And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.
Zechariah 3:6-7
I remember when I first heard about modern-day Christians who were actually seeing miracles happen, sicknesses healed, and demons being cast out. My initial shock was quickly replaced with a burning fire that began to rise from the deepest level of my being that burned and burned and burned until FINALLY I had had enough! Was this life really possible? Were the stories true? Were people really being miraculously delivered, healed, and radically transformed today, just like what happened during Jesus’ earthly ministry?
The next question that rose up from my heart was a sobering one. If this is all true, then that means I should be able to walk in these things. After all, I reasoned, I am a born-again believer, and Jesus did say that I could do the same works that He did, and even greater works! (John 14:12).
This line of thinking was extremely frightening. These questions challenged me to the very core of my being. If these things are possible, and I am not walking in them, then I must not be living up to my fullest potential in life. I had realized that I was now responsible to find out about the power of God on the earth today, and if these things were so.
Friend, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the type of life Jesus promised in John 14:12 is Christianity 101. It is God’s desire that we walk in the same power, anointing, and miraculous life that Jesus Himself walked in during His time on the earth–by the power of the Holy Spirit!
I want to point out that God has more levels of anointing, authority, and power available to you and me as we walk in faithfulness to the place He has assigned us right now. You don’t just jump from a level “one” to a level “one hundred” overnight. (There’s no such thing as numbered levels, but I think you get the idea!)
In this interesting passage from the book of Zechariah, Joshua (the priest at the time of Zechariah’s vision) is told that he can rule, have charge, and have the right of access over certain heavenly things. Notice that this is a conditional promise. These things don’t just automatically come to pass, but that certain conditions must be met. Joshua must be found faithful to walk in the ways of God and keep His commands, THEN he shall be granted these increasing levels of authority and power on earth.
There is so much to this passage, and we will continue to study powerful insights from Zechariah 3 in future posts, but for today, I want to encourage you to be found faithful to walk in the ways of God and keep His charge.
Walking in the ways of God describes a daily intimacy and walk with the Lord that mirrors Jesus’ love relationship with His Father. Keeping His charge is a byproduct of that relationship. The daily relationship we maintain and pursue with God will result in “walking in His ways” and “keeping His charge” much more than trying hard to please Him through religious works. How are you relating to your Heavenly Father today? Are you working to please Him? Or are you walking with Him as a byproduct of your intimate relationship with the One you love more than anyone else in the world?
That’s a lot to think about today. But I encourage you to spend a few moments with the Lord on these things and allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life, revelation, and purpose into the sails of your soul.
Be encouraged! Be filled with the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit!