Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 13, Amos 5, 2 Timothy 2
Do You Know God's Word?
2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
Let's tear this verse apart.
1. Do your best.
Doing your best is not being slothful. If you are endeavoring to do your best with something, you will give it your all. When you do your best on your job you are really being diligent in learning your craft and performing your duties to the best of your ability. Why do we do less when it comes to the Kingdom of God? The Lord asks the same dedication from us. Do your best. He doesn't require more of you than you can do, but what you have the ability to do, that's what he asks.
2. Present yourself to God as one approved.
Sometimes I think we forget that God's eyes are always on us. He is aware of everything single thing we do, of every thought we think, of every intention of our heart. We often are more conscious of what people think of us than of what God thinks of us. If we are consciously presenting ourselves to God every day, everything else will fall into place. Does God approve of what I am doing today? Does God approve of my thoughts today? Does God approve of what my intentions are regarding every facet of my life?
3. A workman who does not need to be ashamed.
If you are given a job and you are not performing it well, you bungle it, make tons of mistakes, how do you feel about your boss coming and checking your work? Or, as a housewife, how to you feel about your husband coming home to a filthy house, children out of control, no food in the house, no dinner started? It doesn't make you feel on top of the world or that you have really done your best that day.
4. Correctly handles the word of truth.
Another version says, "rightly dividing the word of truth." God wants us to know his word, know what it says, precept upon precept.. He wants us to know it well enough that we don't take scripture out of context and make it say something that it doesn't mean, that we don't build a doctrine on one verse; but we study the Word enough to know that it all fits together. I have always been fascinated with how the Word fits together, something like a puzzle. A truth is revealed in the Old Testament through a story, and in the New Testament is further emphasized by a teaching.
We cannot know God's word unless we spend time reading and studying it. Choose a portion of Scripture. Take some time to analyze it. What is it saying to you? Run references and compare other passages that say something similar. If you have a concordance in your Bible that's a good way to look up key words and see how they are used in other places. I especially enjoy looking up words in their original language; Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament.
I challenge you today. Do you know God's word? God expects you to know it.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Esther 1, Amos 6, 2 Timothy 3-4
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
Daily Bible Reading - Nehemiah 12, Amos 4, 2 Timothy 1
Fear
Fear is one of the enemies number 1 weapons when it comes to attacking believers. Fear keeps us from walking in the fullness of God and from fulfilling our destiny. I heard this acronym of fear one time; false evidence appearing real. That is exactly what the enemy wants to do to us. He wants us to see things that are not true and believe that they are. This is why it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, "...we walk by faith, not by sight". Fear is what the enemy would like us to walk in but faith is what God intends for us to walk by.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control". The passage starts off by saying what God has not given us, fear and then goes into 3 descriptive words of what God has given us, power, love and self-control. Since faith is the opposite of fear it is safe to say that this scripture is telling us that faith produces power, love and self-control. Since fear is the opposite of faith then fear produces weakness, hatred/bitterness and lack of control. When the enemy comes in with the weapon of fear it causes us to live frivolous, weak lives full of bitterness and un-forgiveness. Fear drains you from all energy and keeps you from fulfilling your purpose.
When we experience these things in our lives we must understand that we are not in the will of God but we are succumbing to the enemies weapon. The beginning of 2 Timothy 1:7 states that God is not the one who has given us a spirit of fear but rather God has given us the power to overcome the enemy, the love we need to walk forgiveness with others and self control to keep from making bad choices and mistakes. All of these great things God has given us as a result of a faith. The ability to walk in love, to make great choices to have power to overcome the enemy, all of these an overwhelming security and benefit of living in faith rather than fear.
Fear comes in and robs so many of joyful healthy lives. Fear of lacking financially, or of losing a loved one. Fear of failure or ridicule so we do not step out and live the dream that is in our heart. Fear; false evidence appearing real is all around us BUT, God has given us Faith! Faith to rise above all these things and live the dream that He has for us. We can rise above all the fear that the enemy tries to throw at us. We rise above as we get more faith in our life and we get more faith in our life as we go to the word. Romans 10:17, "...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ". As we read more of the word and concentrate less on our circumstances we walk in faith and we begin to realize that God has not given us false evidences that appear real.
