Tag: nehemiah

A Mind To Work

Nehemiah built the wall in 52 days. In Nehemiah 4v6, it says “the people had a mind to work”. The Hebrew root word for this is lev which means heart.

The heart is the centre of human life which encompasses your mind, will and emotions. Nehemiah was saying here that the people had a heart, desire and determination to do the work. They were committed and unified in their goal. They had a common goal and that was to rebuild the wall. On Sunday, I spoke about four characteristics of a builder and their team who has the mind to work.

1 They must be united- without unity, the vision scatters. Your team needs to be in alignment with the vision.

2 They must be determined- the men had a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. Nothing was going to stop them from rebuilding that wall.

3 They must be enthusiastic- the pioneer and builder must fall in love with the vision. In order for effective stewardship and administration, the team must also be enthusiastic about the vision.

4 Resilience- to have the mind to work, the builder must be able to stand in the midst of opposition, mockery and ridicule.

I spoke about the purpose of distraction- the enemy will use a distraction as a tool to minimise and stop the functionality of one’s momentum. The phrase ‘fractured focus’ kept coming up and I started talking about how the enemy uses misalignment and fractures in our souls to stop us from effectively leading and building.

Check out the replay to ‘A Mind To Work’- https://youtu.be/xjQP2Y8m7MI

Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your strength, Your love and empowerment to build in the midst of opposition, ridicule and mockery. Father, I pray, Lord, heal my mind and soul, that I will see the vision and blueprint through a clear lens and continue to build what You have placed in my heart. Father, I thank You in advance for the momentum and divine focus to finish what You have started in me in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Why Building Is A Burden

Nehemiah chapter 1-6 covers the journey of Nehemiah experiencing the burden of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after they were destroyed. In Nehemiah 1, we see Nehemiah mourn the destroyed walls and enters a period of mourning and fasting. The King sees Nehemiah’s countenance and asks him what is wrong. He tells the King about the walls of Jerusalem, and the King sent Nehemiah to rebuild the walls with resources and materials.

What was significant about Nehemiah’s journey to rebuild the walls was that, though he was surrounded by guardsmen, he still kept information to himself.  He was very strategic in the information he shared with his workmen.

In Nehemiah 2v19, we see the rise of Sanballat and Tobiah who starts to mock the rebuilding of the wall. There are few principles to learn from Nehemiah

1 Every rebuilder must be aware that when you choose to rebuild, Sanballat’s and Tobiah’s will be activated. Pioneering, building and rebuilding is an act of warfare, and just the decision to build stirs up enemies. Building doesn’t just impact the builder; they impact generations that will come after. It is about legacy. The name Sanballat means- the enemy is secret. Sanballat was 85-90 years. He was possibly a Moabite. Tobiah means Jehovah is good and was a servant of Sanballat. He was an Amonite.

Geshem which is pronounced Gashma- was an Ishmaelite.

2 Every builder in their early stages will experience mockery and ridicule.

How did Nehemiah overcome this?

Nehemiah 4v4- Nehemiah overcame by prayer and work. In verse 6 of Nehemiah 4, it stated that the people had a mind to work.

Every builder must set watch- watching and praying is a strategy for pioneers. and builders

In Nehemiah 4v10, the workers grew weary. In verse 13 of Nehemiah chapter 4, we see Nehemiah’s effective leadership skills and his ability to delegate strategy to his workers. It is not just about pioneering and building, effective stewardship is reflected in the administration of that vision. Nehemiah showed the importance of weaponizing his workers not just to rebuild the wall but also how to war.

This shows that as an effective leader, pioneer and builder, you have to teach your team how to work and fight. Identifying effective weapons are key for warfare and building – you need a watchman and intercessor who can sound the alarm and bring intelligence.

To watch the rest of the teaching, click here https://youtu.be/rfE84CVddmY

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus. Lord I give You thanks for strengthening me as I build and rebuild the vision You have given me. Lord, I pray that you help me implement the strategies laid out in this article and in the message. Father God, I ask in Your name to help me to rise above the attacks of my mockers. Let every spirit of Sanballat and Tobiah be brought to nought and I decree and declare that no weapon formed against me shall be able to prosper. Every tongue that rises against me in judgment, Lord, I condemn it in the name of Jesus Christ. I exercise the heritage that You have given me to do this. I speak that what I have been called to build and to rebuild will come to fruition in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen and Amen.