuilding the Temple during the Babylonian rule.  It was a time of poverty and national oppression.  The people had forsaken the Lord and His patience ran out on them and He let them fall into the Babylonians’ hands.   

     Haggai challenged the Israelites to consider how things were going for them as a result of their ignoring God.  It is a question that we would do well to consider as well.

      How are things going for you?  Are you on the top of your world, or are you underneath its pressures and stresses?  Do you have peace regardless of your circumstances, or are you trying to find some semblance of peace for your soul?  Are you content or are you chasing after the world’s empty promises? 

       How are things going for you?  You will only find peace and contentment in Christ.  He alone can make your life worth living for.  He alone can give you the ability to say that things are well with your soul no matter what your circumstances are. 

       Let the Lord have His way with you and you will be able to answer today’s question with a resounding, “It is well; it is well with my soul.”

COMFORT CORRUPTS

Haggai 1:3-4  So the LORD sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?”  NLT

      God had sent some of the Israelites out of their captivity back home to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple.  Things were a mess and it was their job to clean it up.  Yet, the people were not all that into doing the work.  They settled into their homes and eventually amassed a lot of personal wealth.  They had very little concern for restoring the Temple so that people could come and worship God there.

      Haggai was sent by God to the people to chastise them for their indifference to the house of God.  He brought them up short for being more interested in the riches of earth than the things of God.

      I believe that we, too, need to consider Haggai’s question.  Are we more interested in our personal gain than we are the things of God?  Do we focus more on life on earth than eternal life?  How much interest do we show in the things of God?  Do we love the Lord more than we do our earthly interests? 

        Comfort corrupts.  When we get comfortable, we get lackadaisical.  We lose our passion and often compromise what we profess to believe.  Comfort tends to dull our sense of what is and is not important in life.

       We invest our lives in those things that really matter to us.  Are you neglecting the things of God?  Have you lost your zeal for the Kingdom of God?  Do not let the comforts of living rob you of the joys of salvation and corrupt your faith.

GATHER TOGETHER AND PRAY

 

Zephaniah 2:1-3  Gather together and pray, you shameless nation.  Gather while there is still time, before judgment begins and your opportunity is blown away like chaff.  Act now before the fierce fury of the LORD falls and the terrible day of the LORD’s anger begins.  Beg the LORD to save you—all you who are humble, all you who uphold justice.  Walk humbly and do what is right.  Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.  NLT

      Nothing of any significance is going to happen in the world unless God’s people gather together and pray.  The failure of the Church to come together and pray has caused most of the world’s problems.  We have failed to seek the Lord’s favor.  We have failed to see the need to pray.  We have failed to see the need to come together and stay together for the sake of the souls of the world.  Instead of attacking Satan on a united front, we have separated ourselves from one another and allowed ourselves to be divided over matters that should never divide us.  We, the Church, have just as much shame as the world does.

      But, it’s not too late.  There is still time to unite and pray.  God has not come yet to judge the world and until He does, there is time for the Church to have a profound impact on the world.  We will never make much a difference in the world until we unite ourselves at the foot of the cross.  We must repent of our willingness to let petty things divide us.  We must repent of our self-centered agendas.  We must repent of the sins we have allowed in our hearts and churches.  We must repent of how we have allowed ourselves to be led away from the absolute authority of the Scriptures. 

      We must get on our knees together and beg the Lord to save us from ourselves before we can beg Him to save the world.  We must humble ourselves before Him and acknowledge that He is our Lord, the head of the Church and not us.  We must unite ourselves in Christ and set a godly example for the world to follow.  We must walk humbly before the Lord in the world and do what is right before Him.  We must, by our example, give the world a reason to want to come to Jesus.

       It is not too late, but our days of opportunity are swiftly fading away.  The Lord is coming soon to take the true Church out of the world.  Today is the day of salvation whereby many can still be saved.  The question is, “Will we do it?  Will we be part of God’s solution for the sins of the world, or will we be part of its problem?” 

GOD IS SIN INTOLERANT

Habakkuk 1:13  You are perfectly just in this.  But will you, who cannot allow sin in any form, stand idly by while they swallow us up?  Should you be silent while the wicked destroy people who are more righteous than they?  NLT

      The Babylonians were sent to punish the Israelites for their sins.  God had had enough.  His people had worn out His patience.  They went through the motions of allegiance to God but their hearts were far from Him.  They claimed to be His, but did not live like it.  They expected the Lord’s favor upon them, but did not humble themselves before Him or obey Him. 

       God cannot allow sin in any form.  We must understand this profound and all important truth.  There is no sin in the presence of God.  Ever.  Sin must be dealt with before one approaches God or He will be denied access to God.  God is holy and hates all sin.  In order to approach God, we must be made righteous in Christ.  As much as we may not like it, we must confess our sins before Christ and seek His forgiveness.  There is no other way to draw near to God.

      We don’t stress this truth much anymore, but I believe it is a critical truth.  We must preach and teach it until we believe it.  God is sin intolerant.  He will not overlook sin in any form.  He will not let sin anywhere near Him.  No one will make it to heaven with a sin problem hanging over their soul.  Repentance is for Christians too!  In fact, I believe that it is even more important for the believer than the non-believer because we are held accountable for what we know.  The sinner’s prayer for forgiveness is just the beginning of a lifetime of forgiveness.  We all sin and come short of the glory of God.

      I believe it is dangerous for us to assume that once we are saved we are no longer in need of repentance.  How can sin go away without it?  Does the righteousness of Christ guarantee our acceptance by God regardless of our sins?  All I know is that the Word calls us into a confession of our sins.  God commands holiness in the heart of His children and dealing with sin through Christ is the only way it is going to happen.  He IS our righteousness and holiness before God.

A MESSAGE FROM GOD

Habakkuk 1:1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received from the LORD in a vision.  NLT

       As I read this verse I got to wondering about how many of have actually received a message from the Lord. Before you dismiss the idea, think about it. Does God speak only to a select few, or does He give a message to all of us? Details may vary, but I believe that God speaks regularly to every one of His children. God has a lot to say to us about ourselves and our living. We may or may not hear from God in a vision, but if we are tuned in, we will all hear from Him.

      How God speaks to us is not important. What is important is that we hear what we need to hear from Him and then act upon it. God speaks to us for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we need better understanding, conviction about sin we have allowed into our hearts, a change of direction in our lives, a task to do, someone to come alongside of to help, etc. Regardless of the reason, the Lord has an ever-changing message for us to hear. He has not disengaged himself from your life. He wants you to hear what He has to say.

      In order to hear what God wants to say to you, you must be where you can hear Him. You must be in His Word, in your prayer closet, or in a quiet place apart from the distractions of life around you. You must be able to fix your thoughts on Him alone and wait before Him with an open heart. If you do, you will hear.

       “Speak to my heart, even now, Lord Jesus. I need to hear what You have to say to me. I need to know what I must do in order for me to be where You want me to be, where I need to be. Lord, speak to me right now while I am waiting, yielded and still.”