Zechariah 4:2 – 3  (Vision):So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. 3Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” V6:  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ V10: For who has despised the day of small things? ________________ Zechariah 4 is rich with symbolism, encouraging the Israelites to rely on God's Spirit in rebuilding the temple. Let’s examine each element in more detail, with supporting Bible verses and practical examples. #1:  "Not by Might, Nor by Power, but by My Spirit" God’s message to Zerubbabel underscores reliance on the Spirit rather than human strength or military power. This message applies to any endeavor where human resources are limited, but God’s power makes a way. Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, where God tells him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” At some point, “We have to stop talking to God about your mountain and start talking to the mountain about your God” * Anxiety or addiction mountains of depression or fear or shame * You can’t let that mountain intimidate you At some point enough is enough Obstacle is the way that mountain is gonna make you a bigger person You’re gonna have a testimony on the other side too Whatever you tolerate will eventually dominate that is robbing God of his glory pleasing and perfect will What are you tolerating that is permissible but not beneficial What are you tolerating that undermines the price Jesus paid on the cross For your salvation For your healing For your delivery Start talking to that mountain and see what God does. Zechariah 4:6 encourages you to trust that God’s Spirit can enable the project beyond what human power could accomplish. #2:  Don’t despise the small beginnings We overestimate what we can do in a year or two instead of seeing what God can do in 10 or 20 In building the temple:  The Lord says, “Do not despise the day of small beginnings” Why? God will do big things like they are little things When we get our knees in prayer When we obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit God sets divine appointments for the Lord rejoices God is great because nothing is too small he rejoices plum line was an ancient architectural device God is already rejoicing All you have to do the little things like big things, then God will do the big things like small things Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. This vision, then, teaches that God’s work relies on His Spirit, not human might. The temple in Jerusalem was ultimately completed by Zerubbabel and Joshua’s guidance, fulfilling this prophecy and illustrating that God’s Spirit works powerfully through those who trust in Him. ____________    

Nothing is done, unless the father says – it is done. When God decides to do something through your life – There is nothing, the enemy can do. No Season, No mistake, No Mess, No Argument nor any Human limitation can stop Him. When Jesus said, Lazarus, come out of the grave… then grave had no choice but to let Lazarus go… There is a break through, waiting to happen in your life and mine.

Luke wrote:  Luke 18: 35 - 38 35As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. 36When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him. 38So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48Many people admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.” 50Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus. 51“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. ___________________   When Bartimaeus realized Jesus had stopped and called for him, he threw off his cloak. (Mark 10:50)  The cloak Bartimaeus was wearing would’ve been heavy. Perhaps this is the reason he threw it off. He didn’t want anything slowing him down on his way to Jesus.   But perhaps there was something more going on . . .   What is the significance of Bartimaeus throwing off his cloak? At first glance, Bartimaeus throwing off his cloak seems like a minor detail.   But this is why it’s so important to slow down and pay attention to the little things as we study Scripture. To dig into the context of a verse. And learn about the cultural and historical backgrounds.   Because throwing off the cloak was actually a big deal.   The cloak was an outer garment that was not only used like a long coat but was also used as a blanket at night for protection against the cold. This garment was so important to the ancient Israelites that they were forbidden to keep it as security on loans (Exodus 22:26-27, Deuteronomy 24:12-13).  This cloak would have also served as Bartimaeus’s means of acquiring money.  Scholars believe he would have sat down and spread his cloak over his lap. This way people could drop money onto the cloak so he could easily collect it.   Which means this cloak would have symbolized his means to protect himself and acquire what he needed to survive.   But it also meant one more thing . . . it was a symbol of his old way of life. And he chose to cast it aside.   He had complete and total faith that after he met Jesus . . . he would no longer need it.  

It is no coincidence that Paul puts “love” first in the fruit of the Spirit. The Greek word for love in this instance is agape. It is the highest form of the different kinds of love expressed by distinct Greek words, including eros (romantic love), philia (friendship love) and storge (familial love). Agape is the kind of love God has for his creation. It is pure, selfless and self-sacrificing. It seeks the best for others — even enemies — at all times, at all costs. A beautiful description of agape love is found in the Bible verses of 1 Corinthians 13, a well-known passage of Scripture. God showed his agape love for us in sacrificing his only Son to save us from our sinful nature. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

The joy, Paul refers to in Galatians 5 is much deeper than a sense of happiness or gladness from life’s circumstances. It is a profound delight and rejoicing that comes from knowing and serving God.   The Bible describes the importance of this divine joy to the Christian’s life: Nehemiah 8:10, And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Peace is an unshakeable inner calm that can be a rare quality in turbulent times. We, in the walk with the Lord,  can call on God’s Holy Spirit to impart a sense of peace when things seem to be spinning out of control. And the peace that comes from the Spirit is not just a small comfort. _________________ In Philippians 4:6 – 7,  Paul describes it as beyond human understanding in one of Scripture’s most reassuring passages: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 5:22 – 23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law._________________________ Forbearance is the characteristic or quality of greatness of spirit, a person who faces adversity with courage, in the Bible we see that this is a virtue of those who are good and generous and have faith in God to help solve their problems. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4: 1-2 (NIV) We may seem weak in the eyes of the world or even foolish in maintaining this conduct, but in truth this fruit of the Spirit, helps us to have discernment and wisdom to resolve adversities with the wisdom that comes from above. Mercy, patience, tolerance and self-control, are words that relate directly to this fruit and are essential characteristics for those who have been saved. In Christ – we are a new creature, because our Heavenly Father is long-suffering, has patience with us even with people making so many mistakes . God has so much mercy on us that he gave his only son to die on the cross for you and me. The idea of forbearance arises in the Bible under different words. Forbearance could be explained as showing patience, even though a thing is owed to us. It is holding back or restraining the self from doing something that is normal to do. It is controlling oneself when provoked or offended.

