This morning I reflected on the greatest things I’ve been learning in the past year. These three lessons keep me rooted in the Lord, steady on my feet, and free to do unusual things. If you asked me my favorite question (in the cognitive category of the Six Conversations), I’d say I love when people ask me what I’m thinking about or learning. So here’s what’s on my mind about my new way of living:
First, we need God’s power.
I call to mind this truth from Zechariah 4 where we read, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. My power makes nothing happen. God’s Spirit does the real work. When I ask God to control and direct my life by the power of the Holy Spirit, things happen that I did not produce or empower.
Second, weakness is our strength.
I remember my year of weakness—through surgeries, illness, anxious traveling, sadness over a new stage of life—and how God reminded me day after day that His power is made perfect in my weakness. I read 2 Corinthians 12:9 with fresh eyes as Paul writes the words of the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. In the midst of weakness, I understood how nothing depends on me; everything is God’s power flowing through me precisely because I’m incapable of anything (see above from Zechariah). Weakness is my strength.
Third, be led not driven.
Lastly, I read the mistake in Joshua where the Israelites move ahead of God and trust their own understanding. We read in Joshua 9:14 how “the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” As a result, they are deceived. I remember the words of a wise intercessor who gave Ashley and me perhaps the best advice of all: Be led, not driven. When I remember the importance of inquiring of the Lord and seeking His counsel before moving out into any new direction, I stop, slow down, and remember to be led, not driven.
Three things: The Spirit-filled life. The weak life. The led life.
I continue to learn this new way to live.