BY MY SPIRIT

Today’s Reading: Zechariah 4-6

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

A single olive tree blooms just outside of this northern section of the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. The symbol of the spiritual life of Israel is the olive tree.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Zechariah 4:6

So he answered and 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.”

In chapter four, the Governor of Judea, Zerubbabel, and the High Priest, Joshua, are likened to two olive trees whose lives and ministries flow directly in the Holy Spirit in order to keep the lamps of worship to God and light for the people aflame. They have a 24/7 relationship with “the Lord of the whole earth,” and they understand that it’s “not by might [corporate military or political action] nor by power [personal influence] but BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS!!!” We need to understand that for us to do as Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 5:14-16, “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven,” the Spirit of God must flow through us always. All our organizational strength and all our individual efforts won’t make spiritual renewal happen. It takes God’s Spirit and His flow through our lives corporately and individually.

The vision of the huge flying scroll of chapter 5 should underline for us the importance God places on what we’re doing right now, paying attention to His written Word!

In chapter 6 we read of “the Branch.” Turn back to the words of the prophet Isaiah and understand that these words written by Zechariah could only refer to the coming Messiah or “Christ” in the Greek language (read Isaiah 11:1-5). In Christ, the true holy eternal temple grows by the Spirit of God, not by the work of men’s hands (read Ephesians 2:13-22).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray that I will faithfully, by Your Spirit and not by corporate might or personal power, see Your purposes all take place. As the last words of today’s reading tell me, “This shall come to pass if you [me] diligently obey the voice of the Lord your [my] God.” In the Name of the One who always obeyed the Voice of His Father God, Jesus, the Christ, I pray. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In the days before television, there was radio. Every Sunday morning as a child and a teenager, I would hear Rev. C. M. Ward, preacher on the Revivaltime broadcast, quote Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” C. M. Ward was born in what was known as Cabbage Town, Toronto. This Canadian was considered by many to be the greatest preacher ever to minister on radio. Revivaltime originated from the headquarters building of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri, USA. When I was invited by the Assemblies of God to host Turning Point, their TV ministry back in the early 1970s, Brother Ward took me aside and said, “David, you need to understand why the leaders of the Assemblies have chosen you. It’s because you are a Canadian. Your Canadian accent cannot be identified as from the south or from New England. Canadians have a rather neutral accent.” All the time I was thinking,”accent or not, it’s got to be ‘Not by might or by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts.'” It was quite frightening to me to have a denomination of 15,000 churches, in the United States alone, and thousands more in other countries, ask me to do this. The call from Springfield came immediately after a week in Moncton, New Brunswick, when I preached each evening on the occasion of the opening of a new church building. I had fasted and spent much time in prayer that week, and by the end of the week I found myself interceding in fervent prayer for the people of the United States. This had never happened in this intensity to me before. I always thought that the USA had plenty of evangelists, and that I’d just stick to my beloved Canada. For every believer in Jesus, in one way or another, Jesus said, “You shall receive power [corporately and personally] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem [our home town], and in all Judea and Samaria [for me that was English and French Canada], and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That’s for every blog reader! Pray and give! Go ourselves or make it possible for others to go!!!

Yours for the unhindered work of the “Spirit” of “The Lord of Hosts!!!”

David