"Do or do not! There is no try!" (Zechariah 4:6)

“Do or do not! There is no try!”
Master Yoda-Star Wars

Most of us recognize this quote from Master Yoda, the wise Jedi master who trained centuries of Jedi knights in the Star Wars movies. This quote came to my mind the other day as I struggled with a spiritual battle. It was a temptation to carnal thoughts. My first inclination was to read the Bible. A good start, for sure! I reviewed the Bible verses from my daily devotional of Psalms and Proverbs which I read every morning. But as I read, hoping that the pure milk of God’s Word would cleanse my thoughts, the Holy Spirit prodded me. I was trying to do this with my flesh. Even though what I was doing was good, I needed to get down on my hands and knees in prayer and seek the power of the Holy Spirit to intervene and strengthen me. I reread the Bible verses, but this time, praying to God to give me peace and wisdom to deal with the temptation. And the same verses I had read just a few seconds earlier burned with new meaning and vigor.

God answered my prayers quickly and decisively.

...Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6 (ESV)

Spiritual warfare has so many different faces. Sometimes it is a blatant confrontation with evil-a robbery, a murder, a slanderous comment. But so often, it comes under the guise of a seemingly godly activity. It was not wrong to read the Bible when I was being tempted. But I had the wrong attitude. I was using the action of Bible reading as a cure, simply assuming that reading it would dispel the temptation. I needed to humble myself before God and ask Him for strength, to understand the Words I was speaking.  I needed Him to empower me to receive His Word. I was, once again, trying to do things by my own strength and power.

There is no try. Just humble yourself before God and ask Him for His help. Just do!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.