We Can Do It!

Nehemiah 1-4

What seems to be hopeless ruins, just needed restoration.

The wall of Jerusalem remained destroyed until someone, Nehemiah, decided to rise up.

There are plans and promises over our individual lives (look in the Word of God), someone close to us, or maybe even our cities that may seem to be in spiritual ruins. Defeated, unattainable, with no hope.

It’s not hopeless, it just needs restoration!

From what I see in Nehemiah’s day. It may have been mentioned or thought about, but there hadn’t been any action to rebuild the walls that had been destroyed.

It took a man who saw the ruins and it led him to a place of I would say, compassion.

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

Nehemiah wasn’t concerned about where he was. He was concerned about others who were in a place of waste. He wanted to help the people of the city out of the ruins.

When the enemy saw Nehemiah get up and go, they were grieved that someone was going to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

(Nehemiah 2:10)

When we don’t just talk about or wonder about it anymore, but we take a step towards restoring others to the Lord, the enemy is grieved.

Nehemiah hadn’t yet told the plan of rebuilding, but when he finally does, the enemy laughs and tries to discourage them from ever starting to build back.

It’s almost as if the enemy is like, yeah right, they won’t actually do it. It’s a dream, it’s a desire, it’s not going to happen.

Then the enemy hears that they are building. The children of Israel are actually going to do it.

Now the enemy is angry. It’s not just words of discouragement anymore, the enemy begins to plan.

When the breaches in the wall began to be stopped, they were more angry.

When the enemy sees you closing every access point, every crack in where they can slip in - you are repairing a wall of protection from the attacks. The enemy doesn’t have access like it used to. The enemy doesn’t like it, and becomes more angry.

Whenever the enemy truly grasps, Nehemiah and the others are going to build back, is when the enemy begins to rise and to try and hinder.

Nehemiah led and prayed.

Oh and they built.

Remember our God!

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. Nehemiah 4:15

The enemy always thinks he can slip in and take down and destroy what is being built. Whenever the enemies heard that children of Israel knew what was going on - it weakened the enemy’s power and plans of hindrance.

When you are living for God, working for His Kingdom, and trying to do the right thing - then something begins to weigh you down, fight, and discourages you. It has more power when you are not aware, but when you realize the spiritual attack - it has just lost some of its power. It’s easier for you to fight when you are aware.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. Proverbs 24:5

Think about something being mechanically wrong with your vehicle. You might be able to tell something is a little off, but until you have pin pointed the issue, it cannot be fixed.

In your health, if you are feeling sluggish, off, etc - with intention, a plan, and focus you can change what you intake and the physical work you are putting out. The knowledge changes the effects in your body and increases the strength you have to work.

From then on out they worked with one hand and had a weapon in the other hand.

Balance - work and weapon.

Kingdom work and the Word.

Building and worship.

Lifting and prayer.

We cannot only work for the Kingdom physically and not have the Word of God. We can’t build and lose our worship. We cannot lift and bear the burdens and not have our prayer and warfare.

There has to be a balance between our work and weapon!

Rebuilding took prayer. It took unity. It took planning. It took each other. Knowing that God would fight for them!

We need each other. We can’t reach our cities by ourselves. Even in our own lives, we need others as we rebuild. The Word of God, anointed voices, and our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

They were ready to work and to fight at all times, except for when they needed to wash. They kept their clothes on except for when they needed washing. We can’t bounce back and forth. We are dressed in our clothes, ready to work and fight, and then “no, not tomorrow”.

They were ready, except for washing.

One thing we will always need is to wash ourselves and make sure we are clean when doing Kingdom Work.

Be ready to work, worship, read, build, but we need washing, we find our selves back to repentance, back to an altar, back to the Blood of Jesus.

Sometimes we can look at how big of a job it seems to be. How could I really do all of this?

We can’t do it all. We are a part of the body of Christ.

We can do what we were called to do, one rock at a time. One smile, one Bible Study, one encouraging message, one song sang, and one prayer at a time.

They could have looked at the amount of work that needed done and said, no use. They didn’t. They dug in knowing God would fight for them. It only took them 52 days.

It was hard. It took work. It was a fight. The goal wasn’t unattainable. It was reached before some would think possible with the help of the Lord.

Prodigals will come home.

Cities will be rebuilt and won.

Promises will be restored.

Churches will be filled.

It just needs someone, you, with a heart for the people, to join in help build, to go to prayer, to not listen to the voices of the enemy that would tell you it can’t happen, but to dig into the Word of God and stand firm on what it says.