What things have you frustrated and not making good decisions today? Its time to stop giving into fear and start walking in power, love and self control.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 13, Amos 5, 2 Timothy 2
Dream Big
Ben
Fear
Fear is one of the enemies number 1 weapons when it comes to attacking believers. Fear keeps us from walking in the fullness of God and from fulfilling our destiny. I heard this acronym of fear one time; false evidence appearing real. That is exactly what the enemy wants to do to us. He wants us to see things that are not true and believe that they are. This is why it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, "...we walk by faith, not by sight". Fear is what the enemy would like us to walk in but faith is what God intends for us to walk by.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control". The passage starts off by saying what God has not given us, fear and then goes into 3 descriptive words of what God has given us, power, love and self-control. Since faith is the opposite of fear it is safe to say that this scripture is telling us that faith produces power, love and self-control. Since fear is the opposite of faith then fear produces weakness, hatred/bitterness and lack of control. When the enemy comes in with the weapon of fear it causes us to live frivolous, weak lives full of bitterness and un-forgiveness. Fear drains you from all energy and keeps you from fulfilling your purpose.
When we experience these things in our lives we must understand that we are not in the will of God but we are succumbing to the enemies weapon. The beginning of 2 Timothy 1:7 states that God is not the one who has given us a spirit of fear but rather God has given us the power to overcome the enemy, the love we need to walk forgiveness with others and self control to keep from making bad choices and mistakes. All of these great things God has given us as a result of a faith. The ability to walk in love, to make great choices to have power to overcome the enemy, all of these an overwhelming security and benefit of living in faith rather than fear.
Fear comes in and robs so many of joyful healthy lives. Fear of lacking financially, or of losing a loved one. Fear of failure or ridicule so we do not step out and live the dream that is in our heart. Fear; false evidence appearing real is all around us BUT, God has given us Faith! Faith to rise above all these things and live the dream that He has for us. We can rise above all the fear that the enemy tries to throw at us. We rise above as we get more faith in our life and we get more faith in our life as we go to the word. Romans 10:17, "...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ". As we read more of the word and concentrate less on our circumstances we walk in faith and we begin to realize that God has not given us false evidences that appear real.
What things have you frustrated and not making good decisions today? Its time to stop giving into fear and start walking in power, love and self control.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 13, Amos 5, 2 Timothy 2
Dream Big
Ben
Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 11, Amos 3, 1 Timothy 6
Have you ever thought to yourself "If one rich person gave me $10,000 - think of all that I could accomplish with that money!" Whenever I think a thought like that I am reminded that I pass by homeless individuals every day who probably think to themselves, "If one of those people passing by gave me $10 - think of all that I could do with that money." I am quickly reminded of all the times I have failed to give to someone in more need than myself.
One thing I know that is contrary to our flesh is to give. Selfishness is in our human nature, you can see it in children at a very young age. My daughter quickly learned the words "It’s mine!" before she learned many other things! Teaching children about sharing is always a battle because it is contrary to our flesh to give up something that we want ourselves.
As I have grown, I have realized that the more I give the more joy I experience. That it is truly more blessed to give than to receive! As a parent who has experienced the freedom and fulfillment there is in giving, it is my responsibility not to teach her that she "has to" give but teach her that she WANTS TO! It is a pleasure, delight and a blessing to give and leads to a journey of fulfillment.
The first year of my marriage the economy was thriving and we made more money that year than we have since. That year we had the time of our lives giving. Giving was an adventure, it was exciting and we also watched God bless us in awesome ways that year. After we had our first child and the economy slowed down, we began to slowly loose our fervor in giving. We allowed fear to creep into our hearts and every time we thought about giving, another thought of bills, mortgage payments and hospital payments quickly overruled.
My husband and I have been challenged lately to restore our joy in giving. It wasn’t getting back to a certain amount or percentage of our income that needed to change, it was our hearts. As we asked God to change our hearts, the giving came naturally. It was never about an amount to God, but it was about our hearts thinking of others before ourselves. Writing a bigger check was not the solution. The solution was a heart change that resulted in thinking about a single mother who might need a ride somewhere, bringing a pair of shoes to a child with holes in her own or taking out our disabled neighbor’s garbage. Sometimes it may be a check that needs to be written, but many times it was gestures of love that came from our changed hearts.
God has been blessing us in unexpected ways. The funny thing is, it has become hard to keep those blessings. The adventure of giving is so much fun that we can’t help but let those blessings pass through our hands.
1 Timothy 6:17-18 says, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that the be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
I always thought this scripture was for millionaires, but not for little old me. I read an article that said if you make $45k per year you are in the top 3% of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Even if you make half that amount, you are still most likely in the top 5%. This scripture applies to us! We are to be rich in good works...ready to give....willing to share...and most of all trusting not in riches but in the living God! Those things come from a heart that is yielded to the Holy Spirit. A heart that desires to hand over fleshly selfishness for fulfilling selflessness.
Thanks for reading,
Mel Miller
Tomorrow’s reading: Nehemiah 12, Amos 4, 2 Timothy 1
Have you ever thought to yourself "If one rich person gave me $10,000 - think of all that I could accomplish with that money!" Whenever I think a thought like that I am reminded that I pass by homeless individuals every day who probably think to themselves, "If one of those people passing by gave me $10 - think of all that I could do with that money." I am quickly reminded of all the times I have failed to give to someone in more need than myself.
One thing I know that is contrary to our flesh is to give. Selfishness is in our human nature, you can see it in children at a very young age. My daughter quickly learned the words "It’s mine!" before she learned many other things! Teaching children about sharing is always a battle because it is contrary to our flesh to give up something that we want ourselves.
As I have grown, I have realized that the more I give the more joy I experience. That it is truly more blessed to give than to receive! As a parent who has experienced the freedom and fulfillment there is in giving, it is my responsibility not to teach her that she "has to" give but teach her that she WANTS TO! It is a pleasure, delight and a blessing to give and leads to a journey of fulfillment.
The first year of my marriage the economy was thriving and we made more money that year than we have since. That year we had the time of our lives giving. Giving was an adventure, it was exciting and we also watched God bless us in awesome ways that year. After we had our first child and the economy slowed down, we began to slowly loose our fervor in giving. We allowed fear to creep into our hearts and every time we thought about giving, another thought of bills, mortgage payments and hospital payments quickly overruled.
My husband and I have been challenged lately to restore our joy in giving. It wasn’t getting back to a certain amount or percentage of our income that needed to change, it was our hearts. As we asked God to change our hearts, the giving came naturally. It was never about an amount to God, but it was about our hearts thinking of others before ourselves. Writing a bigger check was not the solution. The solution was a heart change that resulted in thinking about a single mother who might need a ride somewhere, bringing a pair of shoes to a child with holes in her own or taking out our disabled neighbor’s garbage. Sometimes it may be a check that needs to be written, but many times it was gestures of love that came from our changed hearts.
God has been blessing us in unexpected ways. The funny thing is, it has become hard to keep those blessings. The adventure of giving is so much fun that we can’t help but let those blessings pass through our hands.
1 Timothy 6:17-18 says, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that the be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
I always thought this scripture was for millionaires, but not for little old me. I read an article that said if you make $45k per year you are in the top 3% of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Even if you make half that amount, you are still most likely in the top 5%. This scripture applies to us! We are to be rich in good works...ready to give....willing to share...and most of all trusting not in riches but in the living God! Those things come from a heart that is yielded to the Holy Spirit. A heart that desires to hand over fleshly selfishness for fulfilling selflessness.
Thanks for reading,
Mel Miller
Tomorrow’s reading: Nehemiah 12, Amos 4, 2 Timothy 1
Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 10, Amos 2, 1 Timothy 4-5
Set an Example
It seems that in doing these blogs I am always writing instructions. I guess I never realized how many scriptures are just that: instructions. I think it's because the Lord wants us to be without excuse. We will never be able to stand before him and say, "I didn't know." If we do say that it will be because we didn't take advantage of his Book and what he has written in it. He has even placed a revelation of himself in the heavens. (Psa, 19:1).
Neh. 10:28 says the people "separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God." It wasn't that they were being snobbish. It was because this is what God instructed them to do. He knew if they began intermarrying with the people around them they would soon take on their customs too. They pledged themselves to follow the Law of the Lord in not conducting business on the Sabbath, to give the offerings prescribed by God's Law, to bring their first fruits to the house of the Lord and to bring a tithe to the Levites. And they said, "We will not neglect the house of our God." Verse 39.
