Tag Archives: Nehemiah

August 10, 2026 · 5:54 AM

Living Out Your Purpose

I was talking to a group recent,y about living out their purpose in everyday life. One of the first things we have to do to find our purpose is to see what burden God has given us. Our burden is found in what breaks our heart and the heart of God. It can be an injustice, a situation, crisis, etc. The next thing we need to do is to look at the every day gifts we’ve been given in Romans 12:6-13. How has God equipped you for that burden? Finally we need to look at is the opportunity that’s right in front of us. How can we affect it with the people around us or help the people affected by it? Living out God’s purpose in our life is almost always birthed where these intersect.

Nehemiah was living in captivity in Babylon. Some people had returned from visiting Jerusalem and he asked them how were things going over there. When they told him things were not going well and the walls were torn down, Nehemiah wept for days. He developed a burden for the people there and began praying for them. Chapter two tells us he was a cupbearer for the king of Babylon. In this job he developed leadership skills, diplomacy and logistics. All these competency gifts helped him with his purpose. When the king asked what was wrong, Nehemiah was able to share the burden. The king supplied him with resources and necessary protection to build the wall. He was also able to get the people of Jerusalem to catch the vision and work with him to complete the project.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT). Each of us have our own burden that God has put in us in order to accomplish the good things He has planned for us. There are also gifts and skills we have been given naturally by Him that we must learn to operate and develop. Next, we need to look around us. What opportunities exist around where God has us right now? God doesn’t always start us with something huge. Instead He asks us to be faithful in the small things right where we are. As we’re faithful and we develop our gifts, our opportunities change as well as our gifts and burdens. You are God’s masterpiece, perfectly situated who is equipped and situated to live out your purpose right where you are.

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June 17, 2026 · 5:45 AM

Meaningful Work

I’ve worked at enough jobs to know when I’m being handed busy work. I absolutely hate busy work with a passion. When there’s not enough real work to go around, they put you on fake projects that they will never use. It takes time, effort and energy to put something together that was never intended to be implemented. On the other hand, I love when my work is meaningful. I’ve worked for free at places when I knew the things I was working on were going to make a difference in the lives of others. It’s easy to have enthusiasm, to give it your all and to make it better when it’s meaningful.

Nehemiah was living in Babylon with the other Jews who had been exiled there. His job was to be a cupbearer to the king until he heard from those who had been to Jerusalem that its walls were still broken down. In that moment, he got clarity on what he needed to do. He went back to Jerusalem and rallied the people to rebuild the walls. When people tried to intimidate him to stop, he dug in and kept going. It wasn’t just a construction project to him. It was restoring their identity, creating a safe place for families to worship God and renewing their dignity. It looked like a construction project to others, but he was working for the Lord. He remained steadfast and persevered until the wall was built in record time.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (NLT). Everything you do for the Lord is meaningful work. Whether it’s construction, teaching, cleaning or whatever. God calls us to impact people where he plants us. He doesn’t give us busy work. Are you being strong, immovable and enthusiastic in that work? Are you doing it for His glory? When we reframe what we do as kingdom work, it gives it purpose. I go in looking for divine connections, life changing conversations and for relationships that need to be built. God will use anyone at anytime in any place when we do our work for Him.

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August 20, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Spiritual Grit

Since I was a kid I have loved the story of David Wilkerson. He was a young pastor that God called to the gangs of New York City. They continuously rejected him and his message. He knew if he could convert the gang leader, Nicky Cruz, the rest would follow. At one point Nicky pulled out a switchblade knife and threatened to kill David and chop him up. Instead of backing down, David told him that every drop of blood would cry out that Jesus loved him. David’s spiritual grit kept doing what God called him to no matter what. Eventually Nicky gave his heart to the Lord and so did several gang members.

Nehemiah was another person who had spiritual grit. He was living in captivity and got a burden to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He returned and started rebuilding them with the Jews who remained in the land. In chapter 4 their enemies were upset that they were rebuilding and threatened to attack. Instead of backing down, Nehemiah had the people build with one hand and carry a sword in the other. In verse 17 he encouraged the workers by saying, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (NLT) They completed the work in record time.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” God didn’t promise that you wouldn’t have trouble or opposition. Instead He told us to buckle down and keep going despite it. The easy thing is to hide until hard times pass, but if we want to see God’s will and plan for our life come to fruition, we must pick up our sword in one hand and continue working with the other. We need to have spiritual grit to receive all God has promised to us. We need the kind that continues doing Gods will even in the hard times and endures whatever comes our way.

