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” (Zechariah 4:6).
I see so many people today who struggle for years serving the Lord, trying to make God do something for them. And then they wonder why it never happens. They’ve taught a Bible study, they’ve knocked on doors to share the Gospel, and they’ve prayed. They’ve expended all of their energy and all they found was a big hole in the ground!
Unfortunately, many churches and many Christians never grasp the wonderful truth found in today’s passage that spiritual breakthroughs do not come by the power of man, but by the Spirit of God.
Now, many folks in church will tell new believers, “Well, if you want to really serve God, if you really want to be a great Christian, you need to do this or that.” So we take that new member and we put him in a role that doesn’t fit him at all. And in the end, everyone is frustrated all because this new believer was never taught about the Spirit-filled life.
Contrary to popular belief, the Christian life is not filled with “haves” and “have-nots.” There’s no such thing as a believer who’s reached the pinnacle of the spiritual life and has no further to go. So if you want to live a life filled with God’s Spirit, remember that it’s not by any great effort, but it’s only by living in surrender to Jesus Christ.
The spiritual life isn’t lived by effort; it’s lived by surrender. So surrender yourself to Christ each day and He’ll fill you with His spirit!
