ARE YOU ON THE FAITHWALK?

Those who are on the Faithwalk understand these things:

• All of us have sinned in the sight of God.  Some sin a little & some sin a lot, but all of us have sinned.
• The Bible says that sin separates us from God, even the little sins.
• Because we are separated from God, we cannot enter His presence in Heaven without first dealing with our sin problem.
• None of us can deal with our sins ourselves.
• Our good deeds cannot erase our sins.
• Our religious involvement (going to church, being nice to people, helping the poor, being baptized or joining the church, etc.) cannot erase our sins.
• We're stuck with our sins and forever separated from God, if it's up to us to erase our sins.
• But God has already solved our problem.
• God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16)
• Yes, Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood as payment for my sin and your sin.
• But it's not automatic.  It's like receiving a gift - it's not yours until you accept it.

Here's what you need to pray to God in order to accept His gift of salvation:

1. Tell God that you know you have sinned and that your sins have separated you from Him.
2. Tell God that you believe that Jesus died upon the cross and shed His blood as payment for your sins.
3. Tell God that you accept His gift of salvation and that you want Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Savior.

God promises that all who receive Him (Jesus) will be God's children forever!

THE GOOD HAND OF MY GOD

Nehemiah often uses the following phrase in his journal (the book of Nehemiah)

"according to the good hand of my God upon me" Nehemiah 2:8

At first glance, it may not seem like it fits with a flat tire, but it's exactly the way I feel about the flat tire I had this morning on the way to work.

I have about a seven mile drive to work, and about three miles from home this morning I heard a loud pop, like a gunshot. I figured that I had run over something, and hoped that it had not damaged any of my tires, but alas, a few seconds later I realized that I had a problem. My left front tire was going flat. I pulled over to the side of the road, pulled out my car manual to find out how to release the spare tire from under the back of the Caravan, and then changed the tire. Twenty minutes later, I was on my way to work again.

I believe very strongly that there are no accidents in the Christian's life. Everything that happens to us, must first pass God's approval and permission. It doesn't mean bad things won't happen, but that God is in control.

The good hand of God was upon me in several ways this morning:

1. I was driving through a small town, so I was only travelling 35 MPH
2. The street where the flat happened has area for on-street parking on both sides of the street, so there was plenty of space to pull over
3. There was very little traffic while I was changing the tire
4. There was air in the spare (this is no small blessing)
5. The temperature this morning was much milder than it has been the past several days

So, you see, the good hand of my God was certainly upon me!

God's hand has been upon Cheryl and me numerous times, in regard to car troubles.











A couple of years ago, the belt on our air conditioner compressor broke. God arranged it so that it happened right in front of a Goodyear garage. The mechanic did a temporary fix, so that we could get home, and we had it fixed that next week.

Once, on the way back from visiting our son and his family in Virginia our transmission went out. The van refused to go another inch. We started walking down the highway the way we had come, thinking we had seen a service station back at the last exit. God provided a kindly gentleman in a pick-up truck, who told us we were going the wrong way, unless we wanted to take a really long walk. He then took us to a service station up the highway a couple of miles. God knew that we didn't know which way to walk and provided someone to help us in our time of need.











Another time, we had car trouble on a highway, and it happened just before an off ramp (downhill) so we coasted to an empty parking lot out of traffic. God prepared the time and the place for the trouble to come.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Matthew 10:29

Notice that it does not say the sparrows will not fall, but that God knows and God is in control.

As the poem goes, nobody promised you a rose garden. And God has not promised a life without problems and trouble. However, He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He is in control. That's why He says, "In everything give thanks."

LEADERSHIP SUCCESS

O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Nehemiah1:11

There is no doubt that Nehemiah was a very successful leader. From gaining the king's permission and funding to completion of the wall project, Nehemiah demonstrated superior leadership skills.

