How to Get Spiritually Fit - Part 4: Go Small or Go Home

REVIEW
 
So currently, we are learning how to get spiritually fit – understanding that the same way that we get in shape physically is the same way we get in shape spiritually. Yes, we have to eat right and we have to exercise properly, and in so doing we can develop our inner man like we can our outward man.
 
We’ve seen this in First Timothy 4:6-8 where the apostle Paul makes the comparison between physical nutrition & exercise and spiritual nutrition & exercise. These verses say, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
 
Therefore, if we want to become good servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are going to have to do two things: We have to be properly “nourished” and we have to “exercise” ourselves toward godliness. No, not physically; we are talking about doing these things spiritually.
 
But what we have learned is that in order to get spiritually fit, we have to first become spiritual – and this is being born again. So we looked at the various Scriptures where being born again is described and saw how it is a literal transformation that takes place in the spirit where the Holy Spirit impregnates us with the Father’s seed, and we become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Then, and only then, are we able to grow up and become fit spiritually.
 
Which we then looked at in part two – We learned that once we get born again, we then have to grow up spiritually and become mature Christians. We learned that just because one is born, that doesn’t automatically mean that they can develop like an adult can. No, even though a baby is born with all of the bones and muscles that it is ever going to have, the child has to grow up and mature physically in order to unlock their full potential in fitness.
 
So we looked at what are the signs of spiritual infancy / immaturity and how one grows up in their salvation – because again, we have to be mature in the Spirit in order to truly become in shape spiritually.
 
 
So last week we learned that once we’ve born again and have grown up a little spiritually, what the first thing someone who desires to start exercising and get in shape needs to do. And we saw that a lot of physical fitness experts will tell you that the first step to getting in shape physically starts right between the ears. In other words, it is cultivating the right attitude and mentality that goes into getting in shape.
 
I explained that one thing I remember hearing my wife, Shannon, say (who has a degree in health & fitness, mind you) is that if someone who has decided to start working out can just “get to the door” of the gym, they have overcome the first obstacle.
 
Anyone here who has either endeavored to get in shape or allowed themselves to get out of shape will tell you that there is a lot in this flesh that will try to keep us from going to the gym. It’ll try to convince you and I that it’s too tired, it doesn’t have the energy, it was a hard day at work, it doesn’t want to roll out of bed, etc., etc., etc.
 
But we saw that just as consistent as those obstacles are, is the following statement people make who press through and exercise anyways when they didn’t feel like it: They will say, “Man, I’m so glad I went to work out today! I feel so much better!” And I told y’all that I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something similar right here – People tell me all the time about how they were tempted to not come to church, but they pushed through and came anyway. And when they left, they told me – “Pastor, that service was just for me! I needed to hear what you had to say.”
 
So when it comes to working out spiritually, the lesson I learn from this is we have to overcome the flesh’s tendency to try and talk us out of doing what we need to do and what’s best for us – and this all starts between the ears, right?
 
You see, there is a war on the inside of us—flesh versus spirit. It is the nature of God against the nature of Satan. Yes, it is Isaac versus Ishmael; Jacob versus Esau; Cain versus Abel. It’s brother against brother. And through this battle on the inside of us we are doomed to live a roller coaster Christianity if we do not learn to live by the spirit, which comes through developing our spiritual nature to where it runs the show.
 
But what we specifically learned last week is that there is a third party within us. No, we are not just a spirit and a body. We also have a soul, and the soul is the middle-man in this. In fact, we saw him as the arbitrator in this constant battle for control.
 
So we learned that whichever part of us can convince the soul to team up with it is the part of us that will win. So, if the flesh is persuasive enough saying, “Hey soul, let’s take this path right here. It is best for us and it’s easier. Come on, let’s go this way …” and then the soul obliges by thinking in that direction, that is the path your life is certain to take. But, on the other hand, if the spirit man can convince the soul to go the other direction – by getting the soul to think like it thinks – then the spirit and the soul will override the lusts of the flesh.
 
So we learned that that’s why the attitude & mentality that we possess is the first and most important variable – because this victory in becoming spiritually fit begins with the soul. That’s when we have to just “get to the door” – that is, decide that we are going to do what we need to do more than what we want to do. And once you and I press through the adversity & struggle of our flesh and do the right thing, it’ll start getting easier.
 
