“…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
When the Lord says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” He longs for us to live in the power of the Spirit and He reminds us to not rely on our own strength. The difference between ‘living in the Spirit’ and ‘living in the flesh’ is a matter of giving in to the fleshly desires. Living in the Spirit produces fruits of the Spirit, which is love, and living in the flesh produces ‘fleshly fruits,’ meaning we go against the Lord and do evil. The Lord wants us to produce fruits of the Spirit and fruits that taste sweet when ‘eaten’ by others.
In John 7:37-39, the Lord speaks about the Holy Spirit flowing in the hearts of believers. That flow of living water will run out from our lives through the Holy Spirit and His work that blesses others. Our lives will become meaningful and we will touch many people through His goodness. Our words will be filled with God’s wisdom and they can build and strengthen others. – that is the flow of the Holy Spirit that runs in our Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit that reveals Jesus, Ephesians 1:19. The knowledge of Jesus through the revelation of the Holy Spirit will make us follow Christ’s lifestyle. We are to become different than the world. Our action will conform with the heaven and differ from the world. We no longer love what the world loves. What the Lord loves becomes the priority in our lives, even if the world opposes us.
Just as the presence of Jesus on earth brought down the Kingdom of God, we will also do the same – with righteousness, peace and joy through the Spirit of God and His power. The Kingdom of God is not of physical things, but it is of heavenly righteousness that is filled with peace and joy through the Spirit.
When we live in the Spirit, we deny and cruficy our fleshly desires so that we can be filled with the Lord’s divine plan and desires. Not through our way, but through God’s way. Not through our own time and agenda, but through God’s time and agenda. All things are done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If we do these things, we will see the fruits – God will be able to do great works; people’ lives will be touched and changed through us. Amen. God bless.
Source: Article from GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta