Not by might, but by my Spirit

Sunday, 01 August 2021 06:07

Not by might, but by my Spirit - Taiwo Akinola

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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 ~ Zechariah 4:6b.

Introduction:

Times do come in our journeys of destiny when we become fully pregnant with royal ideas, but the power to deliver is not showing up even while we push so hard. We may even feel at such times that the invisible barriers against our accomplishments look quite formidable and insurmountable.

These irrefragable facts above occasionally resonate with all men and women of great visions in all spheres of human endeavor. But, the Christian believers should be encouraged by the fact that the Holy Spirit can suddenly spring forth help for anyone, at any time (Hebrews 3:4).

The Holy Spirit is eternal, and there is nothing He cannot perfect. He can even escalate His gracious performances to change any narrative. There is hope, therefore, in the gospel for any man, so long as he lives in the atmosphere of the infinite power of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Ghost and real power are synonymous in the realm of the spirit. He is the very essence of God’s power actively working amongst people today, and none can perform well without Him. Even Jesus Christ ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14-15; Acts 10:38).

Of a truth, man cannot do anything relevant to God without the Holy Spirit. Any man that wishes to attract sweet accomplishments must rely heavily upon the Him, for it is only in Him and through Him that we can find answers to the cravings of the world today.

Critical Success Factors for Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel was a stock of the survivalist remnants out of Babylon, and he was chosen by God to rebuild the temple, and to restore the remaining Jews from captivity.

Though he was a governor and leader of Judah at that time, yet he had a lot of oppositions to his divine assignment. Sanballat, the Persian Monarch and Babylon itself opposed the rebuilding of the temple, not because of any wrong doings on the part of Zerubbabel, but on the account that he would not allow a mixed worship of God and idols in the temple. Hence, they devised their game plans to create distractions for him.

Most certainly, all strong positions are bound to attract strong oppositions. However, God always has a Master Plan, pitched in the might of the Holy Spirit, wherewith He shows up against every game plan of the devil.

In the divine vision of Zechariah, he saw a golden candlestick being constantly supplied with oil from two olive trees by the sides of it, without the help of any man to pour in the oil and to trim the lamps (Zechariah 4:1-7).

The Lord was using that vision to say that Zerubbabel’s assignment should be accomplished in its time, but not by human might, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Olive trees are the root sources of olive oil, and olive oil is a regular symbol of the anointing. Thus, the temple was intended to be built, not by human strength, but through the Spirit of God, encouraging and strengthening yielded vessels to accomplish the task.

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit Plains the Mountains

Who art thou, O great mountain? The mountain here in the context of Zechariah 4 refers to those entities opposing the building of the temple. But, God said that the mountain should soon become a plain, and the adversaries should soon be accounted foolish before Zerubbabel!

Mountains generally symbolize the resisting powers of Satan and all the enemies of the people of God, such as sin, persecution and worldly governmental policies.

These sometimes look like great mountains, throwing many difficulties on our paths to kingdom accomplishments (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Joshua 3:1). Yet, the final verdict of the scriptures is that they shall be brought low (Jeremiah 51:25; Isaiah 40:4).

The Holy Spirit Springs the Finisher’s Anointing

Humanly speaking, some things appear like hanging in the balance, as to whether they would be accomplished or not. But, it is exhilarating to note that all oppositions and difficulties were surmounted here, and Zerubbabel eventually finished the building of the temple (Ezra 5). Alleluia!

The temple of Zerubbalel represents the Church, and Zerubbabel a type of Christ’s noble servants. By his calling and characters, Zerubbabel was a servant of the Lord (Haggai 1:1). He was so highly esteemed by the Lord, and was even set as His special signet ring (Haggai 2:23).

Now, we are God’s temple today, and He wishes for our lives to be fully built, to showcase His glory on earth. And, as God supernaturally assisted Zerubbabel, so God desires to vanquish all oppositions before us in all our kingdom assignments. However, this can only be by the force of His Will, the might of the Holy Spirit and the strength of His great grace.

The Imperativeness of Grace in the Finisher’s Course

Every accomplished destiny or excelling greatness on earth must be ascribed to the grace and the goodwill of God. Hence, the cry, ‘grace, grace’, which answers for all favours redoubled from God unto His people regarding their kingdom tasks (Zechariah 4:7).

Jesus Christ Himself is the embodiment of this grace. The grace of God crowns the Christian life; hence, God always wishes to reckon with our cries for grace. However, God does not discountenance His standards and regulations whereby He governs the moral universe. His foundations stand sure, no matter the heretical languages our world speaks (2 Timothy 2:19).

From the stories of Zerubbabel, we find at least three distinctive attributes that qualified him to receive the full attention of the Holy Spirit and His anointing for good ending.

Firstly, Zerubbabel was truly kingdom-mindedness, and he was amply supplied with finishers’ grace for great accomplishments. Secondly, he fully recognized, truly respected and stayed closely connected to his prophet, Zechariah, and thirdly, he kept an open support for the golden candlestick.

In our kingdom pursuit, we must stay connected to the anointing of the Holy Spirit and be golden-hearted in all our vocations, aspirations and intentions. The lamp-stand was golden, and the olive trees supplied it ceaselessly, and with greatest divine pleasure.

Friends, the Holy Ghost still works in our world to enable positive changes in the lives of men. And, He still incubates power for inexplicable miracles, and imparts boldness to make men valuable, vocal, vital and valid witnesses of the great power of the gospel of Christ (Acts 1:8; 2:1-5).

Do you want to start enjoying real high performances? If yes, then the price is a renewed experience of the Pentecostal infilling. Swing today to a lifestyle of accord with the Holy Spirit, yielding fully to Him, and He will suddenly appear in His glory in your life. Amen. Happy Sunday!