STARTING SMALL
 
So let’s look at some other attitudes that are important to adopt in the soul when it comes to physical fitness because in learning about good mentalities to have for getting physically fit, we can learn good mindsets to have regarding getting spiritually fit … 
 
So now that we’ve entered the door of the gym, what do we do next? You see, it can be quite intimidating to see all of the equipment, causing us to become overwhelmed as we are getting started.  
 
Well, this is when those that seem to be somewhat among them (I speak concerning the so-called health & fitness experts of this world) will tell you another very important mindset to have – and that is, you have to start small.
 
You see, inside a lot of gyms are men & women who have been working out for a long time. These “gym rats” have been religiously going through their exercise routine for so long and it is evident when you look at them. Well, that also can be discouraging because it’s hard for us to see how we can ever get to that point ourselves with our current condition.
 
Do you think this might happen in church too? There are some who have been at this for a long time and they have obviously applied themselves to growing spiritually, so now they appear to be strong in faith, they know how to love others well, and their knowledge of God seems to be well beyond others.
 
Well, that too can be intimidating for some of us. So in both of these instances whether it’s at the gym or at church, we need to remember – no one got to where they are now overnight! No, everyone had to start somewhere.
 
So while the world likes to say, “Go big or go home!”, in this case, we might better say, “You better go small, or you will go home.
 
This is why it’s important that we learn to start small as the experts tell us …  
 
You see, what these professionals say is that one of the pitfalls of successful exercise is that people try to do too much too quickly. In other words, while they want the results that they see in others like people running marathons or pumping a lot of iron, they don’t have the patience or work ethic to build up to that place. Sure, they might want to possess that tone, fit body or those huge pecs & biceps, but pressing through the time of building the body up to that place is where most fall short.
 
You see, it’s tempting to wait for a burst of motivation or the “perfect moment” to tackle everything at once. But this mindset often leaves us overwhelmed or stuck in a cycle of procrastination. Therefore, starting small works because it’s achievable, and it builds momentum.
 
Think about it like pushing a heavy boulder. The first push is the hardest, but once it’s moving, the effort becomes easier. Tiny steps—like tidying a single shelf, setting a 5-minute timer to journal, or taking a short walk—are those first pushes. They’re manageable actions that remind you that progress is possible.
 
Small wins also give you a sense of accomplishment. They release dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical, which motivates you to keep going. This is how one tiny shift today can snowball into meaningful growth tomorrow.
 
This is when they say that starting small is a key to getting the ball rolling in the right direction. And when they say small, they are not just talking about lifting a small amount of weight at the gym or running on the treadmill for a couple of minutes. They are talking about figuring out how we can simply add movement to our regular activities. In other words, intentionally adding small things like simple movement to our day-to-day activity.
 
Here’s another reason small steps are effective: they eliminate the fear of failure. When the goal is tiny—like writing just one sentence instead of a whole chapter—you’re more likely to take action. Over time, these small actions compound into bigger results.
 
Here are some examples of how we can do this from the natural perspective:

• When you are on the phone, don’t just sit; stand and walk while you talk.
• Plan a little exercise routine like simply walking or stretching during your lunch break.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator when possible.

 
So what does all of this have to do with exercising spiritually? Well, you can do the same with your spiritual exercises. I think a lot of people see what they can and should be, but they see it as too far off. So what does that do? It does the same thing we’ve seen that it does naturally; it zaps the motivation.
 
So some things we can do to start small with spiritual things is maybe to:

• Instead of trying to read a chapter in your Bible every day, why not just read a verse. Yes, take one verse and meditate on it throughout the day. This is comparable to just adding some movement into our day-to-day activities.
• Instead of trying to love everyone you come in contact with, aim to find one person that you can sow goodness into each day. Once you experience that spiritual dopamine, it’ll inspire you to do more.
• Instead of trying to spend an hour with the LORD every morning, why not just give Him 5 minutes where you spend acknowledging Him and praising & worshiping Him.

 
It just takes a few steps in the right direction to start pushing that “boulder” to where you gain some spiritual momentum. But the key is not despising the day of small beginnings.
 
That sounds like a Scripture, doesn’t it? So let’s look at the chapter that this truth is found in and learn some more about this good mindset to possess when it comes to getting spiritually fit.
 
REBUILDING THIS TEMPLE
 
In one of my favorite chapters of the Old Testament – Zechariah chapter 4 – we see the LORD encouraging a man named Zerubbabel, who was called to rebuild the LORD’s temple.
 
