BUT BY MY SPIRIT

MEMORY VERSE: David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 1 Samuel 17:37

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 1-3

BIBLE READING: Judges 14:5-6

Zechariah 4:6 says, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” There are several facts we can draw from this popular text. Firstly, with human strength - synonym for might - you are limited. For instance, no matter how strong you are, you will experience tiredness from time to time especially after a hard day’s work. Even the youths (symbol of strength) grow tired and become weary (Isaiah 40:30). You will accomplish very little with your human strength. Hence, the word of God says: “Not by might”. When it comes to dealing with the issues of life and challenges, human strength will avail you nothing. 1 Samuel 2:9 says, “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.” Secondly, with human will /influence /talent /skill -synonyms for power- you are limited. The centurion whom Jesus healed his servant had power /authority /influence /connection but could not heal his servant (Luke 7:1-10). That centurion, despite all he had, was limited. You will accomplish very little with your human power. If you don’t believe me, speak to people who make New Year resolutions at the beginning of each year. With all their power (physical, mental and emotional), five weeks into the New Year they would have broken their New Year resolutions. Might i add to it, you will accomplish very little with your boldness. The enemy is not intimidated by your boldness. It is only by the Spirit of the Lord that you will emerge as a victor! It is only by the Spirit of the Lord that you will start a project and complete it.

You will only defeat Goliath by the Spirit of the Lord not by swords or Saul’s armour. 1 Samuel 17:37 says, “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” David couldn’t have killed the lion and the bear by his power or might. An average adult lion weighs 190kg. The average height of a fully grown lion is 4ft tall and 6ft long. How can a boy, under the age of 16, kill a lion? The average weight of a fully grown bear is 365kg; average length is 7ft long. David stood no chance with a bear talk-less of a 9ft giant. But by the spirit of God, he defeated the lion, the bear and Goliath. Samson couldn’t have killed the lion by his strength. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.” Without the Spirit of the Lord, you cannot defeat Goliath. (A goliath is simply anything that is standing between you and God’s plan for your life). Only the Spirit of the Lord can help you defeat that fellow who is standing between you and your promotion at your place of work. Without the Spirit of the Lord, you cannot destroy those lions that are harassing you and roaring at you. Your human strength has yielded no results, why not try Jesus. He saves – not only from sin but - from everything!

NOTE: Human power may fail but Jesus never fails.

PRAYER POINT: Father, deal with every lion harassing me in Jesus name.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world