God did it; not us

When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream of the world empires, he testified of the Lord to the monarch, that “he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Dan. 2:21). These world rulers fulfilled God’s sovereign plan. However, it was God who did it; not them.

The LORD gave this very message to Cyrus, king of Persia: “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings…I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight…And I will give thee the treasures of darkness…that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel” (Is. 45:1-3).

Essentially this is the message: “Thus saith the LORD, It's not you; it's Me.” Isn’t that the message for all of us: it's the Lord, not us. Whatever blessings we receive, God did it. Whatever spiritual victory we see, God did it. Whatever good thing takes place in the lives of others, God did it.

If we will think that way, we will stay humble and the Lord will be glorified. If we start to think that the victory comes from our strength and is the result of our ability, then we fall in pride and Christ is not glorified. Remember the words of John: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”