But what I see in this prophecy is a very detailed description of the mentality that one who desires to accomplish any monumental feat must possess. In other words, this chapter shows us the right attitude to have when it comes to building or rebuilding anything for the LORD.   
 
In fact, it was the Temple of God that he was called to rebuild, correct? So what is the Temple of God according to the New Testament? What did it symbolize? Well, First Corinthians 6:19 says, “… do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you …”
 
So today, God’s temple is not made with hands. It was built & created by God. And God has chosen to inhabit this flesh & blood body as His Temple.
 
So as we consider this very example in Zechariah chapter 4 of the rebuilding / reconstruction of the Temple of God, I don’t think it’s too far-fetched for us to compare this to glorifying God in our bodies through both spiritual & physical exercise and nutrition. Right?
 
So let’s look at this prophecy in detail and learn what the right attitude is as we decide to exercise our spiritual temple and glorify God in both our spirit and body. And what we will find in this prophecy is the beginning process of building / rebuilding the LORD’s temple and how our small beginnings in doing so are to be handled correctly.
 
So let’s begin at the beginning of this chapter and learn some good, healthy mentalities to have as we are starting out in getting in shape spiritually.
 
WAKE UP AND LOOK UP
 
Now in verse one, it starts out by saying, “Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.”
 
Now this goes back to the point we made last week of how we have to press through the flesh’s tendency to keep us from doing the right thing, doesn’t it? Yes, sleeping through the chance to exercise and develop ourselves spiritually is always something that we need to “wake up” from.
 
We see this communicated by the apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 5 as he exhorts us, as children of light, to walk in the light we possess. Then he goes on to say that we need to arise from the dead and let Christ give us this light. This proves that even though we are spiritually alive, we can appear as though we are dead by simply being spiritually asleep. Paul describes this as having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
 
Then in verse two, we see the angel asking Zechariah a question – “And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.’ ”
 
So after waking the prophet up, the first thing the angel said to him was a question – “What do you see?” And this is likewise an important question for us.
 
You see, what we can see is important because if we can’t see it, we can’t accomplish it. Did you know that everything that is created has to first be seen by its creator? Yes, there must first be a vision in order for something to be invented.
 
Well, when it comes to our spiritual growth & fitness, we have to be able to see it. We have to see ourselves as fit! We have to see ourselves as strong! We have to see ourselves as in shape spiritually!
 
But what was it that the LORD was showing Zechariah? It was a solid gold lampstand!
 
Now does anyone out there have any idea what a golden lampstand symbolizes in the Bible? Well, at the beginning of the Book of Revelation, it is clear that the seven golden lampstands represented the seven churches of Asia Minor. So here, it is not a stretch to see that what the LORD was showing Zechariah was a representation of God’s people – the church of their day which was Israel.
 
So the way I see it, the thing that we have to be able to see is that the real us – that which God has created in His image and likeness – is to Him a golden lampstand.
 
The lampstand represents the light of the world that the LORD’s people are to be to this dark & perverse generation. But being called “golden” lampstands indicates how the LORD sees us in regard to value.
 
You see, gold is widely considered this world’s most precious commodity, right? So to the LORD, He sees His church as valuable & precious!
 
Now if you consider the seven churches of Revelation that were all called golden, they weren’t all so perfect. No, most of them were rebuked by the Lord Jesus for some pretty bad flaws they had. Yet, even in their imperfections, they were all considered golden.
 
Church, we need to know that even though you and I are very flawed and imperfect vessels, the LORD still sees us as valuable. Yes, our mistakes & failures do not change the way He both has created us and sees us. Amen!
 
So if this is how He sees us, then this is how we need to see ourselves! And I can guarantee you that seeing this “golden lampstand” that Zechariah saw is what will unlock more potential in us. Yes, as we see ourselves in the light that the LORD sees us, we will be more inclined to reach the level He has envisioned for us. Amen?
 
THE TWO OLIVE TREES
 
So this golden lampstand had some very specific attributes, didn’t it? It had a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. But I want you to notice how verse two goes on to say – “Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.’ ” And this was a very significant part of the vision he was seeing!
 
The significance of this part of the vision Zechariah had, was that the olive trees that were planted on both sides of the lampstand were (as the Amplified Bible brings out) “supplying it continuously with oil.”
 