I believe that the success of Nehemiah’s leadership was a result of three things:

1. His thorough knowledge of God’s Word


2. His deep trust in God’s character


3. His steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness and grace
   

Knowledge of God’s Word

It is evident that he was thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures, because he understand why they were in captivity and he was familiar with God’s promise to restore them to the land after 70 years.

Trust in God’s character

Nehemiah knew the character of God, and that is where he put his trust. It is evident from His prayer that He believed God would do what He said He would do.

Reliance upon God’s faithfulness and grace

He repeatedly acknowledged God’s hand upon the project, from beginning to end. He knew that, in himself, there was no solution to Jerusalem's situation. It had to be God!

Biblical leadership is not the leadership of a man figuring out the best way to solve a problem or accomplish a project. Biblical leadership is Walking with God, living and leading in dependance upon His faithfulness, wisdom and provision.

FAITH ISN'T FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS

Nehemiah faced a monumental task. God had very clearly opened the door of opportunity and now had to walk through that door to the other side.





This isn't a fence around someone's yard. We're talking about rebuilding a wall around an entire city.




It's going to take a lot of money and a lot of materials. It's not like Nehemiah can just go down to the local Home Depot, order his materials and ask them to deliver them in Jerusalem.

When you face a large opportunity, as Nehemiah did, you need a Plan.


"Who would start to build a tower without first sitting down to determine what he needed, so he wouldn't build part way and not be able to finish?" Lk 14:28ff

We soon find out that while Nehemiah had been PRAYING (for four months), he had also been PLANNING.


He Knew what he wanted to accomplish (He had a VISION of what the project would look like).He knew exactly what he needed to do the job (He had a PLAN to accomplish the project).

When the king asked him what he needed, it is obvious from Nehemiah's answer that his request was well thought-out. Here's the list that Nehemiah gave to the king:

• He needed a certain length of time
• He needed an escort for safe passageway
• He needed legal documents of permission to pass through the territories on the way to Jerusalem
• He needed access to the king's forests for lumber
• He needed supplies for himself & his party for the trip and their stay in Jerusalem

Nehemiah's requisitions were already filled out in triplicate and he was just waiting for God's timing to present them to the king.

It amazes me how many churches do not plan for ministry. It's almost as if planning is unspiritual! But the scripture is clear that God is a God of order and He expects us to plan.

My background is Christian School ministry and I have seen many Christian Schools started on a dime, with the expectation that God will bless their unplanned efforts. Then they wonder why the school struggles along year after year, the teacher turnover is high, and they are always in the middle of some type of fund-raising effort.

The result is an educational program that is totally inadequate and teachers having to support the school by taking totally inadequate salaries, even by "ministry" standards.

This just isn't God's way!



I think that some pastors feel that planning is running ahead of God. But it isn't. It is being prepared for the moment God opens the door.




Don't get trapped into "stepping out by faith" without adequate planning and resources. You will need plenty of faith and trust in God, even when the venture is well planned and the resources are all in place. But jumping ahead of God by neglecting the planning stage of ministry is tempting God, and often brings disgrace to His name.

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER IN NEHEMIAH 1:5-11

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #1

He prayed to God on the basis of who God is

And I said: I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments

(Nehemiah 1:5)

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Mt. 19:26)

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #2

He acknowledged his sin and the sin of his people.

Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. (Nehemiah 1:6)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)

If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18)

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #3

He acknowledged that in themselves, they did not deserve God’s help. They had utterly failed

We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. (Nehemiah 1:7)

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #4

He claimed the promises of God’s Word

Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name. (Nehemiah 1:8-9)

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #5

He appealed to God on the basis of Israel’s relationship with God. They were His redeemed people

Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. (Neemiah 1:10)

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16)

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (I Corinthians 8:19-20)

PRAYER PRINCIPLE #6

Nehemiah placed his confidence entirely upon God for the solution to this situation. He trusted in God’s mercy

O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer. (Nehemiah 5:11)

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. Nehemiah knew that God was his only resource for success. (II Cor. 3:5 )

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

FAITH EXPECTS

O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer. (Nehemiah 1:11)

Nehemiah was expecting God to do something!