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August 19, 2024 · 5:42 AM

Breaking Habituation

Not long after i moved to Egypt, someone gave me the best advice. They told me to take as many pictures of things that surprised me because in a few weeks, I would grow accustomed to them. I didn’t believe them honestly, but I followed their advice. I took pictures of boats sailing on the Nile, bedouins bring their goats into the neighborhood to eat our grass and more. In psychology, habituation is the term used to describe that situation. It’s where we grow accustomed to our surroundings or situations to the point it no longer bothers us. Examples are when you see someone up north walking around in shorts in cold weather, someone tuning out noisy neighbors or even a hoarder getting used to their living conditions. After a while, the brain stops responding to the surroundings that we’re once shocking, creating a new normal.

You can see it in the book of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah asked his brother how things were going for those who returned to Jerusalem, he was told that the city walls remained broken down and that the gates were burned. Nehemiah wept for those living there and was then sent by the king to make repairs. When he arrived, he didn’t tell anyone what was on his heart. He again was moved by their situation. I’m sure he was shocked that it didn’t bother them. They had rebuilt the Temple and then began to get into the habit of living without protection. In those times it was disgraceful to live in a city without walls. I’m sure it bothered them at first, but they lacked the energy to rebuild them after they rebuilt the Temple. They became habituated to their living conditions until Nehemiah showed up and changed their perspective.

Nehemiah 2:17 says, “But now I said to them, ‘See what trouble we are in because Jerusalem is in ruins and its gates are destroyed! Let’s rebuild the city walls and put an end to our disgrace’” (GNT). In that moment their eyes were opened to their condition. They rallied around Nehemiah’s vision and rebuilt the walls. Their condition is no less different than the one many of us are living in. We’ve grown accustomed to sin in our life, the culture around us or the condition of our heart. God wants to open our eyes and reenergize us to repairing the breeches we’ve grown accustomed to. He wants to break the effects of habituation that have stagnated our growth and relationship with Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your walls are broken down and to reignite your love for the Lord. God is ready to take you into a new season, but you have to be ready to break out of the habituation of the one you’re in.

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July 12, 2023 · 5:51 AM

Doing Something Great

I grew up seeing Billy Graham crusades on TV. I read and heard about ministers like D. L. Moody, Charles Finley and A. W. Tozer. I was impressed by their ministries and the impact they had made. The number of souls they had won combined is staggering. Years later, I went to see Reinhard Bonnke preach. Afterwards people flooded the altars wanting to be saved. Seeing them and reading about them put a desire in me to do something great for God. I began consuming the Bible and learning as much as I could about it and God. I’ve studied the great revivals in history. It’s incredible to think how culture changed completely and how periods of time, like the Renaissance, were products of people doing something great. What I’ve also learned is that before any of us can do something great for God is that first we must allow Him to do something great in us.

I love the story of Nehemiah. Israel had been conquered and taken to a foreign land where they had lived in captivity for decades. The new king had allowed them to return to their land, but only a few did. When a few had returned to the capital Susa in Persia, Nehemiah asked how things were going in Jerusalem. They replied, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire” (NLT). At this moment, God did something great in Nehemiah. He broke down and wept for days at the condition of his homeland. God birthed in him a burden to restore the walls of Jerusalem. His job was no longer satisfying and all he could think about was returning and restoration. Because God did something great in him, he was able to accomplish something great for God.

I love the prayer David prayed in Psalm 51. Though it was birthed out of repentance for sin, the words have the ability to birth something great in us. In verse 10 he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” I believe a prayer like that gives God permission to change our heart, our spirit and our life. It gives God permission to give us His burden. The men I read about and studied all had moments in their lives where they surrendered everything to God and picked up His desires. What we see and read about are the effects of what God did inside of them first. Every great move of God has begun with people who have allowed God to first do something great in them. If you want to do something great for God too, surrender your will to His first and then give Him permission to do something great in you.