Amos 2 sets forth God's judgments on Judah and Israel because they rejected the law of the Lord.
In 1 Timothy 4 Paul writes instructions to Timothy, a young man who was one of Paul's coworkers. He tells Timothy that even though he is young, to set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Wow!! That covers just about every aspect of life. Then he says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely." (1 Tim. 4:16)
These instructions were not just for Timothy, they apply to us today. The Lord wants us to set an example to the unbeliever of life, love, faith and purity. How sad it is when the same sins are found in the church that are in the world of the unbeliever!! These instructions are not impossible to keep because the Lord has provided us with his power and ability. 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness."
My encouragement to you today is to set an example, no matter what your age. Whether you realize it or not there is someone watching your life. Just by living your life according to God's word you can make an impact for the kingdom of God. Watch your life!!!
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 11, Amos 3, 1 Timothy 6
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
Set an Example
It seems that in doing these blogs I am always writing instructions. I guess I never realized how many scriptures are just that: instructions. I think it's because the Lord wants us to be without excuse. We will never be able to stand before him and say, "I didn't know." If we do say that it will be because we didn't take advantage of his Book and what he has written in it. He has even placed a revelation of himself in the heavens. (Psa, 19:1).
Neh. 10:28 says the people "separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God." It wasn't that they were being snobbish. It was because this is what God instructed them to do. He knew if they began intermarrying with the people around them they would soon take on their customs too. They pledged themselves to follow the Law of the Lord in not conducting business on the Sabbath, to give the offerings prescribed by God's Law, to bring their first fruits to the house of the Lord and to bring a tithe to the Levites. And they said, "We will not neglect the house of our God." Verse 39.
Amos 2 sets forth God's judgments on Judah and Israel because they rejected the law of the Lord.
In 1 Timothy 4 Paul writes instructions to Timothy, a young man who was one of Paul's coworkers. He tells Timothy that even though he is young, to set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Wow!! That covers just about every aspect of life. Then he says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely." (1 Tim. 4:16)
These instructions were not just for Timothy, they apply to us today. The Lord wants us to set an example to the unbeliever of life, love, faith and purity. How sad it is when the same sins are found in the church that are in the world of the unbeliever!! These instructions are not impossible to keep because the Lord has provided us with his power and ability. 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness."
My encouragement to you today is to set an example, no matter what your age. Whether you realize it or not there is someone watching your life. Just by living your life according to God's word you can make an impact for the kingdom of God. Watch your life!!!
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 11, Amos 3, 1 Timothy 6
God is good all the time,
Daily Bible Reading - Nehemiah 9, Amos 1, 1 Timothy 1-3
Wage War
I normally would not be talking about waging war the week of Thanksgiving but I think it this case it is fitting. For me Thanksgiving has always been a time to remember all the wonderful things God has done in my life and thank Him for it. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change". Everything good in our life has come from God including the prophesies (things God has spoken over your life). This is the time to thank God for all the things He has done and has said he would do.
1 Timothy 1:18-19b tells us what we are to do with the wonderful things God has spoken over our life. "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience". We are to take all the things that God has spoken over our life whether through his word or through men/women of God that He has used and keep fighting the good fight of faith. As we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and head into the new year this is a great time to remember those things God has spoken over you and use them to propel the gospel and the dream that is in your heart!
It is so important that we remember and remember often these things, if we don't we lose site of the thing that God has called us to and therefore we do not wage war in the most effective way possible. As we wage this war 1 Timothy gives us some guidelines so that we can be as intentional with our life and testimony as possible.
1) Remember - Continue to remind yourself of the goodness of God and the things He has spoken to you.
2) Holding Faith - Holding on to Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
3) Good Conscience - Maintaining purity and peace with all people.
As we wage war with the things God has spoken over us we must remember that it is all because of God's goodness, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and that it is for people and not ourselves.
Today wage warfare and fight the good fight of faith by remembering the prophecies that have been spoken over you and give thanks to God.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 10, Amos 2, 1 Timothy 4 - 5
Dream Big
Ben
Wage War
I normally would not be talking about waging war the week of Thanksgiving but I think it this case it is fitting. For me Thanksgiving has always been a time to remember all the wonderful things God has done in my life and thank Him for it. James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change". Everything good in our life has come from God including the prophesies (things God has spoken over your life). This is the time to thank God for all the things He has done and has said he would do.