We know this, because we read that he reminded God of His promise to bring the people of Israel back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah claimed this promise and asked God to work in the King's heart to allow him to go to Jerusalem and lead the re-building of that great city. He wasn't asking God to enable him to go to Jerusalem simply because he had a desire in his heart to do it. No, he asked God to turn the king's heart because he knew that God had promised to send the Jews back and re-establish them in the land.

And he Expected God to do what He had promised to do!

In Mark 6:1-6, we read :
Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Why couldn't Jesus do mighty works in Nazareth? It was because of their Unbelief, their lack of Faith. They didn't believe anything would happen, and that attitude prevented Jesus from helping those in need.

The lesson for us is that when we don't have Faith that Expects, we limit what God can do!

Nehemiah recognized his own limitations. He knew that only God can change a man's heart, especially a King's heart, so he prayed and left it in God's hands.

Too often, instead of expecting God to work in our situation,we try to work things out ourselves by manipulating people & circumstances. We run ahead of God, we scheme to get things to work our way and we end up getting in God's way.

What if, instead of getting the King's permission and assistance, Nehemiah had devised his own scheme to go to Jerusalem & organize the people to rebuild the walls? If he had gone on his own, he would have had a very difficult time being able to trust God in other things, such as the opposition and discouragement that came up when Tobiah was trying to stop the rebuilding.

By trusting God to prepare the way, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem with the permission, funding, & protection of the king.

When we run ahead of God, we stand naked & defenseless before our enemies, without the armour & protection of God.

Faith that is Genuine is Faith that Expects. It expects God to be God, in His full power and glory.

GOD IS IN CHARGE

And it pleased the king to send me (Nehemiah 2:6)

Why would Artaxerxes want to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem? There would be no advantage to the king. In fact, if he thought about it, there were a lot of disadvantages to Nehemiah's proposal

• The king would be losing one of his most trusted servants
• Nehemiah would be fortifying a city that had repeatedly rebelled
• It would cost a lot of money to do the job

The reason the king agreed to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls is found in Proverbs 21:1 "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will"

Over the centuries, God has used many kings to accomplish His purposes

• King of Egypt - provided for the Hebrews during the seven-year famine
• King of Assyria - conquered and scattered Israel
• King of Babylon - carried Judah captivity
• King of Persia - sent a remnant of the Jews back to Palestine to rebuild the Temple
• Caesar Augustus - call for a census to tax the whole world, sending Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem

We serve the same God that Nehemiah, Moses, Jeremiah, Esther and Daniel served. And just as God was able to turn the hearts of kings to accomplish His will in their days, He is still able to turn the hearts of bosses, judges, presidents, dictators, and kings today. God is not limited by the strong will, ungodliness or rebellion of those in authority. When it comes time for God to use them, He very easily turns their hearts, and they do His will, like it or not.

OPEN DOORS

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore, the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid. Nehemiah 2:1-2

As we read these verses, we are watching God open a door, a door that Nehemiah could never open himself. Nehemiah had prayed for an open door, "grant me mercy in the sight of this man." Now the door was opening wide, wider than anyone could have imagined.

Paul mentions open doors several times in his writings:

• "a great and effective door has opened to me" I Corinthians 16:9
• "a door was opened to me by the Lord" II Corinthians 12:2
• pray for us, "that God would open to us a door for the Word" Colossians 4:3

What is an open door? It could be many things:

• An opportunity
• A prepared heart
• A question asked

An open door is simply God's preparation.
What causes the door to open? God does!

• It isn't by accident or by chance
• It isn't coincidence
• Open doors are God's providence at work

Later, we see that Nehemiah had done a lot of preparation for this moment of the open door. But all of the preparation in the world will not open a door. That's God's business.

Nehemiah's preparation was not for the purpose of opening the door. It was for the purpose of being ready when God opened the door.

When God did open the door to the king's heart, Nehemiah was ready spiritually and strategically to do the work God was calling him to do. He wasn't asleep at the wheel. He was terrified, but he was ready.