Today, we will focus on kindness!In a world often fraught with negativity and strife, the call to embody kindness is ever more vital. So, let us explore together what it means to cultivate the fruit of kindness in our lives. Kindness is not merely superficial nicety or a random act of goodwill. It goes deeper. Kindness is the deliberate choice to extend grace, compassion, and generosity to others, regardless of their deservingness or circumstances. It springs from a heart that is attuned to the needs of others and seeks to alleviate their burdens.  

Galatians 5: 22 - 23   22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Faithfulness comes from a place of trust and loyalty. We cannot be wishy or washy about our faith.  We need to show our faith in action.   It is easy to talk about faith within the four walls – will be able to stand by this faith when the going gets tough? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” As a believer in Christ, it is important to be faithful to God. It is one thing to simply believe in Him, but another to be faithful to Him.

Let’s begin by – where these discontentment starts… because we have to find where we lost it. What is the source of our discontentment – and where does it all start? How can I cherish… what is given than focusing on what is lacking in my life? If the source of contentment is God’s character… then the source of discontentment is unbelief Thomas Watson says – “Discontentment is nothing but echo of unbelief”

We need to declutter and deep clean, in that order. And although I have high aspirations, I am not sure it will happen at the magnitude with which it is needed. Honestly, it may not happen at all. When clutter things – that’s what happens… things will start to get rotten. Pride is a heart-attitude sin that overflows into a person’s motivation, decision-making, and activities. Pride is at the root of nearly every problem we struggle._________________ Even David, described as a man after God’s own heart, asked God to examine the contents of his soul in Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV). “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”       ______________________ Sometimes our hearts are like this: cluttered. It happens over time, not immediately. Maybe it starts with a misunderstanding, or a betrayal. Time nurses a wound like a newborn baby and before you know it, bitterness is fully-grown and hanging out in our hearts. Overtime, there is a potential for our hearts to be ridden with memories, hang-ups, guilt, sin, and the like, clinging to us and not letting go. I call it heart clutter.        

Let the cleaning – Begin! In order for us to live a simple life – we need to un-clutter … Ecclesiastes 3: 6 says… (read the whole thing and pause in 6) a time to search and a time to give up,    a time to keep and a time to throw away, ___________________________________________________ People clean their houses during the summer… we will meditate on what the things that we need to un-clutter on… and what does the bible say about it. Throw away things that is not needed in your life… if the room is not tidy… clean them. Clean your car… and the desk in your office… Walk around your garage and unclutter… Pastor used to say… when we accumulate things, then we move them into garage the overflow… and when the garage overflows, then we take them to storage units, nothing but extension to your garage. While I was busy purging, cleansing, and uncluttering my external world (frantically grasping for the illusion of control), I completely overlooked the clutter within my heart, soul, and mind. How long had it been since I took inventory of my: negative thoughts? bad attitudes? selfish motives? manipulative tendencies? unforgiving judgments?    

Verse to Meditate: 1 Samuel 7: 3 - 6 3Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD. 5Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the LORD. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the LORD. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.) __________________ Go into your closet, and take a piece of chalk and draw a circle around you and ask the Lord for revival for everything that is inside of the chalk line. When God answers your prayer – then, revival is on! Let "The Movement" begin with you!

Saints - This is a good word on Fasting and Prayer... take time to soak the word in... May the Good Lord Bless you! _________ Welcome to the 3rd week in this series on fasting and prayer…   Doing this kind of Fasting in the beginning of the year is like giving the First fruit…  We don’t need to wait for something to go wrong before you fast and pray… but be ready at all times – whether you are in battle or not.  Fasting is proactive and not re-active. Refuse to give what the flesh wants and give the spirit what it needs.   "I must decrease, and He must increase…" 2 Corinthians 10: 3 – 6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Joshua 10: 1 - 15 Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[a] it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”13 So the sun stood still,    and the moon stopped,    till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10: 1 - 15 ... Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[a] it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”13 So the sun stood still,    and the moon stopped,    till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10: 1 – 15 Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[a] it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”13 So the sun stood still,    and the moon stopped,    till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

2 Chronicles 7:14… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now let's pause there for just a second, because we've been studying this passage kind of piece by piece over the last number of weeks, and we remember that this is God speaking to Solomon in an answer to a prayer that Solomon prayed in chapter 6. We have God responding to that prayer kind of point-by-point. God is actually addressing Israel through Solomon, Solomon as their king. He's addressing the whole of his people, saying not only do I want Solomon to pray this way, but I want all of Israel to do that. And I want Israel to humble themselves and to pray and to seek my face.God is talking about 4 things to do… Humble yourself Pray (Cry out to the Lord) Seek my face Turn from wicked ways

2 Chronicles 7:14… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now let's pause there for just a second, because we've been studying this passage kind of piece by piece over the last number of weeks, and we remember that this is God speaking to Solomon in an answer to a prayer that Solomon prayed in chapter 6. We have God responding to that prayer kind of point-by-point. God is actually addressing Israel through Solomon, Solomon as their king. He's addressing the whole of his people, saying not only do I want Solomon to pray this way, but I want all of Israel to do that. And I want Israel to humble themselves and to pray and to seek my face.God is talking about 4 things to do… Humble yourself Pray (Cry out to the Lord) Seek my face Turn from wicked ways