Lesson 3
"Decked and Ejected!
How do you respond to opposition? Are you patient and self-controlled when you receive verbal threats or even physical threats? I wish I could say that I have always done the "Nehemiah" thing, but I would not be telling the truth. When I was playing basketball at Louisiana College, one pre-season game, we were scrimmaging a team from Fort Polk Army Base. These gals were tough, and about half way through the game, the girl guarding me preceded to absolutely verbally come at me over and over. I tried to just ignore her, but she became more and more aggressive reaching the point of physically directing "cheap shots" to me. Allow me to define - it is when you punch, poke, or hit the other team when no one else can see it happening. The best time to do this is "away from the ball" while the referees is not focusing on you. She began to pinch and punch me in the abdomen more aggressively as the game progressed. Finally, I had had enough! She hit me in the stomach; I then turned and decked her, and of course a brawl ensued. Needless to say, we were both ejected from the game for fighting. Even though I was not the instigator, this was not the way to handle the situation. I should have reported it to the officials, in other words, I should have taken it to the authority on the court. I'll admit. I got distracted by her attacks, and it resulted in literally taking me out of the game. This is exactly what DID NOT happen to Nehemiah, though he would have been seemingly justified in retaliating against his enemies. Yet, because he was able to trust in his God, the authority over his enemies and the situation, Nehemiah completed the rebuilding of the walls and gates despite the atmosphere of conflict.
Why can't we control our emotions and fears within conflict? It is because we are frightened, and then our human defenses go on attack. A confident warrior, stands on the fear of His God, the only authority he ultimately must answer to. We saw where the word for fear is "yare," which means to give awe. We are NOT to give awe to a mere man.
Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed? Is 2:22 And it says in Pr. 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Does this mean we are NOT going to fear? No! At times, we will be very much afraid just like Nehemiah was, but what we do with that fear is the question? Will we run to out God, our "referee?" Or will we run to a mere man? Will we run to an addiction? Will we run to depression? We have a choice to pray then act accordingly like Nehemiah did, or we can let the flesh lash back without even a glance toward heaven and get ourselves not only kicked out of the game, but also, unable to finish the task that God had called us to do.
David Arthur gave us six key statements about the opposition believers should expect to face in this world:
1) Opposition is personal
2) Opposition is persistent
3) Opposition will use propaganda
4) Opposition will use deception, lies, rationalize the rules(It's ok to take a short cut, the end justifies the means)
5) Opposition can come from within your own people or family (Our most intimate earthly relationships can become a foothold for the enemy - Our relationship to God must come first above all others)
David then listed some key characteristics of Nehemiah and his great leadership abilities:
1) Focused
2) Resilient
3) Determined
4) Disciplined
5) Discerning
6) Devoted
7) Organized
Were these attributes the "secret to his success?" Can we accomplish great feats for God because we have it all together? NO! So did the ENEMY! It's NOT ABOUT US! Nehemiah shows us this over and over as he continually ran to his God in prayer and re-focused the people to who God was and what HE had done for them!
The secret to Nehemiah's success and to ours as well is a life lived at the center of God's will with no compromises! Then, when the enemy seeks over and over to frighten us, to disable us, to distract us, so that we STOP the work, we can stand in faith in who our God is and what He has done for us! I like this definition of faith - "acting on what I know to be true about God." So, with that definition, what is important for my faith to grow stronger? I have to learn who my God is, and the best way to do that is to study His word and watch His people as they have peace, joy, and unity in the mist of trouble and adversity. In other words, they are able to re-build the walls and the gates while the enemy is "pinching" and "hitting" and throwing "cheap shots away from the ball." The difference in my basketball game and life is "my referee" is ALWAYS watching, but I still need to go report it to Him before I open my mouth or lift one finger toward my enemy.
So, before you deck your opponent and get kicked out of the game, go to your God and tell Him what they are doing. Trust Him with all your heart and soul - Faith it! Emunah (Amen) it!
Laboring with you and through Him,
Phil 1:6
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Day 24: How do you want to be remembered? Nehemiah wanted to be remembered for good, according to all he had done for the people. He makes this statement after he has confronted their sin of greed, as some of them were exacting interest on loans and enslaving the poor during the rebuilding and the famine. This was contradictory to the Mosaic Law because God had bought the people out of bondage, and they were to never return again. It was unlawful to enslave a brother, though they could hire themselves out until the year of Jubilee, then all people were freed and all land returned to the owner; hence jubilee means release. Are you taking advantage of any Christian brother? Do you pay a fair salary to those in your employment? Are you delinquent on any accounts to a brother? Have you enslaved anyone by putting unrealistic or pharisaical expectations upon them? Will you be remembered for good in how you have treated your brother?
ReplyDeleteDay 25: For they were trying to frighten us, Thinking they will become discouraged with the work...BUT NOW, O God, strengthen my hands. 6:9 Oh, the weapons of the enemy - the old Deadly Ds! discouragement, disappointment, despair, dejected,...disengaged, derailed, and ultimately disobedient. That is Satan's goal - to push you down the D highway until your destination ends up in SIN - separated from your God! He wants you to STOP the work for the kingdom of God! His best tool - FEAR. Fear stalls us, stagnates and ultimately STOPS us from doing the work. Solution? FAITH - in who God is and what He has done for you! Pray today for Him to strengthen your hands to do the good work! As Beth Moore says, Im believing God!
ReplyDeleteDay 26: HALFWAY THERE! Hello from Williamsburg, VA! Weather is beautiful, and I just returned from walking through historic colonial Willliamburg. It s like stepping back in time! Pray for me tonight and tomorrow as I teach on the life of David to the ladies coming for the retreat weekend. Speaking of stepping back in time, yesterday's lesson also took us back into Israel s history and taught us much about who our God is and what He has done for His people. That same God will move on your behalf, just like He did for Nehemiah, just ask Him! Then, Arise and bless your God forever and ever. Neh. 9:5b
ReplyDeleteDay 29: And they read from the book of the law, translating/explaining to give the sense so that they understood the reading.(9:8) Can you explain the word of God to someone else? In 2 Tim 3:7 it describes some as always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Not everyone is a teacher, but everyone through the Holy Spirit, our tutor, can come to a knowledge of the truth and leave the elementary teachings and move to a mature faith. (Heb. 6:1) The priests surrounding Ezra as he read to the people were able to translate and give understanding to the people, hence great revival broke out as a result. We, as priests unto God, are to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence,(1 Pet. 3:15) and study to show yourself approved, workman who need not be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)
ReplyDeleteDay 30: You can't do it alone! If you are trying to rebuild a wall and gates that stretch out some four to six miles, in 52 days - IT AINT HAPPENING ALONE! Why havent you asked for help? Scared to admit you need help? Do you know what that is? PRIDE! Pride doesn't need help - I CAN DO IT! Pride doesnt need to be taught - because pride is always right! Lets get real - WE NEED HELP! Did any of you go to someone and ask how they were able to do ________so well? That takes humility. Did any of you ask a trusted one to name an area you need to improve on? That takes humility! Nehemiah needed help and so do you! Ask someone today, be authentic and transparent, then do the work! When you feel discouraged, look down the road and you will see the rest of us working on the same things!
ReplyDeleteDay 31: Nehemiah finished the wall in 52 days - and then said.. See ya later, good luck, Its been fun, but Im headed back to Susa. No!!!! He new that the city was not the only thing that needed restoration. This narrative is not just about rebuilding a wall, but rebuilding a people of God. He set up the leaders, and their duties, he established gate rules of opening and closure; he performed a census, and set up a treasury. The actual rebuilding of the wall was actually the easier of the two. He knew that this people needed order and to be seen as a nation under God once again. So too us, as we rebuild areas of our life, we cant assume that 52 days is going to FIX it; it might take some organization following the repairs to firmly establish this area of our life.
ReplyDeleteDay 32: And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people ...and when he opened it, all the people stood up. They said Amen, Amen! while lifting their hands, then they lowered their faces to the ground and worshipped the Lord. (8:5-6) The Word of God should bring a response! It is a sharp, two-edged sword, cutting going and coming. It is truth! When was the last time you stood to your feet at the hearing of His Word? When was the last time you shouted an AMEN ?(from Hebrew Aman, faithfulness, comes from the root word, emunah, meaning to faith it) When was the last time the hearing of the Word of God brought you to your knees in worship? Our ears have become dull in the USA, like children raised in a candy shop no longer wanting sweets. I challenge you this day, to read allowed Neh 9:5-38, then shout an Amen, I believe it - I faith it, and drop to your knees in reverent worship of your God!
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