“So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.’ Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
Do you know that the greatest victories or mishaps of any mission can be recorded towards the end of its timespan? Like in a relay race, starting well does not guarantee ending well, and by contrast starting badly does not equal failure at the end. What then guarantees success or a strong finish at the end?
Firstly, understanding the mission. Any mission undertaken without clear focus is a mission in futility. Imagine if in a relay race, the runner starts off strong but is running in the opposite direction, even if he believes he ran a good race, it will be a void race. This portrays that understanding the mission and walking in obedience are the key points of finishing an assignment strong.
When we examine the life of King Saul (1 Samuel 15:18), we recognize that there was a lack of understanding of God’s mission to him and it led to disobedience. God was utterly disappointed with Saul and rejected him as King of Israel. Hence, we must seek God to understand His mission clearly (Jeremiah 33:3)
Secondly, abominate discouragement. To finish strong, we must never allow negativity, lies or self-doubt that comes from the enemy distract us from our divine mission. Many times, in Moses’ mission to bring the children of Israel to the promised land, he was frustrated and discouraged by their attitude (Numbers 12: 14-17). On Paul’s missionary journey to carry the gospel across to the Gentiles, he was faced with fear and discouragement (Acts 23:10-11, Acts 27: 20-24). In such moments, as these examples did, we should turn to God for comfort and strength, by remembering His assurance to us in the word (Isaiah 40:10).
Finally, go by the Spirit. As our anchor scripture says not by power or by might but by the Spirit of God. God put His spirit in us to be our helper as we go through His assignments for us (John 14:15-16). To finish strong, we must walk in, by and with the Spirit. When we examine the life of Jesus, we observe how He partnered with the Spirit to accomplish His divine assignment. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to pray (Luke 4:1), returned in the power of the spirit (Luke 4:14), raised back to life by the power of the spirit. (Romans 1:4, 8:11).
Likewise partnering with the Holy Spirit gets the job completed. Therefore, walk in the Spirit (Galatians 6:15-16), Pray and sing in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15, Ephesians 6:18), be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:13-14).
If we consider every year to be a mission, we should reflect on the year by asking where am I on this mission? Have I walked in obedience? Did I start strong and get discouraged? Can I still achieve much? As the year wraps up, identify where you are, abominate discouragement. It is not too late to go again. Dear believer, your victory is assured! Be encouraged!
Bible Reading Plan: Malachi 3–4