There’s a story about a small band of 19th-century pioneers crossing the Mojave Desert to earn their fortune in the promised land of California. Unprepared for the Mojave’s harsh, arid climate and deceived by length of a desert mile, they died of acute dehydration. The tragedy of their story is not just that they died, but that their death was needless as well: just three feet below the surface of the Mojave’s cracked and dry ground were springs of fresh water. The pioneers were, quite literally, standing on a reservoir yet dying of thirst.
In the debut documentary, Monumental, Kirk Cameron makes a similar claim about the situation facing 21st-century America. With a government debt nearing $16 trillion and a culture that values entertainment over education, innovation over tradition, and individual preferences over moral law and virtue, it’s safe to say that we live in a theological and moral desert. In Monumental, Cameron, an outspoken evangelical Christian, argues that like that group of pioneers, Americans today are standing on a reservoir and dying of thirst. And the springs of life for our cultural desert are the wisdom of our country’s forefathers. Sometime to move forward you must go back.
THIS IS CALLED THE MATRIX OF FAITH
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I encourage everyone to see the movie and pray for our country.
51 comments:
This stood out to me:
Nehemiah 1:9
But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.
AMEN!! So true that same verse stood out to me. he reminds God of His promise, His words. He puts the responsibility back on God and tells him “YOU SAID” You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;[ if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’[e] (he’s quoting the word, reminding God of the promise, the covenant and this is how we should come to Him and also fight our enemies,with the word) It is written!!
Me too. Spoke specifically to my heart and current circumstances. How awesome is our God that he keeps his promises even when we don't. Where would we be if not for his mercy,forgiveness, and grace. Also speaks to the power of prayer done in faith and humility. Amen.
Amen Rae!! so true!
Redeeming us back to him. Thank God for Redemption. Never saw that before.
this scripture says to me that obedience is the key.no matter what our current circumstance maybe, God will deliver us from it as a result of our fear of the LOrd
Amen! chunce I feel ya!
I love that his 1st reaction was to pray, He wasted no time and went right to the source.
I also noticed how though Nehemiah was not part of the immediate body he was connected. He was effected to the point where he mourned and wept. This shows he was a true believer bound to God and not overcome / influenced by his surroundings BUT he never forget who he was even if he was not with his people / congregation.
Verse #1 states that this took place in the month of Kislev: The Month of Dreams
So it all starts with a dream a vision, it’s reminds me of Proverbs chapter 29 verse 18; ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish..we need to learn to Trust God and dream big…
The name Kislev derives from the Hebrew word kesel1 (כֶּסֶל), which means either “security,” or “trust.”
That is the best first reaction to have - to pray. It amazes me how this was his reaction to hearing about his people and his hometown. It wasn't something that affected his personal surroundings. He was safe in the King's court. Yet it shows he had a heart of compassion and made it personal. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that if we are not directly affected we are not moved.
WOW!! I like that a lot Jenine..
this said a lot to me. Prayer and how important it is. His heart was for God and his people and building the walls of Jerusalem.(Church) Now is to build up Spiritually no matter how hard and whatever we will overcome for he is with us
OK NOW CHAP #2
The thing I most appreciate about Nehemiah in chapter 1 was his ability to be transparent as a leader and admit his faults by using use prayer and fasting as a vehicle to communicate to god.
In Nehemiah Chapter 2 I notice that dreams are always met with obstacles in some form or another no matter who you are. I see too that struggles come from all directions both external and internal. Nehemiah also showed us that we need to show a degree of self control when it comes to revealing god's plan to others in our lives.
Dago, that is so real! Sometimes the Lord will reveal something to you and it is for you. We can't cast our pearls to the swine. It's hard too because we love to share what he is doing in our lives. I like that.
WOW!! So much to share, there’s really a lot taking place here. 1st of all we see that Nehemiah had a RELATIONSHIP with HIS KING and this is why the King was able to discern his heart, but more impressive was the kings 1st response to Nehemiah’s Burdon. He said “What do you request?” Nehemiah goes before the thrown and speaks his heart and tells his Lord what he needs and wants “ IN DETAIL”. What a great prayer life to mimic. Our king is no different, he too says “What do you request?” Ask and it shall be given. Now Nehemiah was given letters of authority, proclaiming him freedom to pass through different regions and granting him favor stating that whatever he needed they would supply.. WOW!! We forget that we serve a God of details and that He majors in the minor, HE’s interested in every detail of our lives. Look at the universe and How detailed it is or our bodies how every cell serves a purpose. Have you ever read in the Bible any of the blue prints God has given man when He wanted something built..EXTREEMLY DETAILED. My point is when you pray and go before that thrown make sure to tell him your needs, don’t be vague or general but be precise..We too were given letters of authority, 66 letters that also proclaim our freedom and favor over EVERY obstacle, principality and power. So whatever region your trying to get to or cross find the letters / scriptures written to those principalities and powers and speak / proclaim the King's Decree over it and I grantee that those things will no longer Govern over you because IT IS WRITTEN and so shall it be done. AMEN!!!
