BE DETERMINED – Powerful Revelation From Nehemiah May 4, 2012

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”

“If you start building, you will soon be battling; so, be prepared!”

Under the Lord’s prompting, I am again studying Nehemiah. I want to share some powerful revelation from Warren Wiersbe that is timeless and always worth reviewing. Warren Wiersbe has a Bible commentary known as the “BE” series. Each book of the Bible is reviewed and his commentaries on each book are titled “BE _________”.  The book of Nehemiah is “BE DETERMINED”. Below is an excerpt that I’m certain will bless you.  All of Mr. Wiersbe’s commentaries are amazing. BE BLESSED!

From BE DETERMINED:

“When things are going well, get ready for trouble, because the enemy doesn’t want to see the work of the Lord make progress. As long as the people in Jerusalem were content with their sad lot, the enemy left them alone; but, when the Jews began to serve the Lord and bring glory to God’s name, the enemy became active.

Opposition is not only an evidence that God is blessing, but it is also an opportunity for us to grow. The difficulties that came to the work brought out the best in Nehemiah and his people. Satan wanted to use these problems as weapons to destroy the work, but God used them as tools to build His people. “God had one Son without sin,” said Charles Spurgeon, “but He never had a son without trial.”

When Sir James Thornhill was painting the inside of the cupola of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, at one point he finished an area and stepped back to view it. Had he gone back one step more, he would have fallen from the scaffolding and perhaps killed himself. Seeing the situation, a friend seized one of the brushes and rubbed paint over a part of the picture. The artist rushed forward to protect his work, and at the same time, his life was saved. When the picture of our life or ministry is not all we think it ought to be, perhaps the Master Artist is rescuing us from something far worse and preparing us for something far better.

Nehemiah Chapters 4 to 6 describe at least nine different tactics that the enemy used to try to stop the work on the walls.  First, they attacked the Jewish people with ridicule (4:1-6) and plots of war (vv. 7-9). This resulted in difficulties within the Jewish ranks: discouragement (v. 10), fear (vv. 11-23), and selfishness (5:1-19). When attacks on the people failed to stop the work, the enemy then started to attack their leader, Nehemiah. They tried compromise (6:1-4), slander (vv. 5-9), threats (vv. 10-14) and intrigue (vv. 17-19); but none of these devices worked either. Nehemiah was “steadfast and unmovable” and led his people to finish the work in fifty-two days! When the enemy fails in his attacks from the outside, he then begins to attack from within.

Referring to Satan, Paul wrote, “For we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). This chapter presents four of Satan’s devices for opposing the Lord’s work, and it also tells us how God’s people can be steadfast and defeat the enemy.

Under Nehemiah’s gifted leadership, the people completed the rebuilding of the walls. Now all that remained to do was the restoration of the gates and the strengthening of the community within the walls. Since Sanballat and his friends had failed miserably in their attempts to stop the people from working, they decided to concentrate their attacks on Nehemiah. If they could eliminate him, or even discredit him, they could mobilize their allies living in Jerusalem (Neh. 6:17-18) and take over the city.

The average person doesn’t realize the tremendous pressures and testings that people experience day after day in places of leadership. Leaders are often blamed for things they didn’t do and criticized for things they tried to do. They are misquoted and misunderstood and rarely given the opportunity to set the record straight. If they act quickly, they are reckless; if they bide their time, they are cowardly or unconcerned. Referring to the pressures of leadership, President Harry Truman wrote in Mr. Citizen, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”

People in places of spiritual leadership not only have the pressures that all leaders face, but they must also battle an infernal enemy who is a master deceiver and a murderer. Satan comes either as a serpent who deceives or a lion who devours (2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Peter 5:8), and Christian leaders must be alert and spiritually equipped to oppose him. It behooves God’s people to pray earnestly, not only for those in civil authority (1 Tim. 2:1-3), but also for those in places of spiritual authority. If Satan can defeat a Christian leader, he can cripple a whole ministry and discredit the cause of Christ.