God's job is to open the door! Our job is to be ready.

IN GOD'S TIME

O Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name; and let your servant prosper this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. (Nehemiah 1:11)

Waiting upon God is one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian life. This is especially true if we are a "get it done" type of person. Sometimes it takes getting knocked around a few times, to help us realize that it is far better to wait on God's timing than to rush right in and mess up what God had intended to do for us.

Nehemiah prayed for four months (earnest prayers, not just "God, bless the people in Jerusalem" type of prayer) asking God to open an opportunity to speak to the king, and to have the king's heart prepared.

The Bible says, "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord."

In case you haven't noticed, God is not in a hurry.

Praying and waiting go hand in hand:

• Joseph had to wait in prison
• Moses waited 40 years in Midian
• Israel had to wait through the 10 plagues before God took them out of Egypt

Here is a good definition of patience: "trusting God with our situation while we wait for his timing" Rest in the Lord, and wait patietly for Him. (Psalm 37:7)

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

O Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name; and let your servant prosper this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

One of the significant hallmarks of a mature believer, is the realization that we cannot bring about our own success. True success, and especially spiritual success, comes from God. There are lots of verses that talk about this, many of them connecting success to habits or practices that need to be part of our life in order for us to be successful.

One of the most familiar verses on this topic is Joshua 1:8. God is telling Joshua what he needs to do to be able to lead the people of Israel effectively. God says:

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

So, for one thing, success is directly linked to the time and effort we spend learning and applying the Word of God in our lives. When we read in this first chapter of Nehemiah, how well Nehemiah knew the promises of God's Word, we know that he had been a student of the Scriptures. Knowing God's Word enabled him to pray with confidence that what he was asking was in accord with the Word. Actually, in his prayer, Nehemiah was reminding God of the promises that He had made, and asking Him to fulfill those promises.

If you want success, start with spending time in the Word.

BY GOD'S GREAT POWER

Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand. (Nehemiah 1:11)

The book of Exodus tells us the story of God liberating the people of Israel from 400 years of bondage by bringing a series of plagues and judgments upon the nation of Egypt. It was a very dramatic rescue, as God brought Pharaoh and his nation to their knees.

Now, hundreds of years later, Israel was once again in bondage, this time to the nation of Persia (and before that, Babylon). God again brought them out of bondage, but this time in a more subtle way.

This time, God simply stirred up the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, to cause him to issue a decree that all the Jews who so desired should return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the Temple and the city. No fireworks, no plagues, no judgments, just the Spirit of God moving this man to send the Jews home.

Sometimes we are quick to give God credit for doing the miraculous when something happens in a dramatic way, but we have a tendency to think that it was just happenstance or good luck when he uses a still small voice to accomplish his purposes.

Pharaoh yielded to God's will as a result of traumatic circumstances. Cyrus yielded to God's will as a result of a still small voice. Let's not forget that it was God at work both times and each was just as miraculous as the other.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

. . prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11b)

Have you ever noticed how God has a habit of placing people in the right place at the right time?

Mordecai said to his niece, Esther, Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the King's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Think of the people whom God has place in the right place at the right time

• Joseph in Pharaoh's prison


• Moses in the river


• David, taking food to his brothers on the battlefield


• Philip on the road where the Ethiopian eunuch would pass by

Perhaps you, too, are in the right place at the right time, for what God wants to do in a particular situation or a particular person's life.

Live in expectation of what God may want to do through you!

GOD'S PURPOSE FOR CHASTISEMENT

In the days of Nehemiah, the Jews were suffering the consequences of God's chastisement. Leviticus 26:14-45 explains why God brought this chastisement upon the nation of Israel.

Key phrases in this passage are:

"If you do not obey me . . . I also will do this to you"

• I will set my face against you
• you shall be defeated by your enemies
• you shall flee when no one pursues you

But that's only half of the story. There is a rainbow in the last section of the passage.