I also thought of Romans 12:1-8 reading Nehemiah Chp#2.. The first thing Nehemiah did upon arrival was take inventory, He took a sober estimate of the condition the city was in. They then became living Sacrifices partaking in the first real worship that the city has seen in a long time. Restoration was taking place as well as the renewing of their minds as they worked together rebuilding the broken walls. Everyone brought their gifts / talents and became one body with many members and one vision, restoration / “REDEPTION”. We to must follow the same process in healing, we must 1st take a sober estimate of our city walls and get to the root of the issues and only then can we begin to rebuild.
Look how perfect!!! chp#2 takes place in the month Nisan "the month of the spring" also the month of miracles, Nisan is also referred to as "the month of the redemption…AMEN!! NOW notice how chapter one took place in the month of Chislev which means (plowing and sowing) I tell you He is perfect and detailed everything means something and nothing is a coincidence.
IT'S TIME FOR CHAPTER# 3
In Chapter 3, I notice everyone was doing their part to repair the wall in their area of residency. The leaders were the ones who literally spearheaded the work on the wall. I believe this was a great move by the leaders to not just delegate but initiate so everyone could be on board. On another note the bible makes mention of these men in one-liners.What gets me is how some of these men went down in history. Here's what I'm talking about: Nehemiah 3:5 states that the men of Tekoa didn't want to do the work. Stark contrast to verse 20 where it says Baruch worked zealously on his section. Man, your life either won't count or it will depending on your attitude!
WOW!! I believe Dago hit it on the nose with his comment, it’s about our willingness / attitude. We as believers must be WILLING to roll up our sleves and do some dirty work. Rebuilding walls is FAR EASIER than rebuilding lives. I believe in life “attitude” is 90% of the work and the last 10% would be the actual action needed to take…I also liked that it states that they were not only rebuilding the city walls “BUT” the men and woman were both working on rebilding, restoring and reestablishing there home front situation, there home life. Many of us aviod putting in the hours where it truly counts and spent a lot of time putting up walls that should be broken down. We can’t aviod our first ministry which is our HOME / FAMILY. We can not pour new wine into old skins,we can not work on the outter man and not the inner man and we can not go out and help the lost and loose our loved ones in the process. There is no such thing as a quick fix we must ALL face our giants and slay them and the truth is most of them live with us and or in us. The word tells us in Mark 3:25 that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The good news is that “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Mat 19:26)
Moving now to Chp#4
Wow, I got a lot from Chp. 4. The people had a mind to work. They were all in one accord/purpose. Whenever you get people together who agree they can conquer great things. That is why a house divided against itself cannot stand. I love how the parables from the new testament are a shadow of the natural in the old testament.
They were restoring the temple. For me restoration is picking up the pieces of your life for to be used for God's glory, not vain glory. Their enemies were angry and conspired to attack and cause confusion. Just like our adversary, if only we could discern better. I say the majority of the time we get angry, bothered or attacked it is the enemy playing on our emotions. I am learning to trust more in God in this area of my life.
The people prayed to God and watched day and night. They were determined. They had positioned men in every place covering! Wow, God places people in our lives, people of position who see what we don't see, who are there to watch your back. Again, we need people and cannot walk this walk alone!
Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. This is a fight, and we cannot give up. Those around us need us. We don't realize how much. I know the politicians talk about change, but WE THE PEOPLE... The majority makes the difference. Not a few in Washington.
They only took off their clothes to wash them- stay dressed and washed by the Word. It is our source of strength and encouragement.
Its all about our Be-Attitude!!!! Matthew 5
Amen. Great Chapter.
Preach it Sista!!!
In Chapter 4, I notice that there was strong opposition in the form of threats and jeers. This was all in an attempt to derail Nehemiah's mission. The message is pretty clear- stand your ground and fight for what is right. If God is for you, who can be against you......NUFF SAID!