The enemy’s main purpose was to generate fear in the heart of Nehemiah and his workers (Neh. 6:9, 13-14, 19), knowing that fear destroys faith and paralyzes life. Adolph Hitler wrote, “Mental confusion, contradiction of feeling, indecisiveness, panic; these are our weapons.” Both Jesus (Luke 13:31-35) and Paul (Acts 21:10-14) had to face the specter of fear, and both overcame it by faith.

Nehemiah didn’t listen to the enemy’s lies. He and the people completed the wall and hung the gates in only fifty-two days, much to the chagrin of their adversaries (Neh. 6:15-16).

Satan used four strategies in attacking Nehemiah, strategies that he still uses against spiritual leaders today.

1. Compromise: The enemy will offer to “help” (Neh 6:1-4)
2. Slander / False Accusation: The enemy will try to discredit leader’s character (Neh 6:5-9)
3. Conspiracy / Threats: Opposition & pressure from all around (Neh 6:10-14)
4. Intrigue: Secret plotting even after it appears victory was attained (Neh 6:15-19)”

I pray you are blessed and encouraged by Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on this portion of Nehemiah and would consider reading it in it’s entirety!

BE DETERMINED!

Do You Have An Orphan Spirit? February 25, 2012

We often hear people talk about James 1:27:

James 1:27

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

We also often limit this to what we understand of orphans and widows in the natural. But the reality is that many people fall into this category if we would only have eyes to see.

By looking at the definition of the original Greek, we can see more clearly:

ORPHANS: those of uncertain affinity, parentless, comfortless, fatherless

(To be of uncertain affinity means not being connected on common ground; not belonging anywhere or to anyone specific.)

WIDOWS: those who are deficient, lacking a husband, having a chasm, vacancy, impassable interval, gape or gulf

These definitions in a spiritual sense, include many more people than one would realize.

In pure and undefiled religion, these are the people we are instructed to visit.

VISIT: to inspect; to select; by extending ourselves, go see and bring relief

But too often we don’t recognize them when they are right in front of us.

• They are in your church
• They are on your job
• They live in your neighborhood
• They could be in the mirror
• Many have grown up in two-parent homes
• Many have never been married
• Many have been divorced
• Many have been ostracized for various reasons such as race, social class or gender
• Many have lost loved ones other than a spouse

We cannot identify them by traditional definitions. We must identify them by their FRUIT. This orphan spirit is crippling many inside and outside of the church today… it is like a hidden shard of glass that has the potential to cut them, make them bleed and make them unable to walk in their destiny.

Could you or someone you know be struggling with an orphan spirit?

There is hope!

John 14:18 says:

I will not leave you as orphans (with uncertain affinity, parentless, comfortless, fatherless); I will come to you.

Rom 8:14-17

…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (placed into immediate kinship; adoption) And by him we cry, “Abba,  Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…

John 8:32

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Come and learn the CHARACTERISTICS of the ORPHAN SPIRIT and other HIDDEN SHARDS OF GLASS so you can be FREE to be all God has called you to be.

www.radicalinfusion.org

 

By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them… March 28, 2011

I’ve been struggling with something for a while now but have just remained prayerful about my frustrations. While I still continue in an attitude of prayer, I’ve decided to publicly express my disgust.

 

It has to do with the behavior of some Christians in the midst of adversity. I AM SHOCKED to say the least. How some Christians can behave the way they do and not feel convicted is beyond me. Am I perfect? Not hardly. But I know the conviction of the Holy Spirit and am thankful for conviction that brings repentance when my emotions get the best of me and I respond in the flesh. But in day to day life, in churches, in the marketplace, in social clubs and in social media Christians are displaying fruit. Sadly not all of it is good. And rather than seeing repentance for this “not good fruit,” it continues and continues. This I do not understand.

 

What Others Say About It

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

 James Lane Allen said “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.”

 

What I Say About It

If you really want to see someone’s true heart, just let adversity strike and watch how they handle it. Do they display godliness? Even if we don’t agree with someone, we still should respond in a godly way. It doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect in all we do, but we must seek God daily to help us have a godly response.

