But By My Spirit...

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“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.—Zechariah 4:6

This word to Zerubbabel was to assure him that he would have an endless supply of the Spirit of God to complete the work of the temple.  Praying that my own heart would receive this word “to Zerubbabel” with meekness.  That I would come away strengthened with wisdom and might through His Spirit in my inner man and ready to obey.  Oh, for a greater dependence on God and a decreased dependence on myself!  Neither human might, wealth or physical strength is gonna be sufficient to get me through this vale of tears.  This is so hard for me to learn. Even though I know intellectually that I have an abundant supply of His Spirit to carry me through each day, my heart’s natural bent is to trust in me...in my power...in my ability...in my resources.  Weakness then for me is a good thing.  I can rejoice in it, because it forces me to look to my God for help.  In trusting myself,  I miss out on seeing the power of His Spirit in my life.  I miss out on what He has for me, because I am rejecting the help of the Spirit of God.  Think about that for a second!  Even saved with the evidence of His lovingkindness surrounding me, my heart STILL rebels and fights against Him.   No good comes of it and yet I return to that same wall over and over again.  How silly and foolish we are when we contend with our Maker.  Praying that this morning, as I leave my chair and enter in to the “real” world filled with curve balls, trials and challenges, that I can be a light to my family and others, not in my own strength, but by the abundant supply and operation of His Spirit in my life.  

Including some cross-reference verses that I found helpful to read.  

2 Chronicles 14:11 (KJV)

11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, [it is] nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou [art] our God; let not man prevail against thee.

Isaiah 30:1 (KJV)

1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

Isaiah 32:15 (KJV)

15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

Isaiah 63:10-14 (KJV)

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, [and] he fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, [and] his people, [saying], Where [is] he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where [is] he that put his holy Spirit within him? 12 That led [them] by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, [that] they should not stumble? 14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

1 Corinthians 2:4,5 (KJV)

4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

2 Corinthians 10:4,5 (KJV)

4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Chronicles 32:7,8 (KJV)

7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that [is] with him: for [there be] more with us than with him: 8 With him [is] an arm of flesh; but with us [is] the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Psalm 20:6-8 (KJV)

6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

Psalm 33:16,20,21 (KJV)

16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

Psalm 44:3-7 (KJV)

3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. 4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. 5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

For You Shall Deal Bountifully With Me...

I cry out to the LORD with my voice;

With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.

2 I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare before Him my trouble.

3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

Then You knew my path.

In the way in which I walk

They have secretly set a snare for me.

4 Look on my right hand and see,

For there is no one who acknowledges me;

Refuge has failed me;

No one cares for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, O LORD:

I said, "You are my refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

6 Attend to my cry,

For I am brought very low;

Deliver me from my persecutors,

For they are stronger than I.

7 Bring my soul out of prison,

That I may praise Your name;

The righteous shall surround me,

For You shall deal bountifully with me."—Psalm 142

This is my all time favorite psalm.   I love every psalm, but I love this one the best.  It has spoken to and encouraged my heart countless times over the years.  I have memorized it and re-memorized it. Truly, it is a jewel that speaks beautiful truth to desolate, rejected hearts.  

It reminds the betrayed and rejected that HE is with them.  HE is on their side, and HE hears them. It tells them that God knows them intimately and cares for them deeply. HE is their strong habitation to which they can resort continually.  It causes them to remember that His grace is sufficient and that when they are weak, HE is strong.  Finally, it brings hope to the hopeless, the oppressed and the downtrodden. Their God is MIGHTY to save.  HE delivers them from their strong enemies. HE brings their soul out of prison. HE goes before them and makes the crooked places straight.  HE breaks in pieces the gates of bronze and cuts the bars of iron. Even the night for them, His beloved, is light about them. To His precious ones HE gives the treasures of darkness and the hidden riches of secret places so they may know that HE, is God.  When they cannot see even their own feet, no less the path they should take, they can just take His hand and let Him lead.  They can trust Him...He will deal bountifully with them.  

Our Eyes are Upon You...

 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord;

In You I take refuge;

Do not leave my soul destitute.

9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,

And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

While I escape safely.—Psalm 141:8-10

This was David’s prayer for deliverance and may it be ours as well, as we walk through the fires of trials. Truly, we have no power against all the forces of evil that come against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.

Help me, Father, to see the invisible. Fix my eyes of faith on You. In You I take my refuge. Unite my heart to fear Your name.  

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews12:1-2

Encourage my heart to stand...to trust You in everything. By Your Spirit, help me to see the troubles and trials that come my way as opportunities for single-minded faith.  Help me in my sinful fear and trembling, to commit myself to You and pass safely through even the midst of the battle unscathed.  