You see, in their day, they used the oil that came from olive trees to burn in these kinds of lamps. Therefore, olive oil, to them, represented a supply of something that was extremely needful and important. So, by not having just two vials of olive oil, but two olive trees planted at its side, this lampstand would have a constant supply of the oil needed to burn continuously. 
 
Now we know through the things revealed in the New Testament that oil always represents the anointing. And if you look ahead to the end of Zechariah chapter 4 (verse 14), the angel tells Zechariah specifically who these two olive trees represent: He says that they represent the two anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.
 
Now Zechariah does not go into specifically who these two anointed ones are in this chapter, but again, we can interpret this prophecy through the rest of the Scriptures:
 
In the Book of Revelation, we are told that these would be the two witnesses who would come in the end times, during the tribulation. But notice that Zechariah describes these as those who were standing beside God. To me, this shows that they had to be more than just a human. Yes, they had to be equal with God the Father themselves. So, who would those two be? You got it – The Spirit and the Word! The two anointed ones are the Second and Third Person of the Godhead—the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit—because both of them are referred to as anointed. Jesus is called the “The Anointed One” (i.e. Christ) and the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the anointing” (See First John 2:26). 
 
Therefore, it is these two anointed ones of the Godhead that were going to supply the ability to Zerubbabel and the children of Israel to fulfill God’s will for their lives. (We will see this described more shortly) Likewise, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit—the Anointed One and His Anointing are Who will give us that continual supply of grace to let our spiritual light so shine before men and to empower us to grow into our full spiritual potential!
 
NOT DESPISING THE DAY OF SMALL BEGINNINGS
 
So, let’s move on to what we are told next in Zechariah chapter four, and see exactly the message that this prophecy was intending to communicate to all the “Zerubbabel’s” out there:
 
Zechariah 4:6-10 says, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
 
You know, things like physical and spiritual exercise can feel like an insurmountable mountain too, right? I’m sure the mountain that the angel of the LORD was referring to here was the mountain of rubble left behind by the destruction of the Temple. So the first thing that went into the reconstruction of the Temple was what? It was “attitude.”
 
Now verse 10 gives us that very important Biblical principle through a question – “For who has despised the day of small beginnings?”
 
This is obviously a question that condemns the idea of despising the day of small beginnings, right? You see, the LORD knows that small beginnings, while oftentimes despised by those who are walking in them, are necessary for building that person up to the ultimate outcome that He has for them.
 
But the word “despised” here is the key word. While we think of this word as meaning to hate or feel contempt for something, the Bible describes this word as simply not placing the appropriate value on something. Our biblical example of this is when we are told that Esau “despised” his birthright. Now Esau didn’t hate his birthright. He just simply didn’t esteem his birthright like he should have, which the LORD saw as him despising it.
 
So despising the day of small beginnings would describe not seeing the value of that time period, and that’s what we need to avoid when it comes to these small beginnings – not having the right attitude.
 
Why is having the right attitude important when it comes to these small beginnings? It’s because if you don’t have the correct mentality, you won’t make it from the small beginning to the desired outcome.
 
If the Lord called you to do it and started this good work, He will see you through. Just be faithful in little, so He can make you ruler over much—expanding your ministry opportunities and granting you grace all along the way!
 
GRACE, GRACE!
 
And what is really cool about this biblical account is that we can glean from it what the LORD considers the right attitude to have during these days of small beginnings. So let’s look back at verses 6-7 because contained in these verses are what I believe to be the right way to think when it comes to the building up of our spiritual temple …
 
Again, the angel told Zechariah – “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” The message that this vision of the lampstand and the olive trees was intended to communicate is wrapped up in this one statement that the angel said was the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel –  “ ‘It’s not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
 
You see, the Lord was saying that it was only going to be by the ability of His Holy Spirit that this awesome task was going to be accomplished. It was not going to be by the might and strength that Zerubbabel possessed, but only by His Spirit.
 
You know, the Bible says, that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who try and build it (Psalm 127:1). That means that unless the Lord does the work of building, we are wasting our time—for while we can do some things, it is not worth talking about.     
 
Now what are these words “might” and “power” referring to that the Lord of hosts was telling Zerubbabel that this great task was not going to be accomplished by?
 
The word “might” denotes his collective strength. In other words, this word focuses more on the amount of outside help that Zerubbabel had—such as, the number of people he had working for him or the resources they had to work with. The Lord was saying that he was going to do his work for God, but it was not going to be by the resources or outside help that he had. It was going to be by the Spirit of God.
 