"if they confess their iniquity . . . and accept their guilt"

• Then I will remember my covenant
• I will not cast them away

God punishes the wicked, but he chastens his children. There's a difference, and the difference is in the purpose and intent of what God is doing. The Bible says that the whole purpose of chastening is to bring us back to a right relationship with God. It is not to punish, but to restore.

Hebrews 12:11 says, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness . . "

When we find ourselves in the midst of God's chastening, there is a remedy:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

But, more than a remedy, it is a prevention. I John 1:9 will keep us from chastisement, before it is necessary for God to apply it. Keep short accounts with God.

RESTORATION

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. (Nehemiah 1:7-9)

Nehemiah acknowledged that, in themselves, they did not deserve God's help. As a nation, and as individuals, they had disobeyed God, they had followed their own way, and they had disregarded the Word of God.

Because of that, God had scattered them and placed them in captivity. God's Word is true and He is not mocked. If he says that there will be consequences for disobedience, then you can bet your life that the consequences will come. We reap what we sow and the nation of Israel had reaped the harvest of their many years of sin and disobedience. It was their own sin that had brought about the sorry state of affairs that existed in Jerusalem during Nehemiah's time.

But the story does not end with the consequences. Remember, Nehemiah is calling out to the God of mercy and grace. In verse 9 Nehemiah reminds God of his promise to restore them if they turned back to him. No matter how far they were from God, he would restore them.

That's grace!

We serve the same God that Nehemiah served, and he says to us today, "If you confess your sins, I will be faithful and just to forgive your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness."

No matter how far we may have strayed away from God, he stands ready to forgive us and restore us. He is still the God of mercy and grace!

WHO GOD IS

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments (Nehemiah 1:4-5)

When Nehemiah fell to his knees in prayer, he approached God on the basis of his relationship with Him and on the basis of who God is.

He addressed God as the One who keeps His covenant.

Many years before, God had told the people of Israel, "I will be your God and you will be my people." No other nation on earth enjoyed this type of relationship with the god of the universe. And because of this relationship, God listened to the plea of Nehemiah.

Today, when we approach God in prayer, it has to be on the basis of our relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. On our own merit, we have no basis upon which to expect anything at all from God. We deserve absolutely nothing! It is solely because we are children of God through Jesus that we can pray to God as our Father and ask Him to meet our needs.

Nehemiah also prayed to God on the basis of who God is.

God is a God of mercy.
Mercy is the lovingkindness of God. The demonstration of His grace.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. (Titus 3:5)

We come to God as sinners, without hope, and receive salvation through Jesus Christ, by grace. Then, as children of God, still undeserving, we approach God on the basis of His mercy and grace.

THE RIGHT FOUNDATION

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4)

When God touches our heart, what is our first response?

Our natural tendency is to jump right in and try to fix things. Take the bull by the horns and get something done.

We forget that the ball is still in God's court and we need to seek His face. We need to give Him time to direct our hearts and minds, to give us clear direction, and to prepare the path where He is leading us to walk.

As we continue reading the book of Nehemiah and see how God worked supernaturally on behalf of Nehemiah and the people of Israel, we must never forget that the foundation for all of it was laid on Nehemiah's knees.

BURNING BUSHES

It started out just an ordinary day for Moses (Ex 3:1-4), but by the end of day, his life would be changed forever! God attracted Moses' attention with the burning bush. "When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight, and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him."

Samuel was just a young boy. On one particular evening he went to bed just like every other night, but God's voice in the night changed his life forever. (I Sam 3:1-4)

David was just running an errand for his father. He never dreamed God wanted his attention that day. (I Sam 17:19-23 vs 2-10) But when he heard the shouting of Goliath, God had his attention.

Paul was busy with preaching & ministry (Acts 16:16-18) It was such a bother to have that demon-possessed girl following them around, but God was trying to get his attention regarding the needs of that girl .

Many years ago, evangelist Bill Rice and his wife found that their daughter was deaf. This drew their attention to the need for ministry to the deaf, and they began a deaf ministry.