1 Timothy 1:18-19b tells us what we are to do with the wonderful things God has spoken over our life. "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience". We are to take all the things that God has spoken over our life whether through his word or through men/women of God that He has used and keep fighting the good fight of faith. As we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and head into the new year this is a great time to remember those things God has spoken over you and use them to propel the gospel and the dream that is in your heart!
It is so important that we remember and remember often these things, if we don't we lose site of the thing that God has called us to and therefore we do not wage war in the most effective way possible. As we wage this war 1 Timothy gives us some guidelines so that we can be as intentional with our life and testimony as possible.
1) Remember - Continue to remind yourself of the goodness of God and the things He has spoken to you.
2) Holding Faith - Holding on to Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
3) Good Conscience - Maintaining purity and peace with all people.
As we wage war with the things God has spoken over us we must remember that it is all because of God's goodness, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and that it is for people and not ourselves.
Today wage warfare and fight the good fight of faith by remembering the prophecies that have been spoken over you and give thanks to God.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 10, Amos 2, 1 Timothy 4 - 5
Dream Big
Ben
Daily Bible Reading - Nehemiah 8, Joel 3, 2 Thessalonians 3
What do you pray for?
Today I was challenged, challenged more than I have ever been before by 2 Thessalonians 3:1. I was challenged to look at my prayer life and examine what I pray for most of the time. The list includes, growth in the church, financial provision for the church, personal health and finances, for my family etc, etc. Although there is nothing wrong with praying for these things I realized that most of them were centered around me and not around others or God's ultimate plan to save humanity.
Paul makes a simple request to the church in Thessalonica for prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, "pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored". Of all the things that Paul could of requested people to pray for he simply wanted the Word of God to succeed and touch lives. There are so many times when people ask me what they can pray for for me but I don't think I have ever said, pray that the Word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be honored. This is why I was so challenged today.
What would happen if all of us made this our daily prayer. Rather than praying for finances and relationships we actually prayed, "God let your Word spread through me today". How powerful would this be? Maybe this is what it is talking about in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you". If we prayed God let your word have it's way and God let your Word be honored, then God would add all the other things that we have actually been praying for.
Today as you take time to pray, what are you praying for? Be challenged as I was challenged and let's pray for the Word of God to spread through us and be honored.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 9, Amos1, 1 Timothy 1-3
Dream Big
Ben
What do you pray for?
Today I was challenged, challenged more than I have ever been before by 2 Thessalonians 3:1. I was challenged to look at my prayer life and examine what I pray for most of the time. The list includes, growth in the church, financial provision for the church, personal health and finances, for my family etc, etc. Although there is nothing wrong with praying for these things I realized that most of them were centered around me and not around others or God's ultimate plan to save humanity.
Paul makes a simple request to the church in Thessalonica for prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, "pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored". Of all the things that Paul could of requested people to pray for he simply wanted the Word of God to succeed and touch lives. There are so many times when people ask me what they can pray for for me but I don't think I have ever said, pray that the Word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be honored. This is why I was so challenged today.
What would happen if all of us made this our daily prayer. Rather than praying for finances and relationships we actually prayed, "God let your Word spread through me today". How powerful would this be? Maybe this is what it is talking about in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you". If we prayed God let your word have it's way and God let your Word be honored, then God would add all the other things that we have actually been praying for.
Today as you take time to pray, what are you praying for? Be challenged as I was challenged and let's pray for the Word of God to spread through us and be honored.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 9, Amos1, 1 Timothy 1-3
Dream Big
Ben
Daily Bible Reading - Nehemiah 7, Joel 2, 2 Thessalonians 1-2
Guard The Entrance
The book of Nehemiah is such a fascinating one and a great story as Nehemiah himself is called by God to do a specific task. From his job as a cup bearer for the king, to the king releasing him to go back to his home city and from the work of rebuilding the walls of that city to his struggles against the enemy this book is packed full of adventure. Not only is it packed full of adventure but like every other book in the Bible it has so many bits of wisdom for us to apply to our lives. One of those bits of wisdom I want to share with you is guarding the entrance points to your life.
