Read Nehemiah 6-The work on the wall is completed.
INSIGHT
Nehemiah resists the efforts of the adversaries to discourage him or distract him from working on the wall. He is convinced that he is doing the right thing, and he steadfastly resists the interference. The Old Testament often has a literal illustration of a spiritual truth that is explained in the New Testament. In Ephesians 6:11, we read that we are to "put on the whole armor of God": the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Once these are in place, we "resist"—"stand firm!" It is also a testament to pushing through and completing what we have been sent to do. So many times we lose heart and stop what we were sent to do when God's deliverance is right around the corner.
PRAYER
Praise God for victory in spiritual warfare as we use His armor:
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods. . . .
O come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand
(Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving.
As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me,
and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:- Greater faithfulness with your time
- The president and world affairs
- Your activities for the day
- Whatever else is on your heart
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore (Psalm 121:7-8).
Read-Nehemiah 5 Nehemiah stops the internal mistreatment among the Jews by force of example.
INSIGHT
The prospects for some of the returned exiles are bleak. There are deficient rains and poor harvests. As a result, the farmers mortgage their lands to their wealthier brethren and, in extreme cases, sell their children into slavery to pay the king´s taxes. The rich Jews, rather than helping out, are capitalizing on the situation to line their own pockets. This is inexcusable! Few things bring on more reproach to the cause of the Lord than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of those who claim to follow Him. Unselfish dedication to the common welfare of others in Christ is our spiritual obligation.
PRAYER
Because the Lord loves each of us equally and accepts our welfare as His obligation, we praise Him:
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting (Psalm 93:1-2).
He is your praise, and He is your God,
who has done for you these great and awesome things
which your eyes have seen (Deuteronomy 10:21).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed
(Isaiah 53:5).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:- Greater love for fellow Christians
- Missions in Europe and Asia
- Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:21-22).
Read Nehemiah 4-The work on the city wall is ridiculed by those opposing it.
INSIGHT
It is difficult to do any work when we are strongly opposed. We begin to doubt the validity of the task or our ability to perform it. When we are assailed for doing God´s work, we must evaluate the source of opposition. We cannot assume opposition means that God is against us. While it is of little value to blame the devil for everything that goes wrong, the Bible makes it clear that spiritual opposition is a reality in the work of God. If we suspect spiritual opposition, we must oppose the enemy, remain at the task at hand, and redouble our prayers!
PRAYER
Praise God that He has given us instruction for life in the Bible and through the Holy Spirit:
"My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation"
(1 Samuel 2:1).
Pause for additional praise and thanksgiving.
Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. . . God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
(1Thessalonians 4:1-2, 7-8)
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.
Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God. . . .
He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
For by strength no man shall prevail"
(1 Samuel 2:2, 9).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:- Diligence in our work in spite of obstacles
- Wisdom in making decisions
- Your activities for the day
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The ble ssings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills
(Genesis 49:25-26).
