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They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9  While Nehemiah served as a cupbearer for a king, he was informed that his home, hundreds of miles away in Jerusalem, had been destroyed. The walls that protected the city were demolished and the gates had been burned down. Immediately, Nehemiah wept, prayed, and fasted before God. A burden for his people weighed on him, and he was granted favor with God to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. The king released him to return back home, and he provided Nehemiah with an army of protection and other resources for the journey. Nehemiah left the comfort of the palace to fulfill a mission God placed on his heart. What I love about this story is God’s favor and provision over Nehemiah. When God calls us to fulfill a purpose, He will provide everything we need to complete it. In Jerusalem, Nehemiah recruit other men with a shared vision to help him rebuild. God gives him strategy and a team to restore the wall and protect the city.
Now, we all know that we have an adversary who doesn’t like to see God’s plan unfold. The enemy will try to stop us when we decide to live on mission, and we see that all throughout the book of Nehemiah. Three men, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, repeatedly try to interfere with the rebuilding of the wall. The used countless tactics to get him to come down from the wall. They mocked him, circulated slander, conspired to kill him, and other unrighteous ploys to distract him. But Nehemiah was a righteous man who knew God and obeyed His word. He knew God’s plan was a plan that could not be ignored nor abandoned. Throughout all of the attacks the enemy threw at Nehemiah, God gave him discernment, wisdom, and strength to withstand and fight against their schemes. Nehemiah did not lose focus of his mission despite the fiery darts that tried to take him out. The hurtful words and deception of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem did not prevail, and the wall was rebuilt! Don’t let the enemy pull you down from your wall! What is your “wall”? What burden has God placed on your heart to fix, resolve, or restore? Who are your “haters” (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) that keeps you from building? Whose lies are you believing about your calling? If you notice in the reading, Nehemiah never stopped what he was doing to correct or challenge what people were saying about him -- even when they were lying. He stayed focused. He didn’t write a passive aggressive post on Facebook, go moan and complain to a friend, or blast Taylor Swift’s song “Haters Gonna Hate” while secretly plotting his revenge. He was not frightened or anxious. He stayed the course. He drew near to God and prayed for strength. He unceasingly labored and gave his everything to something bigger than himself. In the end, the enemy was defeated. The next time someone tries to pull you down will you respond by asking God for strength to continue the mission or will you react emotionally and take matters into your own hands? They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9 I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but I pray your eyes are open to the enemy’s attempt to pull you down from what God has called you to do! May your heart be fully submitted and yielded to God’s will. He will use you to accomplish His great works. You are needed, my friend. You are not discredited from the divine assignment no matter what your friends or family tell you. When you face opposition, I urge you to stay posted on the wall. Do the work God’s called you to do! Song: "See A Victory" | Elevation Worship
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Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word] Hebrews 10:23 AMP  The week of my 31st birthday, I allowed disappointment to steal my joy, celebration, and belief in God. My mind was clouded with negative thoughts like “You are still alone. You were supposed to be married by now. Your hopes and desires aren’t going to come true. Can you trust God?” These thoughts were seeds to emotional turmoil I felt for three straight days. I was believing the enemy’s lies about the things I was seeing externally; not understanding the pronounced impact those beliefs were having on me inside. Romans 8:5-6 says Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. God revealed to me that my mind was set on things of the flesh -- my earthly desires and expectations -- not God’s goodness and faithfulness. It led to feeling a great deal of disappointment --“ sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations”. My disappointment was birthed by the realization that my desires, His promises, and the prophetic words over my life had not happened when I had expected them to; specifically, the desires of marriage and motherhood. I mourned the unmet expectations of my life, and admittedly, I briefly lost hope. We often have to wait on the Lord for things we long to see happen in life. I am still praying for the salvation of family members, freedom in my finances, and of course, some hard rock abs and chiseled arms. But when disappointment accompanies us in life’s waiting room -- it can be a dark place. If we hold too tightly to our expectations (especially in long periods of waiting), we will lose sight of GOD and only see empty rooms and closed doors. Our hearts can become heavy with the void instead of full of hope in Him. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 Perhaps, you have been where I was just last week. There is something you are longing for, there’s a character trait you are hoping to develop, or a sin pattern you are wanting to break; and the lack of those desires has brought you into despair, displeasure, or the mourning of hopes. It has brought you into a DEEP moment of UNBELIEF. Your foundation is no longer God’s truth, but in your unbelief in His truths. When disappointment doesn’t act solely as an emotional compass to notify our head and heart of where we are emotionally -- it can easily become an endless stream of deception. Disappointment deceives us when any one of these six statements below becomes our truth. I encourage you to break agreement with and repent from the sins associated with these beliefs.
I have not perfected the ability to continuously align my beliefs and thoughts to God’s, but thankfully, I was able to recognize the enemy’s influence and my own participation in these deceptive thoughts. As a result, the Lord revealed to me key truths that helped me to remove the distraction of disappointment.
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11:1 (MSG) You will always be disappointed when your desires and expectations are outside of God’s will for your life. When your foundation is in Him, you will remain true to His promises, His timing, His desires, and His truth. His ways are far better than our own. He has not given up on you, so don’t give up on Him! Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. No other time in my life have I been this convinced that His promises for my life are still true. In the meantime, I will do my very best to focus on my assignment and live a purpose-filled life. I refuse to be distracted any longer -- I hope you will, too. Song: Prophesy Your Promise by Bryan and Katie Torwalt See a list of scriptures to meditate on when feeling disappointed 
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August 2020
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