In Nehemiah 7:3 the later part of the verse says, "...Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes." Nehemiah and his people are in the process of restoring the city. In this process the enemy sees it and is not happy about it. The enemy threatens Nehemiah that they are going to come in and destroy the city once again, so Nehemiah takes extra precaution so that this does not happen. As you read the whole book you see that Nehemiah actually charged the people to work with a tool in one had and a weapon in the other and then here in this passage he appoints guards in two specific places, the entrance to the city and the entrance to the homes.
Not too many of us are actually fighting a real army like this and rebuilding a real city but the principles we see here are for our spiritual growth and development. Psalm 101:3 says, "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless". Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life". When it comes to our spiritual well being the Bible is saying, set a guard at the entrance of your city, the eye and set a guard around your house, the heart. Like Nehemiah building the city, we often find ourselves building our social life, families and our personal wealth. What we need to learn is that in the process of building we must also guard what we are building so that the enemy cannot take opportunity to tear it back down.
It all starts with protecting the city or by putting a guard over your eyes. Psalm 101:3 tells us not to look at stuff that is not good for us. Also in Matthew 6:22 it says, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light". This verse is so powerful, in that if we really do what Psalm 101:3 tells us to do and we only look at life giving healthy things than we will be full of life. This goes for the things we talk about, listen to and meditate on as well. We must put a guard at the entrance of our city/personal life by guarding our eyes.
Secondly, we must put a guard at our homes, our heart. Because what happens in the home/heart will eventually manifest outside of the home. As a parent I have learned that you can tell a lot about what parents are like and what is going on in homes by watching and listening to the children. Children are such an honest and truthful assessment of all things especially the home. The heart must be guarded because you can tell what is really taking place in some one's life by listening to their heart and not their words. What is taking place in the heart will eventually manifest in every area of our life and that is why it is so essential that like Nehemiah we put a guard in front of our homes/heart. We must take heed to Proverbs 4:23 and guard our hearts vigilantly.
Today as you are building your social life, families and personal wealth let's take a minute to get some weapons like the Bible, Prayer and Church and make sure we are guarding what we are building. Let's take some time to put a guard on our eyes and a guard on our heart. Let's learn from Nehemiah today.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 8, Joel 3, 2 Thessalonians 3
Dream Big
Ben
Guard The Entrance
The book of Nehemiah is such a fascinating one and a great story as Nehemiah himself is called by God to do a specific task. From his job as a cup bearer for the king, to the king releasing him to go back to his home city and from the work of rebuilding the walls of that city to his struggles against the enemy this book is packed full of adventure. Not only is it packed full of adventure but like every other book in the Bible it has so many bits of wisdom for us to apply to our lives. One of those bits of wisdom I want to share with you is guarding the entrance points to your life.
In Nehemiah 7:3 the later part of the verse says, "...Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes." Nehemiah and his people are in the process of restoring the city. In this process the enemy sees it and is not happy about it. The enemy threatens Nehemiah that they are going to come in and destroy the city once again, so Nehemiah takes extra precaution so that this does not happen. As you read the whole book you see that Nehemiah actually charged the people to work with a tool in one had and a weapon in the other and then here in this passage he appoints guards in two specific places, the entrance to the city and the entrance to the homes.
Not too many of us are actually fighting a real army like this and rebuilding a real city but the principles we see here are for our spiritual growth and development. Psalm 101:3 says, "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless". Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life". When it comes to our spiritual well being the Bible is saying, set a guard at the entrance of your city, the eye and set a guard around your house, the heart. Like Nehemiah building the city, we often find ourselves building our social life, families and our personal wealth. What we need to learn is that in the process of building we must also guard what we are building so that the enemy cannot take opportunity to tear it back down.
It all starts with protecting the city or by putting a guard over your eyes. Psalm 101:3 tells us not to look at stuff that is not good for us. Also in Matthew 6:22 it says, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light". This verse is so powerful, in that if we really do what Psalm 101:3 tells us to do and we only look at life giving healthy things than we will be full of life. This goes for the things we talk about, listen to and meditate on as well. We must put a guard at the entrance of our city/personal life by guarding our eyes.