And I believe this is a word for so many of us. It is certainly tempting to lean on our own “might”—that is, maybe our financial resources or on how many people we have helping us. But what we must always strive to do is not put our trust in this outside help. Yes, we need money to do certain things and, yes, we need people to help us, but we must always keep our eyes on Him as our source and not on numbers of dollars or numbers of people.
 
I have learned that the Lord oftentimes will not let you put your trust in these things. I have lost partners and then, right after they quit supporting our ministry, the Lord would add someone else. The same has happened in my church: you’ll lose someone and then the Lord will give you another (sometimes two) to take their place. So, I say all of this to say, keep your faith and trust in Him and not in numbers. That got King David in trouble, and will get us in trouble as well.
 
So again, “might” refers to collective strength and outside help. So, this means that we are not going to be perfected by anyone else’s help, but by the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual development is not going to come from spending a great amount of time listening to other preacher’s sermons; it is going to come from hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. It is not going to come from hanging out with other believers; it is going to come from spending time in God’s presence and fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.
 
Now I am not discounting the importance of listening to teaching tapes and reading books that are godly because they are good in their place. What I am saying though is that you are not really going to grow, apart from spending time with God Himself. His presence will transform you faster and greater than any other person’s presence will, and just one word from God will impact you more than thousands of words from man. Of course, God can speak to you and affect you through these natural things, but there is no substitute to just you and God fellowshipping together.
 
Now the word “power” deals more with Zerubbabel’s own, individual strength—referring to his own individual ability (i.e. his intellect and strength) to bring this great work to pass. So, God was saying that he was going to do his work for God, but it was not going to be by his own cleverness, abilities, or physical strength; it was going to be by the Spirit of God.
 
This is also a great temptation—to lean upon our own understanding and on the things we are good at. We have to avoid even taking the wisdom we have accumulated and the abilities God has given us, and putting our trust in them rather than in Him.  
 
So how does all of this apply to us being fruitful for God? It means that we are going to accomplish God’s will and do what is pleasing in His sight, not by any intrinsic values in ourselves or by any help from without, but only by the help of the Holy Spirit. This is a very important thing to understand, especially for us under this new and better covenant.
 
The apostle Paul was the one that God gave the fullness of this revelation to: In Romans chapter seven, he explains the utter frustration that comes to the man or woman who tries to keep the law in their own power. He says that although they have it in their heart to do what is pleasing in God’s sight, they lack the ability to do it because of the weakness of their flesh. But in Romans chapter eight, Paul provides the solution to this dilemma: It is the Holy Spirit! You see, before Romans chapter eight, the Holy Spirit is only referred to once or twice, but in chapter eight alone He is referred to scores of times. What can we conclude from this? If we are going to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law, we are going to have to walk in and be led by the Spirit of God. We cannot really please God with the arm of the flesh. It is only by the Spirit of God that we can live a life of pleasing God.
 
In regard to this: In order for us to become all that God intends for us to become in our spiritual lives, we are going to have to depend fully upon the grace of God and not on our own might and power. Amen?
 
So again, this means that you are not going to grow up spiritually in your own strength or because of any outside help. You and I cannot will it to happen. It is only going to happen through your personal fellowship with Jesus Christ and through the ability of the Holy Spirit. 
 
Therefore, the proper mindset that we need to possess when going into the building up of our spiritual temple is that it’s not going to happen through our own might or power. It’s going to happen by the might and power of the Holy Spirit!  Amen!
 
THREE IMPORTANT WAYS OF THINKING
 
But then, how do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit? How do we allow Him to do it in us? Well, it begins with thinking a certain way and possessing a certain mindset.
 
So I want you to notice what the Prophet Zechariah says next: He says, “Who are you, O great mountain?” He begins with the question of disrespect. He was basically saying, “I don’t even know who you are. You’re nothing.” Then he says that, before Zerubbabel, this great mountain would get flattened and become a plain. And then he even went as far as visualizing the capstone being put on this project.
 
Do you see what was happening here? We see three huge steps that went into the reconstruction of the temple that started right between Zerubbabel’s ears. 

1. Don’t respect the mountain more than you do the God of the mountain.
2. Declare that the mountain before you will become a plain before you.
3. Visualize your capstone.