Even if someone hurts us, we should still respond in a Christ-like manner. Even if all HELL breaks loose in our lives, we should never seek to tear others down, lure others into messy behavior, try to divide the Body of Christ or seek revenge. And we certainly shouldn’t do it under the guise of suddenly befriending people we never seemed to have time for in the past, solely so we can manipulate them to “our side.”

There is only ONE SIDE we should be concerned with… GOD’S SIDE.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about displaying Christ through your life. Our life is meant to be a witness… on our GOOD DAYS and on our BAD DAYS… when everything goes RIGHT (our way) and when it doesn’t… SO THAT OTHERS MAY KNOW HIM AND FIND ETERNAL LIFE.

We should display good fruit… not ROTTEN fruit. Rotten fruit smells and its appalling. Why would anyone want to be a Christian if the only ones they know stink?

The only “stinking” Christians should be doing is from BURNING FLESH (submission to God/dying to self.)  This is fragrant to the Lord. 

But ROTTEN fruit is another story.

If you’re going to insist on doing it your way and displaying rotten fruit, STOP DOING IT “IN THE NAME OF JESUS.”

 

What the Word of God Says About It

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:9-10

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matt 7:15-16

Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene…They are upsetting the faith of some. 2 Tim 2:16-18

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. Rom 16:17-18

 

 A Final Exhortation:

Therefore, dear friends…make every effort to have him find you at peace, without spiritual stains or blemishes. Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity for people to be saved. This is what our dear brother Paul wrote to you about, using the wisdom God gave him. He talks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Ignorant people and people who aren’t sure of what they believe distort what Paul says in his letters the same way they distort the rest of the Scriptures…so be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception …then you won’t fall from your firm position. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:14-18

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   * 

Just after I published this blog post, a friend (Christine Juarez) replied with this:

When adversity strikes, it is either a TRAINING OR A TEST. If its a training, LEARN. If its a test PASS!

 

Advice if you’ve experienced ROTTEN FRUIT: http://maryloveslife.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/a-word-from-the-lord-about-noise-pollution/

A Word from the Lord about NOISE POLLUTION October 15, 2010

God is so funny the way He speaks to us.

This morning the Lord told me to pray against “NOISE POLLUTION.” I laughed at His choice of words. So I googled noise pollution and found this: 

• Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human, animal or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. The word noise comes from the Latin word nauseas, meaning seasickness.
• This unwanted sound can damage physiological and psychological health. Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects… and can lead to forgetfulness, severe depression and at times panic attacks.
• Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss.
• The EPA says the traditional definition of noise is “unwanted or disturbing sound”.  Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life.  

 So I asked the Lord what He was trying to tell me and he said two things:

1.      We have a responsibility to make sure we are not CREATING noise pollution.

Noise pollution (in a spiritual sense) includes (but is not limited to) negativity, gossip, complaining, murmuring, lies, slander, bearing false witness, corrupt talk, criticism, judgment, false teachings, and false prophecies.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim 4:3-4

I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 2 Cor 12:20

 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Prov 6:16-19

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish. Prov 19:9

2.      We have a responsibility to GUARD ourselves from noise pollution.

Not only do we have to guard against CREATING noise pollution, but we must guard against HEARING noise pollution. For even allowing it in our midst pollutes our hearts and minds.

A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.  Prov 21:28

Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 2 Tim 2:14-15

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. 2 Tim 2:16-17

The EPA says this: “Individuals can take many steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of noise pollution.  If people must be around loud sounds, they can protect their ears with hearing protection (e.g., ear plugs or ear muffs).  There are various strategies for combating noise in your home, school, workplace, and the community.”

Well God says we can protect ourselves too:

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. Prov 4:13-17

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Prov 4:20-27

Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. 1 Thess 5:21-22

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Titus 3:9-11

 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much. Prov 20:19

Let us pray a prayer of repentance today for creating noise pollution and for allowing people around us to create it and not shutting it down. We have a responsibility to guard our hearts and minds. We also have the power through Christ Jesus to fill the atmosphere around us with godliness and gospel truth.  So let’s do it.

Let’s change the atmosphere today, wherever your day may take you.