Secondly, we must put a guard at our homes, our heart. Because what happens in the home/heart will eventually manifest outside of the home. As a parent I have learned that you can tell a lot about what parents are like and what is going on in homes by watching and listening to the children. Children are such an honest and truthful assessment of all things especially the home. The heart must be guarded because you can tell what is really taking place in some one's life by listening to their heart and not their words. What is taking place in the heart will eventually manifest in every area of our life and that is why it is so essential that like Nehemiah we put a guard in front of our homes/heart. We must take heed to Proverbs 4:23 and guard our hearts vigilantly.
Today as you are building your social life, families and personal wealth let's take a minute to get some weapons like the Bible, Prayer and Church and make sure we are guarding what we are building. Let's take some time to put a guard on our eyes and a guard on our heart. Let's learn from Nehemiah today.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 8, Joel 3, 2 Thessalonians 3
Dream Big
Ben
Stand Against Your Adversary
I have never quite understood why it bothered Sanballat and Tobiah so much that the Jews were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; also Geshem the Arab. From reading Nehemiah 6, it seems that they didn't have anything else to do but pester Nehemiah. They tried to lure him away from his job, sending him a message to meet with them in a village on the plain of Ono. But Nehemiah realized they were scheming to harm him so he refused to meet with them. They didn't give up easily. They sent this message to him four times. On the fifth try they accused him of plotting to revolt and set himself up as king. They threatened him by saying this report was going to get back to the king. Nehemiah was onto them and realized they were just trying to frighten him.
Nehemiah refused to listen to their threats. I really like what is says in Neh. 5:9b. "But I prayed Now strengthen my hand." Sanballat and Tobiah still didn't give up but hired a man to prophesy to Nehemiah that he should go hide in the temple because men were coming to kill him. Nehemiah realized they were just scheming again and refused to go hide in the temple. He persisted and the wall was completed. When his enemies heard that the job was completed they lost their self-confidence because they realized that God had enabled the Jew to finish the job.
I think we can learn from Nehemiah in dealing with our enemy, the devil. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says "Be self-controlled and alert. you enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." John Corson says, "The devil is a roaring lion. He had his teeth kicked out at Calvary. Yet he can still roar." That's exactly what Sanballat and Tobiah were dong, they were roaring at Nehemiah. But he resisted them. We can do the same thing. Realize when the devil comes roaring, "You're going to fail," or "You're going to give in," that he is just roaring and that you can resist him. James 4:7 says "Be subject to God. Stand firm against the devil; resist him and he will flee from you." (Amplified Version)
There are a couple of keys in resisting the devil. Nehemiah said, "But I prayed." When the devil comes knocking at your door with temptations, discouragement, discontent, etc., send Jesus to the door. We can't do anything in our own strength. Remember, Jesus said without him we couldn't do anything. So we need to bring our problems to the Lord in prayer and turn them over to him. James says, "Be subject to God." In other words, don't try to take things in your own hands and do them your own way. Realize you are a subject in the Kingdom of God and King Jesus will fight for you. You are under his protection.
Just as the enemies of Nehemiah lost their self-confidence when they saw Nehemiah forging ahead and completing the job, the devil will flee when he sees that he isn't going to prevail. That doesn't mean he won't come back on another day with a new tactic but when we consistently practice taking everything to the Lord in prayer and being subject to God, the devil will again flee.
2 Cor. 2:10-11 says that we are not ignorant of Satan's schemes. It is interesting that the verse leading into that statement is about forgiveness. Paul said that he has forgiven "To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions." (Amplified). Eph. 6:11 tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the devil's schemes. Just as Sanballat and Tobiah were scheming and plotting against Nehemiah, so our enemy plots and schemes against us. Let it be said of us as of Nehemiah, "But I prayed." And the Lord will strengthen your hand.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. In all these things we are more than conquerors.
Daily Bible Reading - Nehemiah 4, Hosea 14, 1 Thessalonians 3-4
Resistance
Resistance = The act of resisting, opposing or withstanding.
I have learned over my few short years that as a Christian there are two main types of resistance. Resistance from God when we are not walking according to His way and resistance from those that oppose God when we are walking his way.
Hosea 14:9 says, "... the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them". this verse is telling us that as we live upright we walk continually in the ways of the Lord and there is great blessings that come with that. If we do not walk as upright than we are resisted by God and we end up stumbling and falling. What we need to understand is that this resistance by God is because He is a good God and He allows us to stumble when we are not walking with Him in the hopes that we might turn back towards Him. There is an old saying that says, "we can choose to do right or wrong but we never have the right to choose wrong". In other words there are not benefits to choosing the wrong thing although we can choose wrong if we want. If we choose to do wrong, there is resistance though and this resistance is good because it points us back to God.
I have experienced this type of resistance in my life in the times where I chose to do my own thing rather than God's. However, in this season of my life as a church planter I often find myself in the type of resistance that the Jews did in Nehemiah 4. In this passage Nehemiah is rallying the Jews to rebuild the wall and doing the work that God has called him to. In the process of this the enemy of the Jews starts to taunt them and resist them. It says in Nehemiah 4:8, that the enemy "all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it." As the enemy looked at the people who were walking in God's way they were scared because they saw that the city was being rebuilt.
As we have been building a church in the city we live in we have been experiencing resistance from the culture and from people. What I realize today as I read Nehemiah 4, is that the only time the enemy resists you is when you are being effective in God's plans. If the enemy looks at you and your life and sees that you are being ineffective with your time and passions than He is not going to come and try and stop you because there is nothing to stop. However, when you begin to feel resistance this should not discourage you. Be encouraged because the enemy has taken notice of you and realizes that if He does not come in and create confusion you will rebuild the city God has called you to rebuild and that you will become a powerful influence in culture.
My word to you today is be encouraged and stand strong in God! If you are feeling resistance it is either God desiring you to get back on the right path because He loves you or it is the enemy because you are walking in God's path and he is scared of you. Look at your life today, take some time to talk to God and see what kind of resistance you are facing. Either get on track with God or keep building what you are building because the enemy is scared.
For Urban, be encouraged today for we are impacting this culture and we are rebuilding this city one person (stone) at a time.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 5-6, Joel 1, 1 Thessalonians 5
Dream Big
Ben
Resistance
Resistance = The act of resisting, opposing or withstanding.
I have learned over my few short years that as a Christian there are two main types of resistance. Resistance from God when we are not walking according to His way and resistance from those that oppose God when we are walking his way.
Hosea 14:9 says, "... the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them". this verse is telling us that as we live upright we walk continually in the ways of the Lord and there is great blessings that come with that. If we do not walk as upright than we are resisted by God and we end up stumbling and falling. What we need to understand is that this resistance by God is because He is a good God and He allows us to stumble when we are not walking with Him in the hopes that we might turn back towards Him. There is an old saying that says, "we can choose to do right or wrong but we never have the right to choose wrong". In other words there are not benefits to choosing the wrong thing although we can choose wrong if we want. If we choose to do wrong, there is resistance though and this resistance is good because it points us back to God.
I have experienced this type of resistance in my life in the times where I chose to do my own thing rather than God's. However, in this season of my life as a church planter I often find myself in the type of resistance that the Jews did in Nehemiah 4. In this passage Nehemiah is rallying the Jews to rebuild the wall and doing the work that God has called him to. In the process of this the enemy of the Jews starts to taunt them and resist them. It says in Nehemiah 4:8, that the enemy "all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it." As the enemy looked at the people who were walking in God's way they were scared because they saw that the city was being rebuilt.
As we have been building a church in the city we live in we have been experiencing resistance from the culture and from people. What I realize today as I read Nehemiah 4, is that the only time the enemy resists you is when you are being effective in God's plans. If the enemy looks at you and your life and sees that you are being ineffective with your time and passions than He is not going to come and try and stop you because there is nothing to stop. However, when you begin to feel resistance this should not discourage you. Be encouraged because the enemy has taken notice of you and realizes that if He does not come in and create confusion you will rebuild the city God has called you to rebuild and that you will become a powerful influence in culture.
My word to you today is be encouraged and stand strong in God! If you are feeling resistance it is either God desiring you to get back on the right path because He loves you or it is the enemy because you are walking in God's path and he is scared of you. Look at your life today, take some time to talk to God and see what kind of resistance you are facing. Either get on track with God or keep building what you are building because the enemy is scared.
For Urban, be encouraged today for we are impacting this culture and we are rebuilding this city one person (stone) at a time.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Nehemiah 5-6, Joel 1, 1 Thessalonians 5
Dream Big
Ben
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)