 
Let’s begin with the way we address our mountain …
 
The beginning of this verse has always reminded me of Jesus’ words to His disciples in Mark 11:23 that “Whosoever shall say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things that he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.” And like it is in this popular verse, Zechariah 4:7 shows the mountain being addressed, not God.
 
You see, there is a time to pray and there is a time to say. There is a time to pray to God, but not when it involves mountains that are standing in our way from accomplishing great things for God. This is when we must speak to the mountain!
 
And in this prophecy, the “mountain” is certainly being confronted—not a literal “mountain”, but the seemingly impossible task in front of Zerubbabel (and perhaps, visually, the huge pile of rubble from the previous Temple Solomon had built). The prophecy states, “Who are you, O great mountain?” Notice that this is seemingly a statement of disdain and disrespect; you could interpret this phrase this way— “Who are you, mountain? You are nothing to God’s Spirit! You might seem great and insurmountable in the natural, but to God, you are a piece of cake.”
 
Likewise, when we are doing something for God, in the natural, it might seem too difficult or impossible. This is when we are to prophecy to our “mountain” with disrespect for its abilities, and say, “Who are you, O mountain of carnality? Who are you, O mountain of debt? Who are you, O mountain of disease? You are nothing to my God!”   
 
Then the prophecy continues with— “Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!” In other words, “You might seem like a mountain right now, but you shall be completely removed!” What an awesome statement of faith! It totally looks beyond the insurmountable problem before, it and looks with the eyes of faith to the eventual manifestation of God’s promise.
 
You see, it is important for these things to come out of our mouths. As Jesus said, we must speak to the mountain! Yes, it is only when we “prophecy to our mountains” that they will be removed and become a plain before us.
 
But specifically, I want you to see that, by faith, the mountain is said to have become a plain. So in our case, it will be us declaring what we will become before we have any evidence of it in the natural.
 
Notice the next statement in this prophecy— “And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!”’
 
Bringing forth the capstone describes the completion of rebuilding God’s house. In other words, it describes them reaching their goal. So our seeing ourselves reach our goal of spiritual fitness is also very important.
 
And what was the response going to be? They would be shouting and praising God for His grace that truly got the job done!
 
You see, when we do things for God the right way, which is by the power of His Holy Spirit and not in our own ability, the response will be a resounding— “It is all a product of the grace of God! It was done by God’s grace!”
 
In Ephesians 1:3-5, we have a list of different things that God has done for us in our salvation, and in verse 6, Paul says that the result of all of these things that God has freely given us would be— “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (NLT) This should be the response to everything in our lives, including everything we accomplish in pleasing God - “Thank you God for the grace that enabled me to do that!”
 
This also reminds me of Mark 4:27 where, when describing how the kingdom works, Jesus describes the fruit coming with the words, “and he himself does not know how.” I believe this is the most powerful statement in this parable and is the point Jesus was trying to get across. This sower planted the seed in good ground and then there was nothing else he could do but rest! After the process of time, the seed began to sprout and grow, and he didn’t even know how it happened.
 
You see, this is the only way God will allow you to grow spiritually. He is not going to let you try and force fruit in your life. He will actually oppose you! Why? Because He wants all the glory! He does not want you to be able to take credit for your growth. He wants you to be like this sower, who had to say when asked about the harvest he had in his field - “You know what, all I did was put the seed in the ground. I couldn’t tell you how those little seeds produced all this. It just happened on its own. I can’t figure it out. I don’t know how!”
 
Church, these are just some of the attitudes that we need to possess during the days of starting small. We need to first wake up and not let our flesh decide what we are going to do. No, we need to press through the flesh’s tendency to not exercise spiritually and one of the ways we do this is by what we see. We need to see ourselves as fit! We need to see ourselves as grown up and in shape spiritually. But we can only do this by knowing how God’s sees us – and that is as golden! By knowing that He sees us with value & potential, it will inspire us to work out all the more. Then we realize it’s not by our own might or by our own power. No, it’s by the Spirit of God that we will develop. Unless He builds the house, we labor in vain. Amen?
 
And finally, it comes down to our attitude towards the mountain: We need to not respect it in the least. We need to declare its removal. And we need to see the finishing touches being applied.
 
Church, when we have this kind of attitude, there’s no mountain that can’t be tackled – And that includes the mountain of spiritual weakness & lethargy. Amen!