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Zechariah 4:6

And he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by mighty power nor by strength, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Encouraging Words

Every person has battles to fight in their lives. This is a consequence of this fallen world that we live in. This is our lot until our Lord returns and His new Kingdom is established. Zechariah reminds us that these battles are not won by power or strength. They are won by the Spirit of God who was sent by God to dwell within us. Our part is to not quench His work in us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Zechariah 7:9-10

Thus says the Lord Almighty: ‘Render a just judgment; show mercy and compassion each to his brother. Do not oppress the widow, or the orphan, or the foreigner, or the poor. And let not one remember in his heart any wrong of his brother.’

Personal Challenge

Our predecessors, the Jewish people, were given the keys to God’s Kingdom. The law that was given to them pointed them, and us, to God. They were also given the responsibility to take God’s good news to the world. They kept it for them­selves. Fast forward to the birth and life of Jesus and that which was made available to the Jews only was made available to all. What are we, those who profess Jesus as our Lord, doing with those keys? Are we rendering just judgments? Are we showing mercy and compassion to others? Are we not oppressing the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the poor? Are we forgetting the wrongs that others perpetrate against us? I know that I have a long way to go in these areas. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you. The Mighty One shall save you. He shall bring gladness upon you and will renew you with His love. He will delight over you with joy as in a day of feasting.

Encouraging Words

As Christians, we believe that we are never alone. We believe that God is with us always and everywhere we go. He is not only our savior but He is also our sustainer. He brings His gladness, not the world’s, into our lives and renews us with His love for us. Not only does He bestow all of this upon us but He even delights in us. This is our hope. Glory be to God!

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Yet I will glory in the Lord;
I will rejoice in God my Savior.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will direct my feet to the end;
He will set me upon high places,
So to conquer by His song.

Encouraging Words

Our God is great! All glory belongs to Him for He has created us and blessed us with His love, mercy, and grace. We can rejoice in Him for He is our Savior. He is the source of any and all strength that we have. He promises to direct our feet in our journey through life. He will set us in the high places so that we can sing to Him of His Majesty. Glory be to God!

Habakkuk 2:4

If any man should shrink back, My soul will not be well pleased in him; but the righteous shall live by My faith.

Personal Challenge

This verse is quoted by Paul when he is proclaiming that we are saved by God’s grace and not works. The works that Paul was referring to are the works that the Judaizers imposed on Gentiles in order to be proselytized, or in Pauls’ day, to become Christians. Clearly, the argument that Paul makes is that there is no work that we can do to earn God’s grace because then it would no longer be grace. It does not, however, preclude us from doing good works for our Lord out of our love and appreciation for Him and His grace bestowed upon us. This is how we live by His faith indwelling within us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is merciful to those who wait on Him in the day of affliction, and He knows those who reverence Him.

Personal Challenge

God knows if our worship of Him is sincere. Do we just go through the motions of worship because it is what we have always done? Are we truly giving all reverence to Him or are we seeking an experience that makes us feel good? Do we choose to wait on Him at all costs believing that He will be merciful to us knowing that we do not deserve that mercy? God is merciful regardless of our behavior. He is worthy of worship and reverence no matter what we think or do. And through all this, He still loves us. Glory be to God!

Jonah 2:2-3

And from the belly of the sea creature, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God, and said:
“I cried out in my affliction to the Lord, my God,
And He heard my voice;
Out of the belly of Hades, You heard the cry of my voice.”

Encouraging Words

God is everywhere, even in the belly of Hades. He is in the midst of our trials and tribulations. He is in the midst of our joys. He is in the midst of our questionings and our understandings. There is no place or state that we can be in where He will not hear our voice when we call out to Him. And when He hears our voice, we are with Him. Glory be to God!

Joel 2:17-18

Between the porch and the altar, the priests of the altar, ministering to the Lord, will each be weeping and will say, “O Lord, spare Your people; do not give Your inheritance to reproach, that the Gentiles should rule over them, lest they should say among the Gentiles, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

But the Lord was zealous for His land and spared His people.

Encouraging Words

We have a great High Priest who is standing on the porch between death and life. It is the death of this earthly, temporal life that we are all bound by and the eternal life that is made manifest by our Lord Jesus Christ that He is standing between. It is through Him that we receive life. It is also Him that is the great Intercessor for us. Glory be to God!