Yes, Oppostition! The iron sharpening the iron. It comes in all shapes and forms. Sometimes from within our own camp.
Great job guys!! Now lets move to Chp#5
Neh 5 sounds much like today. So many heavy burdens upon us but not many Nehemiahs truly for the people. The people and their children were affected as ours today. I like Nehemiah's attitude and how he stood up to those in power and and showed them their error. He was confident and brought it before the Lord. He continued in his purpose and had in abundance.
In Chapter 5, I saw a powerful event going on then that is seldom held to today- KEEPING YOUR WORD! Too many of us find back doors and double talk to avoid commiting to anything but this is so far from biblical principles. Nehemiah held these men to their promise and they came through because of it. God said let your yes be yes and your no be no, anything else is from the enemy. We must always remember God is watching and listening!
Preach it brother! AMEN. A lot of nuggets there.
Solomon said it best nothing is new under the sun. You will always find people who will take advatage of a crisis, while one struggles another profits and this famine is taking place now. I saw the condition of todays church in this passage. Notice the opressor was brethern and while leaders profit they keep the flock poor with nothing to withdrawal from due to the lack of investment in Gods people. It’s a shame that the ones struggling are always the ones doing the most work, cheap labor I guess... They’ve conditioned Gods chosen to see themselves as grasshoppers, to be satisfide with a title, position, a place of influence rather than the aboundant life. While a famine for Gods word “the bread of life” is present they preach success and grace, while our vinyerds / homes are being lost the say bring your offerings and lay down your swords. We must equipt man for battle otherwise our swords get dull and heavy and we become domesticated submiting to a system, begging to loose that killer instict and warrior spirit. As our swords become conversational pieces on our great wall of discouragement we then begin to repeat history. Just look…we borrow just like they did in Nehemiah and have become content in just getting by, Giving God all praise and glory for a life less abundant. WOW!! What a set up for failure. We willing to give up our vineyard (our ministry) what God has given us, in return for FALSE peace and comfort.
We MUST be as Nehemiah and boldly face our oppressors, Sharpen our swords, proclaim Gods promises and stop believing that we are the minority. I love how the prophet says it in 2 Kings 6:16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." We forget that we are God’s ELECT we need not chase a blessings IT WILL FIND US. A sheep does not know how it manufactures wool, all it has to do is be a sheep and it’s no different with a child of God “ Be a Christian and the fruits / blessing WILL manifest” We fail when we take mans word over God’s. Finances are by far one the most common areas in where the enemy gets a foot hold on us. It’s always a touchy topic in and out of church. WHY?
How we handle our finances is probably the single most significant indicator of our spiritual condition. There is nothing inherently unspiritual about money. Today, the church becomes defensive at the mention of money. I don’t find it easy talking about money but surprisingly Jesus did. Nearly half of all his parables are concerned with handling money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing 1 in every 10 verses deals directly with money. And whereas the Bible offers 500 verses on prayer and about the same number on faith, we are given more than 2000 verses on how to use money and possessions. Why is that? Because when we allow God access to our safety deposit boxes, our pension funds and Swiss bank accounts, when we allow Him to have the last word in our financial decisions, then he has control of everything else.
How do we reverence God? Don’t play games with Him. Don’t ever imagine that what we possess is ours, otherwise it will possess us. We are stewards of His world not owners.
How can we emulate Nehemiah? Six simple steps to financial peace of mind.
1. Learn contentment by putting God first. Reverence Him.
2. Determine to fight extravagance.
3. Practice saying “I cannot afford it”
4. Resolve to pay cash.
5. Turn financial charges into savings.
6. Become a generous giver to God.
And God will bring the increase!!!
Moving to Chp #6.. I pray that this has been a blessing to you because it sure has been to me.
The work that Nehemiah and the people were doing was reported among the nations! They were threatened because Nehemiah was a Leader in action. A threat. Their own thoughts made them believe he was going to be King. The enemy is persistant to take you down from your passion, purpose, role, leadership, place of influence. Anything to hinder your work and stop you in your tracks. Ah, but Nehemiah was determined!!! He didn't go to meet with them. Why do we meet and reason with the Devil? He just kept on working and prayed for God to strengthen his hands. Fear will keep you from fulfilling your purpose. And in his case it was real. But Fear is F.alse E.vidence A.ppearing R.eal. Even though they wanted to kill him his reply was SURELY God did not send them. In 52 days the work was complete. I would be willing to give 52 days of my life to build up God's purpose in my life. Yet still after the work was complete and restoration done, Nehemiah still recieved letters of threat. Wow. How we go through this in the spiritual. The enemy is constant, while we are working and when we are finished. But God helped! How much do we need God in our lives? With him we will be a mighty fortress! Amen.
