Hebrew Word of the Week

Isaiah 11:2 Spirit of Strength and a Prophetic Word

We are going to continue our look at Isaiah 11:2 this week by breaking down what it means to have the Spirit of strength operating in our lives. At the end of this post, I am including a prophetic utterance that came forth from the Lord in my prayer time this past Monday. It highlights the need in this hour to be clothed with the Spirit of strength. Let's review what Isaiah 11:2 says, 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (NASB).

Wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and the fear of the LORD are all aspects of the Holy Spirit we need operating in us as we step into what is upon us. Without the Holy Spirit, we can misinterpret what we see, our hearts can fail from fear, and we could lose our trust in God's plan when it looks like evil is winning. We must know the Scriptures and remember that God uses evil for good. He uses unrighteousness and wickedness to bring people to repentance and see their need for Him. We must grasp the reality of Revelation 4 in this hour, where we can go up into the Spirit and see from Heaven's perspective. We must continue to keep praise and worship on our lips, no matter what we see with our eyes. 

What is the Spirit of strength? In Hebrew, it is the Ruwach gebuwrah. Gebuwrah is Strong's 1369. It means strength, might, valor, bravery. It is a form of the root geber (H1397), which means a valent man or warrior, to be mighty, and one who has a warrior ability. Having the Ruwach gebuwrah upon us and operating through us is the opposite of what Paul describes in 2 Timothy 1:7, 

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (NASB).

Timidity does not mean shyness. This Greek word is deilia (G1167), meaning fearful, timidity, and cowardice. 

When the Ruwach gebuwrah comes upon us, we walk bravely and with a warrior spirit. This is what we must operate in for the times and seasons that are now upon us. There are many believers stuck in cycles of fear with what is going on in our nation and our world. From this fear, they have developed a coping mechanism to hide and remain in a posture of trying to just "stick it out until Jesus comes back." What we must understand right now is Jesus is not coming back to take us to Heaven and pull us out of this world. He is coming back through His disciples to draw all men unto Himself. Hard situations and challenging times turn men's hearts to God. When there are no answers in the natural, the pride of life is broken, and hearts are receptive to the gospel. As disciples, we must be ready with that truth and hope many will desperately seek in this hour. It will require the Ruwach gebuwrah, a courageous and brave spirit, to equip us for the job at hand. 

What is coming? What do we need to be prepared for?