Bible study Daily, explanation and encouragement - Zechariah
EXHORTATION TO REPENTANCE
The expression Lord of hosts is used 53 times in the book of Zechariah and refers to the truth that God is the Lord of all armies in the universe, both spiritual and material.
Whatever God said He was going to do, He will do.
HE DOES NOT MAKE EMPTY PROMISES OR THREATS YOU. We must not interpret His patience and long-suffering towards disobedience as a failure to execute His judgment. On the contrary, He wants us to repent and turn to Him.
Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments (Zechariah 3:3).
UNDERSTAND that God does not make threats of judgment in vain and that He always keeps His word.
BELIEVE AND UNDERSTAND that God plans to bring His people completely to the maturity and prosperity that He has always promised.
BELIEVE AND ACCEPT that God forgives the sins of all who repent and return to Him.
JOIN HIS RETENTION!
And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with rich apparel." 5 And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments; and the angel of the LORD was standing by (Zech 3:4,5).
Joshua's cleansing is a symbol of God's cleansing for his people.
BE ENCOURAGED! BELIEVE! OFFER TO GOD!
Let us be sanctified and humbly ask God to deliver us from all powers which only has evil for mankind.
Zechariah 1:3
Whatever God says He will do, He does. HE DOES NOT MAKE EMPTY PROMISES OR THROUGH THREATS.
We must not interpret His patience and long-suffering towards disobedience as a failure to execute judgment. ON THE CONTRARY, HE WANTS US TO REPENT AND RETURN TO HIM.
If we turn to God, He will complete the work of improvement that He promised.
- Understand that God does not make threats and judgments in vain and that He always keeps His word (Zc 1:2-6).
- Believe and understand that God plans to bring His people completely to the maturity and prosperity that He promised (Zech 1:16-17).
- Believe and accept that God forgives the sins of all who repent and return to Him. Put on His righteousness.
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerub'babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).
- Success in life and ministry comes in dependence upon the power of God.
- When you make yourself available to God's purposes, you will accomplish more and more!
- God does not usually compensate for laziness or lack of commitment. But with every step taken toward the Holy Spirit.
- Zerubbabel was a direct descendant of David (1 Chron 3: 1-19) could have been heir to the throne. . . but there was no throne. In these difficult circumstances, God asked Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. This task seemed impossible. The Jews were dismotivated and without resources and with much opposition from outsiders.
- God encouraged Zerubbabel with a remarkable message:
NOT BY FORCE, NOR By POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. - And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. (Matt. 21:22).
- You will never become spiritual if you sit around waiting. GET UP! You are God's heir, co-heir with Christ!
Zechariah 4:6
- The Holy Spirit controlling men, surpasses the strength of an army or the power of any figure to achieve the true plan of God on earth.
- As governor of Judah, Zerubbabel is primarily responsible for rebuilding the temple, but he is forbidden to rely on man's resources to carry out his task.
- Holiness is the commitment to live exclusively for God in the way He taught.
DEPEND on the Holy Spirit to accomplish the things that God has called you to do (Zec 4:1-6).
PRACTICE honesty, truth, integrity and fairness in all interpersonal dealings (Zec 8:16,17).
EXAMINE your heart and avoid any form of insincerity or hypocrisy. - God told Zerubbabel that every mountain (obstacle) that rose would be removed. Who is your big mountain? Before Zerubbabel it become a plain! (Zec 4:7)
- Greater is what is in us than what is in the world! (1 John 4:4) He is able to remove the mountains!
Move forward confidently, brave!
Do not allow yourself to be discouraged by small things.
Understand that God does not give importance to the size of things.
Be sure that what God started, He will end in triumph!
Every difficulty that arises, every opposition that presents itself, are no match for God's ACTING in your life and therefore
BELIEVE!
GO!
PROCEED!
Just look at Jesus and His word!
We need lively prayers and lives of praying!
We need men/women willing to pray and not to sin.
Thus said the Lord Jesus: "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret" (Matt. 6:5-15).
Here the Lord did not speculate about whether his followers would pray in secret or not, He DOES NOT SAY “if you may pray”, “if you want to pray”, “if you have time to pray”, NO, the Lord says: WHEN YOU PRAY.
Secret and constant prayer in the lives of the true followers of Christ is not a possibility, it is a complete certainty.
Jesus knew very well that his people would pray.
Just as the shepherd uses the staff to separate the sheep from the goats, THE SECRET PRAYER is the staff that separates the children of God from the children of the devil, for those who enter their quarters and close the door, do so as children and to "pray to the Father".
Private prayer is the test of our sincerity, the indicator of our spirituality, the important means of growing in grace.
Private prayer is the only thing, above all others, that satan seeks to prevent, as he well knows that if he succeeds at this point, the Christian will fail in all others John Bunyan.
The prophet Zechariah said that God will slay all nations (Zach 14: 12-15) that fight against Jerusalem during the tribulation. The apostle John (revelation 6 and 9) said that the rider on the pale horse will be released with power to kill a quarter of the land with war, hunger, disease and wild animals. The two witnesses will have the power to stop the rain and injure the land with all sorts of plagues as many times as they want.
But what happens today? Scientists and doctors are constantly reporting an outbreak of several new, unknown and more deadly diseases. Drug use, illicit sexual activities, natural disasters and other problems are causing explosive and dangerous outbreaks. In some countries in Africa, almost a quarter of the population is now HIV positive. The disease is mutant and many subtypes are now spreading among people. The production of biological weapons is a top priority for some countries. And some producers sell them to anyone who has money.
Some military experts even predict that bioterrorism could become a major front in the future. Several nations and terrorist organizations are known to keep secret germ banks and biological warfare programs. The bomber who cannot pass a metal detector at the airport, but can inoculate himself with a deadly disease, board a plane and breathe as close to as many people as possible during a flight. Maybe someone who makes a deadly mix and sends it in the mail, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Just 50 years ago, scientists and doctors confidently foreshadowed the rapid eradication of terrible diseases on earth, but things have changed and now they say that the spread of disease is one of the main problems in the world. This problem will become more serious when the Great Tribulation comes. Then one will hit a horrifying target.
I say that, not to scare you, but for you to understand that Biblical prophecies about the end time are not just words in a history book. They are true, many have already been fulfilled, others are being fulfilled now and others will happen, without a doubt. So get ready. How? Do not fail to nourish yourself spiritual.