Not By Might

What if all your effort is creating movement—but not accomplishing what God intended?

In this episode of Wilder Whispers, a lawn mower that refused to start becomes an unexpected reminder of our need for the power of the Holy Spirit. Through Zechariah’s vision of the continually flowing oil, Jesus’ example of dependence, and Paul’s prayer for the power that works within us, we explore what it means to stop relying on our own strength and live dependent upon His.

Scripture: Zechariah 4:1–12; John 15:5; John 5:19; Luke 4:14–18; Exodus 33:15; Ephesians 3:14–21; 2 Corinthians 12:9

Listen closely: God never intended you to accomplish His purposes on your own. The oil is flowing. Stop pushing. Start depending.

Thanks for spending this time with me on Wilder Whispers.

Whispers are the language of closeness. They invite us to slow down, lean in, and listen.

If this episode encouraged you, consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with someone who might need a quiet reminder that God sees them and cares deeply.

Until next time--keep listening

This is Wilder Whispers. I'm Shā Wooden.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hey friend, welcome to Wilder Whispers, a space where we slow down and listen for God's voice in the ordinary moments of life. I'm Shay Wooden and I'm so glad you're here. We often expect God to speak through big moments, a sermon, a breakthrough, a perfectly quiet prayer time, and he does. But so often, he chooses quieter ways, in the middle of everyday life, in the unnoticed moments, in gentle whispers that invite us closer. Each episode, I'll share one simple story and the quiet truth God revealed through it. Not because it was extraordinary, but because he was present. So wherever you are right now, take a breath, let's slow down, and listen together. There are things God has called us to do that simply can't be accomplished in our own strength. We can work harder, push harder, learn more, become more skilled and more experienced, and we may make progress. We may stay busy, and we may even look productive. But just because you're moving doesn't mean you're accomplishing anything. Because when God gives us an assignment, he never intends for us to accomplish it on our own. His purposes require his power. And sometimes God uses the most ordinary moments to remind us just how much we need him. Last Saturday, I went outside to mow the lawn. I grabbed the starter cord and pulled. Nothing. So I pulled it again. Still nothing. I pulled it two or three more times and that mower just wouldn't start. The previous week I had taught a lesson called Song Beforesight. And one of the things I talked about was praying with expectation. Believe in God before we see the answer. So standing there in the yard, I stopped and I prayed. I asked God to help me start the mower. And when I finished praying, I said out loud, I expected to start. Then I grabbed the cord and pulled one more time. And the mower sputtered and came to life. And immediately I thought, I don't have the power. I need his power. But God wasn't finished speaking through that little mower yet. I realized I could have pushed that mower without ever starting it. I could have pushed it back and forth across the entire yard. I could have worked hard, broken a sweat, and covered a lot of ground. But at the end of the day, the grass would still need to be cut. Because my strength could move the mower, but my strength could never accomplish what the mower had been designed to do. And I begin to wonder, how often do we do the same thing in our spiritual lives? And that question takes me to Zechariah chapter 4. Zechariah is given a vision of a lampstand with a bowl above it and olive trees on either side. And in the middle of that vision, God gives a word to Zerubbabel, not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zerubbabel had been tasked with leading the work of rebuilding the temple. But just because his assignment came from God didn't mean he could accomplish it in his own strength. God's work still required God's power. And I think sometimes we miss that. We know God told us to do something, so we put our heads down and start pushing. We work harder, we plan better, we use what we know, and we rely on our experience. And none of those things are wrong. God wasn't telling Zerubbabel not to work. Not by might isn't a call to passivity, it's a call to dependence. Because human effort has a place, but it can never take the place of the power of the Holy Spirit. And there are things God has called us to do that no amount of pushing will accomplish. We need his power. Because effort can never substitute for empowerment. But there's something else in Zechariah's vision that I don't want us to miss. Because God didn't simply tell Zerubbabel, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. He showed Zechariah a picture of what that looked like. Later in verses eleven and twelve, Zechariah asks about the olive branches that were pouring out golden oil. The oil was flowing. There was a continual supply. Zerubbabel wasn't being told to somehow produce the power he needed to accomplish the work. God was showing him that the supply came from him. And I think that that changes the way we hear not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. Because God isn't asking us to do something in his power while withholding the power we need to do it. His spirit is present, his power is available, and his supply hasn't run out. The oil is still flowing. And that brings me back to the mower. A few minutes after I finally got it started, I had to stop and put gas in it. The mower was running now, but it still needed a continual supply of fuel to keep going. And our dependence upon the Holy Spirit isn't just for the moment when we need God to get something started. It's how we're meant to live. Not because the Holy Spirit runs out, he doesn't, but because we were never meant to receive from God and then go operate independently of Him. Jesus described this as abiding. In John 15, 5 he said, He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. Notice the connection between abiding and fruit. The branch doesn't produce fruit by trying harder, it bears fruit by remaining connected to the vine. The life it needs is continually supplied by its source. And I think that's the same truth God was showing Zachariah through the oil. God provides the continual supply. We're called to live in continual dependence. We don't spend a few minutes with God in the morning, fill ourselves up, and then head out to live the rest of our day on our own. We abide. Prayer, the