You Can't Force These Things

I think we have all tried to force things to happen in our lives. We felt like they were urgent or we really wanted them to happen, so we tried to use our power or influence to cause them to be accomplished. We have all seen this fail, as well. The truth is that there are things that we can't force. The main things we can't force to happen are the things of the Lord. God told the leader of the people of God in Jerusalem, who were rebuilding the Temple, this important truth. (Zechariah 4:6) Then, the Lord revealed the only way to get the things of God done. We need to let this reality sink in today.

The things of God can only be done by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit exerts the power of God to enable us to do God's will in His way. Without that power and the guidance of the Spirit, we are incapable of seeing the works of God in our lives. We can't save anyone from their sins, but the Spirit can work through us to bring about salvation in another person's life. We can't cause anyone to repent of their sins and confess them to God, so they will be clean before Him. However, the Holy Spirit can empower us to be His messenger to lead them to confession and repentance. We could never do a great work for God like rebuilding a city or seeing an entire people group come to know the Lord, but when the Spirit is controlling us and empowering us, anything is possible. Therefore, we must stop trying to force these things and do God's will in our human power or in the ways of this world. We must submit to God and watch the Spirit work in us and through us for His glory, not ours.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 6-8.