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January 11, 2023 · 6:00 AM

Using Your Shield

When you watch a film or read about ancient battles, people usually had two things with them, a sword and a shield. Hand to hand combat was the norm. With one hand they attacked in order to advance, with the other they defended from the bows of their enemy. Shields came in all sizes too. One of the things I think is important to note is that when a shield got struck, the person carrying it felt the weight of the blow. They save your life and protect you from most or all of the damage, but not the pressure. As you hold that shield, you have to exert pressure back toward your opponent so that you’re not overcome.

In the book of Nehemiah, a small group of Jews were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem to create a shield from their enemies. While building the wall, their enemies tried to persuade them to quit building it. When that failed, they tried intimidation. In chapter 4, the Bible says that Nehemiah had half of the people continue their work on the wall and the other half stand ready for battle protecting the work. They carried swords and shields. The situation was tense. Everyone felt the pressure, but they continued to work. Their enemies saw the swords and shields and chose not to attack. They knew their plans would be thwarted.

Psalm 84:11 says, “The Lord God is a sword and shield” (AMP). Later, Psalm 119:114 says, “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope” (NLT). You and I are constantly entrenched in battles because our enemy wants to stop our progress. He tries to intimidate us into stopping, but the Lord is our shield. You’re going to feel pressure in the battle. You’re going to grow tired as well, but stay in God’s Word during those times. As this verse says, the Bible is a source of hope for us when all seems lost. God is fighting for you and protecting you as you continue to do what He called you to. Don’t let the pressure get to you. Find someone who will stand on the wall with you in prayer holding their sword and shield. It won’t be easy to complete, but with God as your shield you can continue.

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November 15, 2022 · 5:55 AM

Guarding Against Deception

In 2021 a series of videos were released on Tik Tok of Tom Cruise that went viral. He flashed his classic smile, walked around and talked with the camera that was recording him. Everything looked like him and sounded like him, but the things he was saying didn’t seem like things he would say. Even though that part felt off, people shared the videos with others believing it was him saying and doing those things. The image, the walk and the voice were all computer generated by artificial intelligence showing how technology can recreate anyone saying and doing things that your brain will believe. It’s called Deep Fake technology and can fool just about anyone. The people it didn’t fool were those who knew Tom Cruise wouldn’t say those things.

In the book of Nehemiah we read about the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. The Jews were happy to get their security back, but people in the area were against the project. They did whatever they could to thwart the completion of the wall and intimidate the Jews. In chapter 6, one of the prominent workers was visited by Nehemiah in his home. He told Nehemiah that there was a plot to kill him that night and that he should hide out in the Temple. Nehemiah almost fell for it, but he realized that God had not spoken to this man. Nehemiah wasn’t a priest and it would have been a sin for him to go where they were sending him. He would have been tricked and discredited as a leader had he not known what the Law said. Shortly after refusing to go, the wall was finished.

2 Timothy was Paul’s last letter written in the Bible. In chapter 3, he was warning Timothy and us about deception in the last days. He said that evil people will deceive many. Then in verse 14 he said, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you” (NLT). We must know and trust what we have been taught from the Bible. Today’s world is trying to deceive us into thinking that God’s Word is incorrect, out of date or that it means something other than what we’ve been taught. We must remain faithful to what we have been taught though. Unless we know the truth of God’s Word and hide it in our heart, we will fall for the deceptions that will try to cause us to sin. God’s Word doesn’t change. We must stand on it, believe it and be unmovable no matter how convincing others may be.

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August 23, 2022 · 5:44 AM

Accepting God’s Burden

After speaking to a group, a young lady came up to speak to me. She asked, “How do I know what God’s burden is in my life?” It’s a great question that many of us want to know. I asked her if there was an injustice in the world or problem that she saw that breaks her heart or causes her to lose sleep. If there’s a burning desire to remedy it, that’s usually God laying His burden on our heart. It could be an un reached people group that needs the Gospel or the hungry needing food. When we start losing sleep over it and being consumed with it, that’s God wanting to use you in that area to make a difference.

Nehemiah was a man who was minding his own business and doing his job when God gave him a burden. In Nehemiah 1:3-4 he wrote, “They said to me, ‘Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.’ When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven” (NLT). He didn’t ignore that desire. He went to Jerusalem and rebuilt its walls so that those who lived there would have protection. It wasn’t easy, and he faced opposition, but he kept at it until it was done.

