DAY 4 | Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Zechariah 4:6

One of the greatest gifts we could receive…

My daughter is almost four years old and one of the qualities that’s going to serve her really well when she’s older is how determined and self-driven she is. Notice how I said when she’s older and not right now - that’s because right now, her determination usually adds an hour to whatever task we’re doing. Getting ready in the morning, getting in the car, making dinner, whatever it is, when my daughter is insistent on “doing it herself”, the task becomes more arduous and tedious. 

Now I love inviting my daughter to participate in things with me. She’s gotten really good at cracking eggs when we make breakfast and whenever I vacuum, she pulls out her toy vacuum to help clean. But what’s apparent is that my daughter, at her age, is extremely limited in what she is able to actually accomplish on her own and needs my help to do most of the things she wants to do, whether or not she acknowledges that. 

One of the greatest gifts we could receive is the humility of knowing

that when it comes to building God’s church, all of our best efforts amount to little unless He is the one we’re depending on. Gifts are good, charisma is good, systems and structures are good, but all of these things fall short unless we are depending on the Spirit that God has placed on the inside of us. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”

Today, let your dependence be on the Holy Spirit, not anything you’re able to produce by your own strength or efforts. 

Confess where you’ve relied on strategy or strength instead of the Spirit, and ask for fresh dependence.