“STAY THE COURSE” would be the message of this chapter..
Temptation / Distraction will always make their way to us BUT we must learn to “NOT IGNORE” but the bible states RESIST the devil and he will flee, Big difference between the two. Notice how they tried to use fear tactics to get him to fall. It’s one of the enemy’s most successful strategies FEAR & DOUBT. Fear can be a motivator or enabler but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The devil is always successful when we try to reason with him, and Nehemiah did not give him that chance, he never went out to meet him, never giving him a foot hold or opportunity to use his subtle words to plant fear and doubt…We MUST remember what it is we are up against, Spirits don’t die. This is why the Bible tells us to test them so that we are not fooled by wolves in sheep’s clothing leading us to a slaughter. This is what they tried to do to Him several times but he was not going to make the same mistake those before him made, compromises was not an option. He was going to see this thing thru. See when God puts a desire in the heart of man nothing but getting it done can fulfill that desire. Finishing the wall was a message to not only the world but more so to the Jews. It was a sign of hope & restoration. The wall was a type of there spiritual condition And as they built that wall they increased in faith. That wall became an outward expression of an inward confession. It states is the 1st verse that there was not breach left in it.. meaning there was no weak points of entry, it was not going to be easy to get in this time around. Healing had taken place, restoration, security and a place of worship had been established. All that takes place here is ALL part of a Christian walk and the icing on the cake is that it all happened in the month of Elul…. A relationship restored thru repentance..WOW!! what is repentance? I guess we can call it fixing broken walls..
Elul is called "the month of repentance," "the month of mercy," and "the month of forgiveness." Elul follows the two previous months of Tamuz and Av, the months of the two great sins of Israel, the sin of the Golden Calf and the sin of the spies.
The four letters of the name Elul are an acronym for the initial letters of the phrase in the Song of Songs (6:3): "I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me." "I am to my beloved" in repentance and consummate desire to return to my soul-root in God. "And my beloved is to me" with Divine expression of mercy of forgiveness.
This is the month that "the King is in the field." All can approach Him, and He shines His countenance to all.
Elul is the month of preparation for the high holy days of Tishrei. It is the month that Moses ascended to Mount Sinai a third time for a period of forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur, when he descended with the second tablets of the covenant. These days were days when God revealed to the Jewish people great mercy.
In "small numbering," Elul = 13, alluding to the 13 principles of Divine mercy that are revealed in the month of Elul.
Customs of Elul
During the month of Elul the shofar is blown after morning services every weekday.. Four blasts are blown: tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah. This combination of blasts explained the custom of blowing shofar as a wake-up call to sleepers, designed to rouse us from our complacency. It is a call to repentance. The blast of the shofar is a very piercing sound when done properly.
Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people. According to Jewish tradition, G-d cannot forgive us for sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged. This is not as easy a task as you might think, if you have never done it.
In Chapter 6 in was intense to see the ferocity that Sanballat and Tobiah displayed just to keep Nehemiah from from completing his divine mission. They were just as determine to see him fail as Nehemiah wanted to succeed. I bet it is no mystery that the devil is just as consistent to see us all go to hell with him on Judgment Day!
You have to keep fighting because the mission demands it. There is no other way to stand your ground in these last days. God will win and those who stand firm will receive the crown of life!!!!
Amen Dee! So true!
Chp#7
What I gleaned from Chapter 7 is once the restoration of the wall was done the exiles had a place to return to. We have to be willing to do the work if we want a place of rest. All too often we want recognition, we want peace, we want closure, healing, ______ (you fill in the blank.) What are you willing to do to get what you want/need? We have to be willing, ready, able, open, honest. Then you will have a place to return to.
Amen Jenine that is really good, so true and so often done!! I guess it's just the nature of man to get more for less..we are Bargain shoppers and are looking for salvation at discount prices. But the truth is you can’t have a victory without a fight, you can’t have a testimony without a test, and there is no such thing as a painless Pentecost.
In reading this I could not help thinking about order..there is an order at both church & home that we must abide to or expect failure. Notice as soon as the wall was built and the doors were up gatekeepers, singers, and the Levites had been appointed. We must know our positions in the body and work them. We all have one, so if you find yourself not doing something you are a crack in the wall and door left open. They were told to stay on guard all night and protect every entrance..we have the same commission over our home, church and more so Gods thrown the new temple, which is US. We are in the spirit what they built in the natural and it all applies to us. The building, protecting & praying are all blue prints and types and shadow for today’s man to learn from, showing us that history repeats it’s self and like Salomon said “ there is nothing new under the sun” I also found it interesting how when it was time to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. The book of the genealogy had names of those who came up at the first and going through this book exposed those who’s who were there and yet their names were NOT recorded in the book. These people were excluded from the priesthood as unclean and I pray that we do not allow this to happen to us. There’s a book of life and that we are ALL found in it every living thing BUT there is also the Lambs book of life and those name not found in it will not enjoy the benefits of that great city but will be excluded and labeled as unclean. Choose life!!
AMEN! This study is so relatable to today. More than I thought a book out of the old testament would. I need to keep the word before my eyes.
In Chapter 7 I notice that there will always be those who are willing come back from certain death but sadly not everyone has this heart.
In Chapter 8 I was humbled by the response the people of Israel when the word of God was read. They stood out all day to hear it. But they wear brought to tears when the assembly zeroed in on the very character of the Almighty.
Chapter 8...
They gathered together as One Man. That is a strong statement. A group of people coming together as one. Guess I should've seen that because their actions demonstrated it. Yet they had sorrow. Perhaps shame, guilt for letting it go for so long. Dwelling on the past, regret. But the Lord told them not to be sad. The joy of the Lord is your strength! I personally have learned to love and appreciate God for who HE is. He is good, he is just, he is pure, he is lovely. When the things of this world get to me I am reminded of HIM. I have a place of refuge I can turn to, who is never changing, only wants the best for me. Does not lie! He will never fail me. If that is not a promise to cling to! Chapter 9 looks interesting...
Worship!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHhAPq_BWMQ
Nehemiah Chapter 9:
They confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers. Recently I was reading some material on deliverance, and it said the same thing. We can pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins and of our fathers. What if they never repented. We can't repent for them but we can ask God to not hold their sins over us or our families or future generations. You can cancel out and bind those spirt. Whatever they may be. The spirt of lust, envy, depression, adultry, divorce... There is another scipture that says the children will pay for the Fathers sins. I am not an expert but def willing to humble myself and come clean before God, for myself, my children and future generations. Their attitudes were humble, they knew their history. We have all heard that history repeats. So they gave it to the Lord, honored him for his Mercy and Grace! In the old testament? Wow.
WOW!! amen!
In reading this chapter I was reminder of John when he yells "make strait the way of the Lord" True repentance is crucial in life and there comes a time in life that we can no longer go on living as we once did. We must face that man in the mirror regardless of how ugly it maybe and change one step at a time. God will do his portion once we do ours then and only then can we be freed, forgiven and grow. This chapter really demonstrates the love & Mercy of God. what a resume recorded in this chapter of the continues failure of man and yet God always sent a savior. I see Jesus in this chapter and I'm the children of Israel.
Chp 10
We see how in order to be successful in our walk we must be a segregated people, a people called out and constantly working towards a common goal. We are not called to consume in this world and be caught up in this worldly system / fads but to be consumed and caught up in the things of the lord. They were not playing in this chapter, it was about reconnecting ,establishing themselves and allowing order back into their lives. This chapter was for me!!! ORDER… that word haunts me sometimes, boy how we love living life on our terms then question God why things never turn out the way we want or expect.. One of our greatest if not the greatest assassin in our lives is NEGLECT.. this one word causes a whole world hurt in not only our lives but those around us as well. Lives are crushed, destroyed, and lost because of neglect..we also forget that in not making a decision we have just made one, just ask Pontius Pilate.
I love how the chapter ends.. ” We will not neglect the house of our God” …. May we do the same AMEN!!
Imagine trying to seperate ourselves today? It is difficult. Makes me long for Heaven. Everywhere you look sin abounds. It is blatant. They were serious. They said if we don't do it let us be cursed. I am not at that point in my walk yet. I don't treat sin that way. Instead I flirt with it and entertain it. Thank God we are no longer in the old testament and the Blood of Jesus Christ is there to wash over me. What chapter 10 speaks to my heart is it's time to get radical, time to treat this walk more real/serious.
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