David Wilkerson's attention was drawn to the needs of gang members in NYC thru newspaper articles about the trial of some gang members. If you've read “The Cross & the Switchblade” or have heard of Teen Challenge, you know that God got his attention.

God brings people, events, & circumstances into each of our lives . . .

• To attract our attention
• To pique our interest
• To arouse our curiosity

He does this because He has a work to be done

• Walls have been torn down
• Gates have been burned
• Men, women, boys & girls are hurting
• Many people have needs
• The fields are white unto harvest
• People all around us are lost

The world around us is full of people with needs

• spiritual needs
• physical needs
• social needs
• emotional needs

And God wants our attention!

GRABBING OUR ATTENTION

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4)

God had Nehemiah's attention!

Notice the progression:

1. Nehemiah dares to open his heart, just a crack, by inquiring about the needs of the Jews in Jerusalem.
2. God hits him smack in the face with the tragedy and hopelessness of the situation.
3. Nehemiah's heart is burdened and God had him right where He wanted him.

What drives people to do ministry?

• A burden
• A concern
• A caring

The burden God lays upon your heart will be different from the burden He places on my heart.

Your burden may be for teaching Christians how to walk with God . . .
While my burden may be about meeting the physical needs of the poor.

Your burden may be for those who are struggling with addictions . . .
While my burden may be to work with a deaf ministry.

Your burden may be for high school students . . .
While my burden may be for the elderly.

I know that the following verses are about spiritual gifts, but we can take a lesson from them, from the standpoint of not looking down on others who have a burden that is different from our burden. Sometimes we have a tendency to rank ministries and think that those who aren't involved in our particularly favorite ministry niche aren't quite as acceptable in God's eyes as we are.

I Corinthians 12:11-25
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Regardless of the focus, God uses the burdens of our hearts to lead us into ministry.

ASLAN IS BEGINNING TO MOVE

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. (Nehemiah 1:3)

The consequences of sin and disobedience are devastating. As the old song goes, "sin will take you farther than you want to go!"

From twelve brothers, God made their descendents into a great nation. He gave them a wonderful land to live in, and as long as they followed His precepts and worshipped Him alone, He gave them victory over every other nation around them. He blessed them with great wealth and prosperity.

Despite God's goodness to Israel, they cast all of this aside to follow after the false gods of the heathen nations around them. Finally, after hundreds of years of Israel's disobedience, God said, "Enough is enough!" He brought Assyria in to take the ten northern tribes into captivity, then brought Babylon to carry Judah into captivity.

Now, over 150 years after Cyrus told the Jews they could go home, the devastation is still there. Sin took them farther than they ever dreamed.

But despite the anguish and distress of the situation, it isn't hopeless. Aslan is beginning to move. The grace of God is about to burst forth into a new and glorious day for the people of Israel.

THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE

That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:2)

Are you concerned about others? All true ministry begins with a concern for other people.

Nehemiah knew that many Jews had gone back to Jerusalem after Cyrus gave them permission to return to their homeland. He also knew that they had gone back to a very difficult situation, and he wanted to know how they were faring.

God begins the process of drawing us into ministry by pricking our interest in other people.

Who have you been thinking about recently? Have you considered that it may be God who is causing you to think about them and their possible needs?

GOD KNOWS WHERE WE ARE

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace. (Nehemiah 1:1)

If God needed me, would He know where to find me?
If God wanted to use me, would He be able to let me know?
If God had a work for me to do, would He be able to provide the means for me to do it?

The answer is YES!

God had a work to be done in Jerusalem and He needed a man to lead that work. He knew exacely where to find the right man for the job. His name was Nehemiah, and he was a servant of the King in Shushan, 500 miles away from Jerusalem.

God knows who you are and He knows where you are. He knows how to connect you to the ministry that He has for you to do. The question is not "Can God find me?"

The question is "Will my heart be ready when God has a job for me to do?"