word, worship, communion with God. These aren't simply things we do to become more spiritual. They're places of relationship where we remain with Him, listening, receiving, and surrendering. The oil was flowing in Zechariah's vision. The branch receives its life by remaining in the vine. And the Holy Spirit is present with us. So the question isn't whether God has enough. The question is, are we receiving? And if we want to know what that kind of dependence looks like, we only have to look at Jesus. Because dependence upon God isn't something we need simply because we're weak. Jesus lived this way. In John 5.19, Jesus said, the Son can do nothing of himself but what he sees the Father do. Think about that. Jesus wasn't moving independently of the Father. He was watching, listening, following. And Luke shows us that he ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke tells us that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Then in Luke 4 14, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. And when he stood in the synagogue and began to describe his ministry, he read from Isaiah, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. Jesus didn't model independence, he modeled dependence. He lived attentive to the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And if Jesus lived in that kind of dependence, why would we ever think spiritual maturity means becoming capable enough that we no longer need to? Maybe maturity looks exactly the opposite. Maybe spiritual maturity isn't becoming so capable that we need God less. It's becoming so dependent that we refuse to move without Him. And that makes me think about Moses. In Exodus 33, Moses was preparing to lead the Israelites toward the promised land when he said to God, If your presence doesn't go with us, don't bring us up from here. Moses had the assignment. He knew the destination. He had the promise. But he wasn't willing to move without the presence of God. He understood that having a word from God was never meant to become a reason to move independently of God. If you're not going, I'm not going. That's dependence. And maybe that needs to become our posture too. Not God bless what I've decided to do. But Father, what are you doing? Where are you leading? Holy Spirit, I don't want to move without you. Because the goal was never to become better at pushing. The goal is to live dependent upon his power. And Paul prayed for believers to live in that very power. In Ephesians chapter 3, he prays that we would be strengthened with power through his spirit and filled with all the fullness of God. And then comes the verse we quote so often. In verse 20, Paul says that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Don't miss that last phrase. The power that works in us. God isn't simply powerful somewhere out there. His power is at work in us through his Holy Spirit. And yet, we can still choose to rely on ourselves. We can become experienced, competent, and skilled. We can know how to teach, how to pray, how to serve, and competence can quietly begin replacing dependence. But God didn't call us merely to do things for Him. He called us to live and work with Him through His power. So let me ask you the question I had to ask myself. Where are you pushing? Where are you working hard, staying busy, doing all the right things, and yet trying to accomplish in your own strength what was never meant to be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit? Maybe the question isn't whether you're moving. Maybe the question is, is the blade turning? Is there fruit? Is what God intended actually being accomplished? Or have you simply gotten very good at pushing? And maybe there's another question we need to ask. Are we abiding or are we operating independently of Him? Are we receiving what the Spirit is continually supplying? Or are we relying on our own strength? Because the answer isn't to push harder, it's to remain, to receive, to depend. And to come back to the truth God gave Zerubbabel, not by might, not by power, but by my spirit. And here's the good news. You don't have to manufacture the power. You don't have to become stronger before God can use you. In 2 Corinthians 12 9, the Lord spoke to Paul and said, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Our weakness becomes the place where we learn to depend on his strength. So you don't have to push harder. The oil is already flowing. God has given us his spirit. His presence and power are available. The invitation is simply to live dependent upon him. Come back to his presence, open his word, listen, pray, abide, and receive. Let him show you what he is doing before you start moving. Let him give you the words before you start speaking. Let him supply the power for what he has called you to do. Because what God has called you to accomplish was never meant to rest on your strength. It was always meant to flow from his. Teach us to depend on you. Make us sensitive to the presence of your spirit and receptive to his power. Teach us to stay surrendered, to listen, to receive, and to follow where you lead. Like Jesus, teach us to look to you, to recognize what you're doing, and to refuse to operate independently of you. And when we're tempted to push in our own strength, remind us that your power is already available. Let your purposes be accomplished in us and through us. Not by our might, not by our power, but by your spirit. In the name of Jesus, amen. Maybe you've been pushing something for a long time. You're tired. You've been working, trying, doing everything you know to do. And maybe there's been movement, but not the fruit you know God intended. Perhaps the answer isn't to push harder. Maybe it's to stop long enough to recognize what God reminded me of standing in my yard that morning. I don't have the power. I need his power. And the good news is you don't have to produce it or push until you somehow make it happen. The oil is still flowing. His spirit is present. His power is available. And today's whisper to carry with you is this the oil is flowing. Stop pushing. Start depending. Thanks for spending this time with me on Wilder Whispers. I hope today's story reminded you that God is closer than we often realize and that he's still speaking, even in the ordinary moments of life. Whispers are the language of closeness. They invite us to lean in. As you go about your day, whether you're working, resting, driving, or just trying to catch your breath, stay attentive. God is not far away. He's not silent. He's near, and he's speaking. Until next time, keep listening. This is Wilder Whispers, and I'm Jay Wood!