by Pastor Cecil | Dec 17, 2018 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 4:6
“So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”
As we read these words it is important to understand that Ezra had returned at an earlier time and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. Only a remnant returned with Ezra, but even so his group had rebuilt the temple. They faced oppression and conflict with the people living in that area.
Word came to Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the people were disheartened. He Prayed to the Lord and appealed to the king for permission to return and build the walls for stability and protection from the enemies of Israel. God heard his prayer and the king allowed Nehemiah to return and build the walls.
There was considerable opposition from their enemies, but God was in control and gave the people strength to restore the walls. It was not just building that was required, but the people had to be armed and ready to defend themselves from the enemy that threatened them.
Question time! What walls need rebuilding in your life? Walls that give stability and meaning to your life. Who are the enemies who oppose you? What are your weapons against these foes? We need to begin living as more than conquerors!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 14, 2013 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 4:8-9
They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
The longer I live the more I realize that this world is hostile to believers. In the book of Second Corinthians 4:4, Paul reminds his readers: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Not only are unbelievers blinded to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are urged by Satan to oppose those of us who have accepted Jesus as our personal Savior and the Lord of our life.
It is not that we have a persecution complex, but we face the attacks from every side, and especially when we are in a weakened position. Satan loves to pour on the pressure when we are in a weakened position.
You may be in a battle right now. If you are I want to share the comfort which we have from the Word of God. Just as Nehemiah encouraged the people of his day, we can find the same encouragement. He reminded them and us to pray to the Lord, but also to post a guard. We do that by spending time in the study of the Bible and opening our hearts to the Lord in prayer. God has promised to stand with us as we fight our battles!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 7, 2013 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 4:6
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
As we read these words it is important to understand that Ezra had returned at an earlier time and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Only a remnant returned with Ezra, but even so his group had rebuilt the temple. They faced oppression and conflict with the people living in that area, many of whom were transplants and not the original settlers. They were squatters in a land that did not belong to them. (Much like the Palestinians in modern day Israel).
Word came to Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the people were disheartened. He prayed to the Lord and appealed to the king for permission to return and build the walls for stability and protection from the enemies of Israel. God heard his prayer and the king allowed Nehemiah to return and build the walls.
There was considerable opposition from their enemies, but God was in control and gave the people strength to restore the walls. It was not just building that was required, but the people had to be armed and ready to defend themselves from the enemy that threatened them.
Question time! What walls need rebuilding in your life? Walls that give stability and meaning to your life. Who are the enemies who oppose you? What are your weapons against these foes? Nehemiah encouraged the people by reminding them of who their God was and how great and mighty is His name. We need to keep that in our mind as well. We serve a God who is above all of our adversaries! We need to begin living as more than conquerors!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 27, 2012 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 13:4a-5
Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.
Over the years I have listened to the heartbreak of men and women who once were on fire for the Lord. Little by little the flame began to flicker and their walk with the Lord took a nose dive. They wanted me to tell them what went wrong.
Almost without exception it was because they had allowed questionable things to slip into their life. After a time these people, places or things took control of what had been reserved for the Lord. Chaos followed. It always has and always will!
In the book of Nehemiah we are introduced to an evil man by the name of Tobiah. He was one of the men who opposed Nehemiah when he returned from exile and began to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. At first Tobiah and his cohorts just mocked Nehemiah’s building project, but later they plotted violence to stop it. Nehemiah used his reliance on the Lord to overcome the detractors and the wall was finished, and Nehemiah once again returned to serve as cupbearer to the king.
He finally came back to Jerusalem and to his shock the high priest had gone so far as to make a special room for this evil man, Tobiah. Nehemiah threw him out and established purity once again.
Read this story in Nehemiah 13 and then examine your own life. Have you allowed a Tobiah to take up residence somewhere in your life? Throw him or it out! That is the only way to find purity with God once again.
Blessings dear hearts! Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 1, 2011 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 4:15
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Ezra had returned earlier with a remnant of the exiles which had survived the 70 years of deportation under Nebuchadnezzar. Ezra and his group had rebuilt the temple, but they had not rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. They faced oppression and conflict with the people living in that area.
When Nehemiah heard that the walls had not been rebuilt he was crushed and heartbroken. For days he mourned and fasted as he cried out to the Lord. The Lord heard his prayer and gave him favor with the king. He was allowed to return to Jerusalem with 42,360 Israelites and 7,337 servants. Their task was to rebuild the walls of the city.
It was a dismal scene that greeted the returnees and there was considerable opposition. It just seemed to be more than they were able to accomplish. It was then that Nehemiah gave the people encouragement. The reason they were to have courage and not be afraid was because it was the Lord Himself who was great and awesome and who would give the people the strength to withstand their enemies.
Question time! What walls need rebuilding in your life? Not walls of separation, but walls that give stability and meaning to your life. Who are the enemies who oppose you? What are your weapons against these foes? Nehemiah encouraged the people by reminding them of who their God was and how great and mighty is His name. We need to keep that in our mind as well. We serve a God who is above all of our adversaries! We need to begin living as more than conquerors!
Take a look at the walls which are broken down in your life — the gates which have been burned. Ask the Lord to give you the strength and determination to see to the rebuilding of those walls. Do not be overcome by the world, but overcome the world through Him who is there beside you to bring the victory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 10, 2010 | Nehemiah
Nehemiah 7:2
“I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.”
My dad was a man of integrity! When he gave his word he would follow through, regardless of the cost. There were times when people took advantage of Dad, but I never saw him retaliate in any way―his walk with the Lord matched his testimony.
One event stands out in my mind that exemplifies his integrity. The church was raising money for stained glass windows. In making his pledge, Dad made a mistake. As I recall, he intended to give $300, but instead he marked the box for $3,000. He was retired and the pledge seemed to be beyond his reach.
What did he do? He prayed and asked the Lord to provide the opportunity to earn enough to pay his pledge. Not only that, he worked many long and hard hours. Each dollar he earned was sent to the church to satisfy his pledge.
The Hebrew word for integrity is ’emeth. Here are a few words that define integrity: firmness, faithfulness, truth, sureness, reliability, stability, continuance, faithfulness, reliability truth. As I read those words I see my dad. In today’s Scripture we read that the commander of the citadel was a man of integrity. Wouldn’t it be great to have political leaders of integrity? Wouldn’t it be great to have spiritual leaders of integrity!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