All of Your promises, Father, are yes and amen in Your Son. As I surrender to Your Spirit today, may I see Your “mighty working power” in every situation I face.   

Unless the LORD had been my help,

My soul would soon have settled in silence.

18 If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.—

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

3 For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;—Isaiah 43:1-3a

The Righteous WILL Give Thanks...

 I said to the LORD: "You are my God;

Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;

Do not further his wicked scheme,

Lest they be exalted.

Selah

I know that the LORD will maintain

The cause of the afflicted,

And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;

The upright shall dwell in Your presence.—Psalm 140:6-8;12-13

Amen!  Such a perfect prayer for the times we are facing today as a nation!  Do not grant the desires of the wicked, Father!  Do not allow their evil scheme to prosper. Overthrow and confound them.  Let them be cast into the fire...into deep pits that they rise not up again!  

Here is the thing...

While I do pray that evil would be revealed and not allowed to prosper, I am nevertheless comforted that my God WILL maintain the cause of the afflicted.  Justice WILL come.  The righteous WILL give thanks to God. No matter what happens here on earth, we who believe, WILL dwell in His presence both now and forever. THAT is good news. Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ!

But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,  8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 

9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 

10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.  (Psalms 9:7-10, ESV)

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

God has spoken once,

Twice I have heard this:

power belongs to God.

12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;

For You render to each one according to his work.—Psalms 62:8; 11-12

Taking Comfort in Being Known by God...

 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

As a younger Christian I literally winced when I prayed this kind of searching prayer.  My heart really didn’t want to know.  I was afraid of the increased trials that might come my way in order to refine and purify my heart.  There were also probably things in my life that maybe I wasn’t quite ready to give up or to put under His scrutinizing eye.  I am now pretty much a search and scrutinize away kinda person.  Lord...show me my sin...I WANT to know when I am in the wrong and not walking according to Your commandments.  My heart takes comfort in knowing my God sees me...all of me.  The good, the bad and the ugly. 

I am greatly comforted that He knows every one of my thoughts...that He watches over me and is ALWAYS with me.  I am me, and I often don’t understand me!   I am so grateful that HE does.  He knows the way I take.  He leads me.  His plans for me are good.  I want to walk in the right way.  I don’t want to have to go the long way around.  I want to go in the “way everlasting”...the way that is pleasing to God and profitable for me.  The way that ends in awaking in His likeness and living in His Presence forever.  

You Will...

 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand

Against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;—Psalm 138:1a; 3;7-8

Lord...I will praise You with everything I have...when I cry out you WILL answer...You Will make me bold with strength in my soul.  Oh how I love this Psalm.  How I love Your word to me, Father.

You WILL revive me...

You WILL stretch out Your hand against my enemies wrath...

You right hand WILL save me....

You WILL perfect that which concerns me...

Oh, Father give me this kind of confidence.  Increase my faith.  You are powerful and Your works are wonderful.

‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.—Jeremiah 32:17

My God is big...my God is powerful.  My God does MIGHTY AND AWESOME things....AND HE HAS POWER OVER ALL. 

The waters WILL NOT overflow me and You my God will be with me. You WILL perform all things for me and make all that concerns me perfect.

Help me to be like Joshua today who magnified the Lord to those around him and in so doing, strengthened and encouraged their faith. 

And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."--Joshua 4:5

The Just Shall Live by Faith...

 "Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith—Habakkuk 2:4

“The just shall live by his faith”.  There is much in this verse to think about.  What jumped off the page for me this morning were the beautiful truths of Romans 5:1-2 and Ephesians 2:8. Grace and faith go together.  Faith is our access to His grace...the proud trust in themselves but the righteous live depending on God.  By grace we are saved, through faith.  

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.—Romans 5:1-2

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.—Ephesians 2:8

The first result of our justification is that we are reconciled to God.  We are no longer His enemies. By grace, God has declared us, the believing sinner, righteous. We stand permanently and securely in God’s favor...in unmerited grace.  Our destiny is to share in the very glory of God.  This hope is certain.  Christ has secured it.  Through faith in Him, we have access to this grace in which we stand. 

We are not only saved through faith but are also to live by faith. 1 John 5:4 tells us our faith is the victory that has overcome the world.  We live, then, moment by moment, believing God’s word and obeying it, receiving. We (as believers) can now come boldly to His throne of grace that we may find mercy and obtain grace to help us in our time of need.  Because we stand securely in His grace, through our faith, we can live in His Presence and experience and exult in the displays of His excellence and power in our lives. 

Warren Wiersbe says this about living by faith.  I found it very helpful. 

“To live by faith means to believe God’s Word and obey it no matter how we feel, what we see, or what the consequences may be. This is illustrated in Hebrews 11, the famous “by faith” chapter of the Bible. The men and women mentioned in that chapter were ordinary people, but they accomplished extraordinary things because they trusted God and did what He told them to do. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence; it’s obeying in spite of consequence, resting on God’s faithfulness.”

Ending with a beautiful quote from Spurgeon...

“Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men. It is a great pity when the aqueduct is broken. It is a sad sight to see around Rome the many noble aqueducts which no longer convey water into the city, because the arches are broken and the marvelous structures are in ruins. The aqueduct must be kept entire to convey the current; and, even so, faith must be true and sound, leading right up to God and coming right down to ourselves, that it may become a serviceable channel of mercy to our souls.”

The Mountains Quake Before Him...

 The LORD has His way

In the whirlwind and in the storm,

And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,

And dries up all the rivers.

Bashan and Carmel wither,

And the flower of Lebanon wilts.

5 The mountains quake before Him,

The hills melt,

And the earth heaves at His presence,

Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.—Nahum 1:3-5

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

19 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.—Psalm 18:17-19

Verses like the ones above me remind me that I have no reason for fear.  Perfect love is mine. I have a very big, limitless, all-powerful God, who is all knowing and everywhere present, living in me.  My God is eternal and needs nothing.  He is perfect.  He is immutable.  Most importantly, He is on my side...MY GOD IS FOR ME. 

The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you,

And will say, 'Destroy!'—Deuteronomy 33:27

The God that Nahum speaks of here in this first chapter is a God who is holy and jealous, who will punish the wicked and avenge those who are His. Nineveh had been shown mercy when they repented at the preaching of Jonah. The time for mercy, however, was over.  The time for justice had arrived.  Verse 7 is my favorite...a refuge and respite for those who are His. 

The LORD is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.—Nahum 1:7

Contrasting it to verse 8:

But with an overflowing flood

He will make an utter end of its place,

And darkness will pursue His enemies.—Nahum 1:8

They brought to mind the inspired words of Paul in Romans 11, reminding us “to consider the goodness and the severity of God.”  

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness.—Romans 11:22

“But toward you, goodness.” ❤️ The nations are as a drop in the bucket to my God who works all things together for my good and His glory. Truly, I can leave ALL in His sovereign hand. 

My God is compassionate..a mighty fortress to those who place their hope in Him.   I don’t  have to live my life in fear.  He is my refuge.  I walk securely in Him.  

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.—Psalm 46:1-3

What Does the LORD Require of You?

 He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:8

My God doesn’t want my outward obedience, HE WANTS ME...MY HEART...ALL THAT I AM. He wants my worship of Him to be from my inner man in accordance with the truth of His word and centered on His Son because He and the Father are One. 

He desires the pre-eminence in my life.  I can bring nothing to Him acceptable except empty hands and a heart filled with love and gratitude for what He has done for me.  When my heart is committed my actions will follow.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.—Romans 12:1-2

As I wrote the above my heart began singing the words of this song by Micah Stampley...

Holiness Holiness is What I Long For

Brokeness, brokeness is what I long for

Brokeness is what I need

Brokeness, brokeness is what You want

From me, for me.

So, take my heart and mold it

Take my mind and transform it

Take my will and conform it

To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord—

Father, I want this too!  May my outward conduct reflect my inward love for You.  Not by might, not by power but my my Spirit, says the Lord...

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;

You do not delight in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.—Psalm 51:16-17

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

True Wisdom...

 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle:

The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

2 Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man,

And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].

3 I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom,

Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom].

4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended?

Who has gathered the wind in His fists?

Who has bound the waters in His garment?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is His Son's name?

Certainly you know!—Proverbs 30:1-4

As I read these verses this morning, I honestly wasn’t sure what to think.  Was Agur, the son of Jakeh, being sarcastic?  Humble? Since he was writing a proverb, I went with humble.  Agur understood that there is no wisdom apart from that which comes from God. Without God, he knew nothing, was nothing and could do nothing. Earthly pursuits are unprofitable when they are pursued as our life’s chief focus and goal instead of God.  

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?—Mark 8:36-37

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.—Joshua 1:8

Beloved, God has placed eternity in the heart of man.  We were created for His glory.  He made us for His eternal purposes.  When we trust His wisdom, His sovereignty and His plan for our life, our leaf shall not wither, and whatever we do will prosper. The book of Philippians says when we live this way, we are filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  

Agur WAS WISE because he admitted what he could not know.  Would that I would live this way!  

Father....May I live “my” life in utter dependence on You...the One who loved me and  gave Himself for me.   

And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.—1 Corinthians 8:2-3

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.—Proverbs 9:10

Also Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and also 1 Corinthians Chapter 2 as a good commentary on this.