Prayer & Restoration
“Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah 2:17-20
Prayer is simply communication with God. Relationships need to be
cultivated to grow. We do that through communication. Just like
relationships with other people, communication with God strengthens your
connection to Him. He is always there, and He is always speaking, but
we are not always listening. Prayer keeps you in tune with God’s heart,
voice and direction for your life. As you pray and your connection
with God through Jesus Christ begins to grow, your life shifts into a
different place – a place of greater victory and where the promises of
God await you. Everything in your life flows out of this one
relationship – your relationship to God through Christ Jesus.
There are a few things to keep in mind as you become restored into everything that God would have you become. God’s original intention for you – before you came to be in your mother’s womb is his final decision for your life! These are your principles for restoration as you execute effective prayer.
In the text above, Nehemiah has a plan. He has a strategy to rebuild that which has been broken down. Like God, Nehemiah is a master strategist with a systematic, step-by-step plan of action. Success is not a secret; it is a “system”!
In our text, Nehemiah will assemble the people, which will aggravate and activate the enemy. The enemy doesn’t mind you “dreaming” – he minds you “doing”! He minds you being a part of something that is bigger than just you. Your action of obedience to God sends a chilling message to the kingdom of darkness. You’re a threat!
Just like Nehemiah, the minute you receive the Word and step out in faith on the Word God has given you, you will face opposition. But Nehemiah is already going to rally the people behind him to encourage them.
Nehemiah’s first words to the people of God called to rebuild the wall and the city reveal God’s perspective of things. “Ye see the DISTRESS (evil, bad, adversity) that WE are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste and that the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that WE be no more a reproach (disgrace, shame).” In other words, let us, by building our walls, put an end to the miserable condition which gives our adversaries occasion to reproach us. They were sick of being ashamed of who they were, and sick of existing in the current condition!
Like the Psalmist cried out in Psalms 22:6-8 NIV:
“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
If you ever have a vision of something great, you will have to have people who believe in you and support you. You won’t have to prime them, pump them, deceive them, market to them or really even network a whole lot. There is nothing wrong with most of those things, but God will bring people to you to champion His cause. Nehemiah says to the people God brought there, “Let us build up the wall.”
Nehemiah energizes people by speaking the truth and proclaiming his faith and what God has shown him. He says where they are and where they want to be and declares, “We can do this because, the hand of God is good on me.” Nehemiah knew that if God says, “yes” it doesn’t matter what man says “no”.
The people responded with a clarion call.. “LET US RISE UP and BUILD.” There was no restoration until the people united in agreement and aligned with Nehemiah, and by extension with God’s plan and purpose. They strengthened their hands for this good work. This word “STRENGTHENED” means “bind together in covenant.” The people covenanted together for the cause with their power, influence, resources, talents and favor.
This is exactly what gets the enemy drawn to them – because they are challenging the enemy’s dominion with the powerful force of unity and agreement. Remember, every step forward for you is a loss for the kingdom of darkness. When you step forward in unity and agreement with other believers, how much greater the gain is for you and the kingdom of God! When purpose begins to manifest in your life, the enemy gets intimidated because you are now a threat.
Nehemiah had the power of unity; one people with one God working towards one cause! Psalms 133: 1-3 KJV says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
When the people of God came together assembled, it aggravated and activated the enemy. You don’t conquer without conflict; you don’t win without war.
“But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?”
The three who challenged Nehemiah represent three things – Sanballat represents Satan. Tobiah represents the carnal mind and Geshem represents the world system, or world’s way of doing things apart from God.
The builders of the wall were surrounded by the lands of the people of their enemy on every side. That’s where they first challenge Nehemiah. Nehemiah replies three things clearly. Rebuilding the wall was God’s work; they are God’s servants, and Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had no part in the matter.
Therefore the clarion call to you today, “Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more a reproach”. Come, there is an invitation to do something grand for God – let us rise up, unite and build!
Prayer is simply communication with God. Relationships need to be cultivated to grow. We do that through communication. As you become restored into the person God intended you to become before time began, remember that communication with God strengthens your connection to Him. He is always there, always speaking, and always has a strategy to overcome. Prayer keeps you in tune with God’s heart, voice and direction for your life. Like Nehemiah, as you pray and your connection with God through Jesus Christ begins to grow, your life will shift into a different place, a restored place – a place of greater victory where His promises await you. God’s original intention for you, before you came to be in your mother’s womb, is his final decision for your life!
