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By His Spirit and Grace {a guest post}

{It is my great privilege to introduce you to my sweet friend and fellow blogger Sue from Living Free In Him. Sue is a Jesus loving, wife, mom of three. writer, speaker and servant hearted lady. I am honored to know her. She has a deep down passion for encouraging women into a richer walk with the Father. I heart this girl. Enjoy a little guest bloggin' today. Afterwards, hop over to Sue's blog and look at what the Lord is doing over there.}

By His Spirit and Grace

I am so excited about being a guest poster on Becky’s blog today. I adore my friend, Becky. She has been such a blessing to me, and I know she is to all of you as well. It is a privilege for me to share my writing and my heart with you today.

In fact, I was so excited that my mind went to work last week planning what I was going to write. I prayed about it, but more in a “What do you think about this idea. God?” sort of way. I told my husband, Chris, exactly what I was going to do. I just knew I had a great idea!

In my zeal, confident of my idea, I sat down at the computer and began to type. Words were typed on paper, but they were not flowing. I love to write, but it is excruciating to write when it does not flow. Toiling. Striving. Laboring. Not fun.

Two hours I struggled and tried on my own effort to take my idea and content and make it work. It was all in vain. At the end of two hours, I realized this was not what God wanted me to write. (I’m embarrassed to say it took that long.) Discouraged and exhausted, I went to bed.

Lord, what is it You want to say?

Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

I knew exactly what the Lord meant. I have been trying to do things in my own might, in my own ability. I am nothing without Him. I cannot do much of anything without His Spirit. I need Him.

When I strive, I quench the Holy Spirit by not allowing Him to work.

I cannot remember if I ever have read this whole passage in Zechariah before today. How often do we go to that book for our daily devotion time? The above verse is referring to how Zerubbabel was going to build the Lord’s temple. The next verse says, “He shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of Grace, grace to it!”

He would build it not by his own might or power, but by the Lord’s Spirit and Grace. It was to be magnificent, so much so that everyone would acknowledge its beauty and know that it must be the Lord.

Now, I am not in the temple building business. However, I am into His Kingdom building business. I want my life to reflect His beauty and grace. I want people to acknowledge that there must be something else behind my life because it shines with His Glory.

There is no amount or striving, toiling, laboring that will cause us to shine for Him. The ONLY way we can shine His Light in this dark world is by His Spirit and by His Grace.

His Spirit and Grace will empower you to do whatever He wants you to do. His Spirit and Grace are all sufficient.

Oh Lord, forgive me for trying to do for you what only you can do through me. Forgive me for striving to perform instead of resting in Your Grace. I pray that whatever I do that it would be unto You and purposed by You. I pray this post glorifies You and that Your purpose would be accomplished through it. May we stop striving and know all our strength, all our power, all our resources, all our provision, all our everything is by Your Spirit and Grace.

If Your Faith Is Shaken...

I have ran with the same friend for years. We meet at a small church parking lot near a stretch of sidewalk where we love to run. We have memorized what red light marks a 5K, what subdivision makes four miles and which fire hydrant adds up to five.

Along this path, our friendship has deepened. We have ran and laughed. Even jumping with excitement over victories the Lord has allowed. I have also ran and cried along that concrete trail. We both have. Sometimes we've been so deep with hurt we could barely speak a word. All we could do was slow down and keep moving.

Running. A parallel of life. Laughing. Deep joy. Victories. Grieving. Crying. Hurt. Silence. Endurance.

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31,32

Jesus and Simon Peter had ran some distance together. They did life. Peter was the chosen one - The Rock of the coming church. But Jesus knew that Peter was about to walk through the roughest terrain of his journey. The sifting of Simon Peter. The sifting of wheat? How does that translate to us today?

John Piper says, that the sifting of Peter and the others is "Satan's effort to destroy their faith. And this remains Satan's main goal today. It is relatively unimportant to Satan whether we are healthy or sick, rich or poor; what he wants is to sift out our faith. If he can do it by suffering he will try that; if he can do it by wealth, he will try that."

Do you know what astounds me the most about this passage? Here He is. Jesus - Fully God. Fully man. The power of His Word able to bring the world into existence. But, look at Jesus' response. "I have prayed for you...that your faith may not fail."

What? Why didn't Jesus pray for Satan to call it off? Isn't Peter important? I mean, He could have said no. "Sorry Satan. Peter is special. He's my Rock. I need him left alone. Pick on someone else."

No, Jesus allowed it. Why?
For Peter's faith to increase.

I am betting that Peter was a bit confused by this. Why would his Lord, his Teacher, his Friend let anything bad happen to him? I have felt this way, too. Haven't you? But Peter was about to learn that it is "through suffering and trial our faith is refined. We are drawn to rely ever more heavily on God and we are moved to cherish his grace more strongly. Satan has his role to play in fanning the flames of our refining furnace. We must be sober in our prayers, fight the good fight and anticipate the victory of God at the perfect time." -Piper, On the Sifting of Simon Peter.

Friend, is this where you are today? Are you being sifted as wheat? Do you feel as if you are on a big mesh sieve being shaken to your core? Are you tired? Torn? Weak? Desperate? Your faith on the brink of failing you?

When (not if) but when this happens, let us be of great courage. Faith can not fall through mesh. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Your wind may be knocked out... you may have to slow your pace, but for Heaven's sake, keep running. Your eyes staying fixed on the Prize. Place your hope in the one who can save you. In the one who runs beside you. Put your hope in the one who is praying that your faith may not fail.

Jesus.