My Spirit Is With You

"My Spirit is with you," says the Lord. Every important endeavor begins with discipline.

Slowly, I lift my arm to grab a hanger, my back and arm muscles screaming. "Try Pilates, you will like it," my daughters told me. Yet as I hobble around the house, I begin to agree with them. Pilates strengthens muscles I have not used in years. Each session makes me stronger, which I once doubted would ever happen.

Every important endeavor begins with discipline. Most of my mornings start with time in God's Word and a short prayer. However, there are days when I rush out the door without praying or spending time with Him. Once I get into the pattern of not praying or reading His Word, I usually fall away from Him. His Spirit is still with me, but I forget to rely on Him. My walk with God is pushed downward by a flood of distractions. This indiscipline slows the climb up in my faith journey, which can quickly turn into a slide down into a deep valley of fear.

Shortly after the people began working on the Temple, as described in the book of Haggai, the word of the Lord came to the prophet again.

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. Haggai 2:4-5

They were discouraged, unable or unwilling to continue the work on rebuilding the House of the Lord. "Be strong," declared Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts, to the political leader, the high priest, and the people. He knew they were tired and struggling. Yet He repeats three times to "Be strong." He reminds them, "I am with you." Last week, in the first chapter of Haggai, we learn that Emmanuel is with us. The people forgot that God was with them.

They worked to provide for their families every day. Many days, they had to rely on their faith for strength. It helped to encourage them to build the Temple after a long and exhausting day. God reminded them that His Spirit is among them. As they heard this, they would remember Exodus 33:14, which states, "And he said, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" God promises to send His Spirit to be with us.

As Christians, God has placed the Holy Spirit inside us. When we accept Jesus' gift of redemption, God sends His Spirit to dwell in our hearts, transforming us from the inside out. We also don't need to fear the world around us. The people in Haggai's time lived in fear of the Persians, who had taken them into exile. Today, fear in our world is at an all-time high—fear of not having enough money, fear of getting sick, fear of losing someone close to us.

God calls us to trust Him and not fear. Fear can freeze us and take away our motivation to share the Gospel. How can we grow in our faith?

·      Rest in God. Spend at least one day a week resting and praying. You will feel refreshed as you return to your schedule.

·      Renew your faith. Join a Bible study group or prayer group to strengthen your faith.

·      Reach out to other believers. Spend time with Christians who speak truth into your life.

·      Record God's faithfulness. Write down times when God brought you through trials.

·      Reflect on attributes of God. You can grab "Call Signs" and "He Is Jehovah" at my website or Amazon.com. Study about His names and attributes.

God promises, "My Spirit is with you." He calls us not to fear but to be strong. Where do you need strength? Write out a prayer asking Him to help you.

Let's Pray:

Jehovah Sabaoth, please help me grow in my faith. Make me stronger when I need to share the Gospel. Lord protect me from fear that creeps into my day. Guide me to follow Your path rather than listen to the world. Amen.