November 18, 2023 - Zechariah‬ ‭4:6

“Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Zechariah 4:6 NLT

Father, it is so challenging to live life not relying on our own strength and power. There is a line in the Bethel song “Homecoming” that says, “I have stolen your breath and sang my own song.” What a powerful statement. You have given us everything, including the life we live. We breathe because you breathed your breath into us. Our blood flows through our body because you cause it to. It is all from you.

Lord, you have given us life for a purpose, and we don’t want to hijack that purpose. Thank you that you sent your Spirit to give us strength and insight, and to lead us into your purposes. Why do we feel like we need to be strong and do things on our own, even when we fail more than we succeed. We feel like we need to try and live a perfect life for you, but this isn’t what you want. You know we will fail at that if we do it on our own. That is why you gave us your Spirit. You are a relational God and you designed us to do life with you, not for you. It is by your Spirit, not our own strength or power we succeed.

Forgive us for trying to accomplish on our own the calling that you have given to us to do with you. Even if, on some level we accomplish what you wanted, if we did it without you, then we have not accomplished what you wanted at all. Forgive us. Help us learn to do everyday life with you and not just for you. We want to live by the strength, leading, and relationship with your Spirit every second of every day.

In Jesus name, amen.