In Matthew 11:30, Jesus said, “For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light” (AMP ). God’s burdens are different from the ones we put on ourselves. The ones we place on ourselves look inward, but God’s look outward to help others. For some, they come suddenly like Nehemiah. For others, you may have been carrying it for years. God’s desire is to partner with each of us to do His work in this world, to make a difference in the lives of someone. What has God been showing you that needs to be repaired or corrected. It may be large or small, but either way, it needs you. I don’t know that you’ll feel qualified or ready to do it, but don’t let that stop you. Accept His burden and get started making a difference.

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October 6, 2021 · 5:50 AM

Restoring Your Walls

One of the coolest things to see is a city like Jerusalem that still has walls around it. They’re high, thick and wrap completely around the city. You can imagine how formidable the city must have been thousands of years ago to an invading army. Cities had to have walls back then to protect themselves from enemies and nomadic warriors who went around stealing food. The size and strength of the walls were a measurement of their ability to withstand attacks. There are places in the wall around Jerusalem where you can see evidence of attacks on the city and how the wall protected its people.

If you go back a few hundred years before Jesus was born, Israel had been in captivity for about 70 years in Babylon. Cyrus became king of Persia and had it in his heart to rebuild Jerusalem. He sent many Jews back, led by Ezra, to begin the process. After about twenty years, one came back to visit family in Babylon. His brother, Nehemiah asked how it was going. When he told him that the rebuild wasn’t going well, Nehemiah wept, and God put it in his heart to return and rebuild the walls. After he arrived, he went out at night to assess the situation. He called the leaders together. In Nehemiah 2:17 he said, “You see the bad situation that we are in—how Jerusalem is desolate and lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, and let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace” (AMP).

As Christians, we have an enemy that seeks to steal, kill and destroy what’s important to us. How are the walls in your life that are to protect you from his attacks? Are they in shambles making you vulnerable? It’s time to rebuild them so you can be a strong Christian who is a refuge for others as well. You build them through reading the Word of God that increases your faith as a shield. Remember that Jesus used the Word of God as a wall of defense against Satan when He was tempted. You also need to partner with other believers who will sharpen you. Work together, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring healing and restoration in your life in the broken down areas. You will still be attacked, but you will be fortified against it.

Take an assessment of where your walls are broken down, seek God’s help in rebuilding them and begin the work of restoration.

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October 29, 2019 · 5:49 AM

Renewing Your Focus

One of the traps that I fall into is thinking that if I’m doing what God asked me to, I won’t find resistance from others. I mean if I’m doing God’s will, others, especially Christians should be on board, right? Not necessarily. The things that God calls us to do are often for us alone to do. Other people won’t necessarily see or run with the vision God has given you, and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you didn’t hear God, or that they’re not. The enemy doesn’t want you to be productive for the Kingdom, nor does he want you to complete the work God has given you to do. He will use whoever and whatever he can to slow you down, discourage you and wear you down so that you lose your zeal, doubt your calling and give up.

Even though God had burdened Nehemiah with rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and other people had caught on to that vision, it didn’t mean it was going to be easy. The people were joyful and started off strong, but then resistance came. People began to hurl insults at them to keep them from their work. Day in and day out they were verbally attacked. The verbal attacks turned into threats and plots against them to stop the work. They took their eyes off the goal and began to look at the enormity of the project, the size of the mess and lost their joy realizing it wasn’t in their strength to complete it. Nehemiah 4:10 says, “The people of Judah had a song they sang: ‘We grow weak carrying burdens; There’s so much rubble to take away. How can we build the wall today?’” (GNT) They became weary and discouraged like we do.

Galatians 6:9 says, “So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” If you’re getting discouraged because of the grind or the attacks from others in doing what God has called you to, pick your head up and look to the One who called you to it. Keep your focus on the end goal and not on the size of today’s problems. God will strengthen you and give you wisdom in how to handle today’s issues of you ask Him to. Pray for people who will run along side of you, who will catch the vision and who will share the load. Remember how big your God is. He is able to make a way where there seems to be no way. Keep pressing forward with the end in mind and you will reap a harvest for the work you’re doing.

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