It's Not for the Weak

Haggai 2:4

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

Leadership is not for the weak. Many want a leadership position, but they are not strong enough to handle the pressures that come with it. God tells the high priest in Ezra’s days to be strong. The reason God needed them to be strong was because they were facing a great amount of pressure from within and without to keep the temple from being rebuilt. As they rebuilt the new temple, there were those from within who criticized the foundation, and there were those from without who didn’t want the temple rebuilt. Haggai, a contemporary of Ezra, challenged Ezra through his preaching to rebuild the temple and finish it.

God knew these people needed the message to be strong because they had already faced pressures from within. When the foundation was laid, they faced the criticism of the older generation who said that it was nothing compared to the first foundation. As they continued to build, they faced pressure from without to stop the rebuilding of the temple. Being strong was critical to finishing the temple.

My friend, we need strong believers because the work of the Lord is not an easy work. It takes strength to face the pressures of building. There has never been anything built for God that has not had to face extreme pressures from within and without. This is why we must be strong, because building something great for God is not for the weakhearted. Let me share a couple of thoughts about this great truth.

First, you need to be strong in spirit. If you have a negative mindset, you will defeat yourself. Likewise, you need a strong spirit because most people around you will have a negative mindset, and they will bombard you with their negativity. The negativity from within and from without can easily destroy your spirit to the point that you give up trying to build something great for God. You need a strong spirit if you are going to build something great for God. You will do more with an overcoming and optimistic spirit than you ever will with a spirit of negativity. Be strong enough to stay positive in what you are doing, and keep your eyes on the goal of building something great for God, and you can overcome negativity.

Second, you need to be strong in character. Weak-charactered people allow excuses to stop them. If you are not a person of character, you will quickly quit when you face obstacles from within and without. There will be days when you don’t feel like building something great for God, but you cannot let your feelings keep you from continuing to build. You have to build when you're sick and when you're healthy. You have to build when you're tired and when you're energetic. It takes strong character to tell yourself to keep going when you don't feel like going.

Third, you need to be strong in belief. You must believe that God sent you to build something great for Him, and never let anything from without or within stop you. When you believe what you are doing is great, you will never let any outside pressure stop you from building something great for God. Have faith in God and a belief that He will reward your faith, and no matter what pressures you face from within or without, you will continue to build until you finish the work that God has commissioned you to build.