Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. (Zech.

4:6)
The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them (Psalm 34:17)
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and he has filled them with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and
knowledge (Exodus 35:31)

The Courage to Cry

Courage simply defined is the inner strength necessary to do a difficult or
dangerous job. Being a public school teacher is not often a dangerous job but it
quite often can be a difficult one. One of the greatest difficulties we face is the task of being given the responsibility to
teach specific objectives to students who seemingly do not have the prerequisite knowledge, motivation, or behavioral
skills necessary to meet those objectives. Every year God seems to send us Goliath students or Goliath class periods of
students that we cant seem to motivate or move in the right direction no matter what old or new strategies or programs
we try. Sometimes God may even place an unmoving Goliath administrator, co-worker, or parent in the middle our
professional field. What Goliath or Goliaths has God placed in the middle of your academic field this year?
God places these Goliaths in our professional lives because He wants to be in partnership with us. He wants us
to realize we cant do this job by ourselves, that we need His presence and leadership. He gives us tasks and challenges
that we can face and overcome only with his Spirit and guidance. As we look at the Goliaths we face this year we can
hear the Lord telling us, Its not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit. Specifically, for us as educators, He is
saying, Its not by more knowledge and programs, but by my Spirit. Place your trust and faith in me, not yourself,
not others, not other things, and watch what I will do. Seek me first. Come to me in prayer where you work. Agree with
others in prayer where you work and watch what I will do. Cry out to me.
Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? Saul tries to put his armor on David. Had David worn and
used those weapons and armor, he would have been defeated. David did not trust in weapons or armor. He trusted in
the Lord. The Lord gave him the courage and the specific skills needed to accomplish the objective set before him.
We need knowledge, skills, and programs just like David needed his sling and stones, but our trust and faith must be in
God, not the skills, programs, and knowledge we utilize.
Mrs. Long, a third grade elementary teacher faced one of these Goliaths. Her Goliath was a class of twenty-
three students with over half of them being mainstreamed special needs children. Two had severe behavior disorders,
half of them were ADD or ADHD, and the students reading levels varied from primer to the fourth grade levels. She
was given 55 minutes each day to teach reading. She was being held accountable to accelerate their reading. The
district had given her no appropriate program or training to meet the challenge, but God did. She cried out to him in
prayer and He divinely gave her an original multi-level phonics, vocabulary, and fluency program that worked, that
challenged every student in the room. Mrs. Long even began marketing the program. God made a way where there
was no way. He showed Mrs. Long, in the stream bed of prayer, where to find her smooth stones. He truly was the
way, the truth, and the light in Mrs. Longs classroom that year.
Mrs. Long recently met with a group of Christian high school teachers to pray with them at their school. As
the Holy Spirit led them in prayer, one of the instructors, a department chairperson, began to weep for students she was
serving who were giving 100% effort to meet the scholastic objectives but were falling far short. She began to cry out
to God for help on their behalf. She then picked up the Bible and prayed a passage from Exodus. She prayed, and
he has filled him [them] with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and intelligence. (Exodus 35:31) She knew that
by her own power and the power of the students, the task was impossible, but this teacher worked for God first and she
knew that, Everything is possible for him who believes. (Mark 9:23) She knew the power of faith, the power of
Gods word when it is prayed, and the power of agreement in prayer with other believing teachers.
Take courage. Take your eyes off your academic Goliath(s) and turn them upon Jesus. Cry out to him. Go to
the stream bed of prayer. Do what he tells you. Watch what he will do through you. Give him all the glory!
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Prayer: Lord, fill every student we serve with your Holy Spirit and with skill, ability and intelligence.
Application: Cry out to God for answers to the professional challenges you face. Ask God for help. Listen to him
and take his advice. Regularly agree and meet with other believers in prayer at your school.
Sharing: What was the biggest Goliath you have ever faced in your professional career and how did you handle it?
How did God see you through it? How did it strengthen you?
CLASSROOM LIGHTHOUSE SERIES: TEACHER! TAKE COURAGE! (For inquiries contact ceaihouston@sbcglobal.net.) WEEK 6