There’s something powerful about the spirit of a carpenter. A carpenter doesn’t sit around waiting for someone else to fix what’s broken. A carpenter picks up the tools and gets to work, restoring, rebuilding, making things new.

Last night at the CMN Conference, Pastor Jentezen Franklin preached about the spirit of the carpenter, God’s answer to a world that feels scattered and broken. In Zechariah 1:17-21, the prophet saw four horns rise up to scatter God’s people, to divide, discourage, and take away their vision.

But God didn’t just let His people stay scattered. He sent the carpenters.

One of the ideas he shared, and I don’t remember exactly how he said it, was that when life feels chaotic, when we’ve been knocked down, God doesn’t just show up and make everything easy. He calls us to build. He gives us the tools, the strength, and the vision, but we have to be the ones to pick them up and start working.

When the Enemy Scatters We Build

Life has a way of hitting hard. Maybe it's even hitting hard right now. We all face moments where discouragement creeps in, where it feels like everything you’ve worked for is coming apart. And the truth is the enemy loves it. His goal is always the same, to get us to put our heads down, to stop believing, to stop moving forward.

But that’s not who we’re called to be. God doesn’t raise up quitters. He raises up builders.

Pastor Franklin talked about Nehemiah’s builders, holding a sword in one hand and a tool in the other. They weren’t just defending themselves. They were building something new. That’s our job too.

When fear rises, we build in faith.

When division tries to take hold, we build unity.

When discouragement sets in, we build each other up.

The Heat is in the Tools

There was an illustration he used last night that I loved. He talked about coal miners in North Dakota. When it gets brutally cold, they’re told the heat is in the tools.

If they stand still, they freeze. But if they get to work, they warm up.

That’s how it is in life. We don’t wait until we feel ready. We start moving. We pray. We lead. We love. We serve. In the process, God rekindles the fire inside us.

Some of us have been waiting for a breakthrough, when all along, God has been waiting for us to pick up the tools.

It’s Time to Build Again

Whatever has been scattered in your life, your faith, your confidence, your purpose, it’s not lost. It’s time to rebuild, restore, and believe again.

When Pastor Franklin said, “God needs carpenters, not critics. God needs builders, not complainers,” I couldn’t stay in my seat. That line hit me hard because it’s so easy to focus on what’s broken instead of picking up the tools and doing something about it.

So today, I’m asking myself, and maybe you need to ask yourself too.

What is God calling me to build?

What tools have I set down that I need to pick back up?

We don’t have to wait for perfect circumstances. We don’t have to wait for someone else to do it. We start now.

The spirit of the carpenter isn’t just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about believing that what’s ahead is greater than what’s behind.

Pick up your tools. It’s time to build.