There are a few things to keep in mind as you become restored into everything that God would have you become. God’s original intention for you – before you came to be in your mother’s womb is his final decision for your life! These are your principles for restoration as you execute effective prayer.
In the text above, Nehemiah has a plan. He has a strategy to rebuild that which has been broken down. Like God, Nehemiah is a master strategist with a systematic, step-by-step plan of action. Success is not a secret; it is a “system”!
In our text, Nehemiah will assemble the people, which will aggravate and activate the enemy. The enemy doesn’t mind you “dreaming” – he minds you “doing”! He minds you being a part of something that is bigger than just you. Your action of obedience to God sends a chilling message to the kingdom of darkness. You’re a threat!
Just like Nehemiah, the minute you receive the Word and step out in faith on the Word God has given you, you will face opposition. But Nehemiah is already going to rally the people behind him to encourage them.
Nehemiah’s first words to the people of God called to rebuild the wall and the city reveal God’s perspective of things. “Ye see the DISTRESS (evil, bad, adversity) that WE are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste and that the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that WE be no more a reproach (disgrace, shame).” In other words, let us, by building our walls, put an end to the miserable condition which gives our adversaries occasion to reproach us. They were sick of being ashamed of who they were, and sick of existing in the current condition!
Like the Psalmist cried out in Psalms 22:6-8 NIV:
“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
If you ever have a vision of something great, you will have to have people who believe in you and support you. You won’t have to prime them, pump them, deceive them, market to them or really even network a whole lot. There is nothing wrong with most of those things, but God will bring people to you to champion His cause. Nehemiah says to the people God brought there, “Let us build up the wall.”
Nehemiah energizes people by speaking the truth and proclaiming his faith and what God has shown him. He says where they are and where they want to be and declares, “We can do this because, the hand of God is good on me.” Nehemiah knew that if God says, “yes” it doesn’t matter what man says “no”.
The people responded with a clarion call.. “LET US RISE UP and BUILD.” There was no restoration until the people united in agreement and aligned with Nehemiah, and by extension with God’s plan and purpose. They strengthened their hands for this good work. This word “STRENGTHENED” means “bind together in covenant.” The people covenanted together for the cause with their power, influence, resources, talents and favor.
This is exactly what gets the enemy drawn to them – because they are challenging the enemy’s dominion with the powerful force of unity and agreement. Remember, every step forward for you is a loss for the kingdom of darkness. When you step forward in unity and agreement with other believers, how much greater the gain is for you and the kingdom of God! When purpose begins to manifest in your life, the enemy gets intimidated because you are now a threat.
Nehemiah had the power of unity; one people with one God working towards one cause! Psalms 133: 1-3 KJV says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
When the people of God came together assembled, it aggravated and activated the enemy. You don’t conquer without conflict; you don’t win without war.
“But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?”
The three who challenged Nehemiah represent three things – Sanballat represents Satan. Tobiah represents the carnal mind and Geshem represents the world system, or world’s way of doing things apart from God.
The builders of the wall were surrounded by the lands of the people of their enemy on every side. That’s where they first challenge Nehemiah. Nehemiah replies three things clearly. Rebuilding the wall was God’s work; they are God’s servants, and Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had no part in the matter.
“the God of all heaven, He will prosper
us, therefore we His servants will arise and build but ye have no
portion (inheritance), Nor Right (Righteousness), nor memorial (memory
or remembrance) in Jerusalem.”
NO ENEMY CAN STOP WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU! Jesus triumphed over all
principalities and powers. Jesus destroyed the devil (1 Cor15:26).
Jesus put the devil down and rendered his kingdom subject to every
blood-bought child of God.Therefore the clarion call to you today, “Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more a reproach”. Come, there is an invitation to do something grand for God – let us rise up, unite and build!
Prayer is simply communication with God. Relationships need to be cultivated to grow. We do that through communication. As you become restored into the person God intended you to become before time began, remember that communication with God strengthens your connection to Him. He is always there, always speaking, and always has a strategy to overcome. Prayer keeps you in tune with God’s heart, voice and direction for your life. Like Nehemiah, as you pray and your connection with God through Jesus Christ begins to grow, your life will shift into a different place, a restored place – a place of greater victory where His promises await you. God’s original intention for you, before you came to be in your mother’s womb, is his final decision for your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment