Don't lose heart
I appreciated Pastor Pernell's message on Sunday, from the book of Nehemiah. I’ve created my own little summary here. If you have a vision from God, (and I don't mean hearing voices and seeing ghosts- I mean an idea worth pursuing), then be sure the following 3 things, (from Nehemiah 4), will keep you from being discouraged:
Prayer "Hear us, O our God…" Let the Lord have His way, in your life and in the life of those who would disagree.
Providence "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome..." God is always faithful. If the vision is truly from Him, He will provide a way. Oftentimes, He will use those who disagree, to incline our hearts to recall that His glory is the ultimate goal.
Planning "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armour…" Nehemiah had everyone up on the wall and then realized they needed protection. Sometimes the plan has to change, but the vision remains.
And I went on to consider the following:
There will always be detractors; those who don’t come on board with what you truly believe is from God. I wouldn’t dismiss them entirely- they deserve a hearing because, if they are your church members, then they have something to say. And sometimes, their dissension can mean changes in the plan or reshaping of the vision, but one does not have to abandon the whole idea.
Nehemiah is such a great template for a leader. His humility displayed before his boss- the King, no less- shows me where his true strength rested. He knew His God and waited before Him, for his marching orders. March he did, all the way from Susa to Jerusalem, (800 miles=1200kms), through dangerous territory, at that! Be encouraged…if God is for us, who can be against us?
Providence "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome..." God is always faithful. If the vision is truly from Him, He will provide a way. Oftentimes, He will use those who disagree, to incline our hearts to recall that His glory is the ultimate goal.
Planning "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armour…" Nehemiah had everyone up on the wall and then realized they needed protection. Sometimes the plan has to change, but the vision remains.
And I went on to consider the following:
There will always be detractors; those who don’t come on board with what you truly believe is from God. I wouldn’t dismiss them entirely- they deserve a hearing because, if they are your church members, then they have something to say. And sometimes, their dissension can mean changes in the plan or reshaping of the vision, but one does not have to abandon the whole idea.
Nehemiah is such a great template for a leader. His humility displayed before his boss- the King, no less- shows me where his true strength rested. He knew His God and waited before Him, for his marching orders. March he did, all the way from Susa to Jerusalem, (800 miles=1200kms), through dangerous territory, at that! Be encouraged…if God is for us, who can be against us?
I can’t wait for the rest of this series on Nehemiah. I hadn’t realized that I, too, needed God’s encouragement from these humble servants.
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