There’s something about the story of Nehemiah that’s been speaking to me lately. To give you a short recap, after learning that Judah’s remnant was in need and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the city. Nehemiah discussed his plans with him, and he not only approved, but appointed him Judah’s governor. But when he arrived at Jerusalem, he discovered right away that the Israelites’ enemies opposed his plan. They argue in chapter 4, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing?” They tried to intimidate the Israelites by claiming they were incompetent and threatened them if they kept going. But Nehemiah persevered, depending completely on God’s strength and wisdom.
We can all relate to feeling opposition at times when we’re pursuing the dreams God’s planted in our hearts. Sometimes that opposition is external but a lot of times it’s internal. Our thoughts, past pain and disappointment keep us from moving forward. The more we choose to bravely look at these things with Jesus, He will reveal truth to our hearts and these things begin to lose the power they once had over us.
Some of Nehemiah’s biggest obstacles were intimidation and criticism. Intimidation is really just false power. It uses anger and bullying as a scare tactic to get you to shut down. Behind intimidation, is usually a frightened little boy or girl who feels powerless themselves. The good news is Jesus paid the high price so we could all live freely.
The voice of criticism can often be our own. We tend to spotlight our perceived weaknesses and shortcomings and shame the parts of our heart that can’t seem to “pull it together.” I want to encourage you to start celebrating the small victories in your life; how far you’ve come already. Give yourself more grace and kindness. After all, you can only give away what you own yourself.
As we pursue our dreams, fear can be our worst enemy. It immobilizes us and imprisons our dreams and desires because we view it as this big, ambiguous, scary goliath that holds all the power. We often don’t take the time to explore what it is we’re really afraid of. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll fail if you try something new. Perhaps you’re afraid that if you move forward with the dreams in your heart, God won’t provide for you. I want to encourage you to take some time to zero in and talk to Jesus about what it is you’re actually afraid of. I pray fear will no longer dictate your decisions and that Jesus will bring truth and healing to your heart!
Nehemiah was invested in Jerusalem and the people. He wept over his city. Sometimes we can focus so much on the “what God’s called us to” that we forget our “WHY”. I pray that God would soften and tenderize your heart right now for what He’s placed in front of you. As I was sharing on Sat. night, I felt so much fire in my heart for each of you, to not settle for less than ALL Jesus has for you. He’s not holding anything back from you. Keep going. Don’t give up. Jesus is completely committed to see you through!
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