March 28, 2024

Nehemiah And The Wall of Jerusalem

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That pen is sitting there in front of you and the paper is calling you to try one more time…. And what resolution did you totally not do last year?  Then we make mental lists of why we CAN’T do anything and before you know it—we have failed before we ever started.  Have you been there?

The enemy, the deceiver, the father of  lies will do anything and everything to steal your joy and take your focus off of what is really important…and his main reason?  To keep you from doing God’s work and to discourage you along the way with your own words of failure.  Here’s an example in God’s Word:

Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.  And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”  Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”  

Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives.  Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked You to anger in the presence of the builders.  So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Nehemiah 4:1-6

God has elected Nehemiah to lead His people in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Oh how well they were doing!  They had all the tools they needed to be successful and everyone was working so hard.  Then comes the critics…how they ridiculed these children of God.  All of the sudden, these people who once had so much confidence were now questioning their ability to do anything.  They were feeling stupid and wanted to quit.  See, the enemy had come in and attacked right where they were vulnerable.

Have you ever had this happen to you?  God had spoken pretty clear about something He wanted you to do, or maybe He wanted you to lead.  Then someone mentions a fear of yours or puts one doubt in your head…and all that excitement and courage goes out the window.  Now you’re questioning if it even was God’s idea.  You’re about to give up, BUT GOD.  {His voice is louder than yours.}

(Back to Nehemiah….) Nehemiah was wise and He loved the Lord.  He knew how to handle people who would criticize him.  He went to God and had a discussion about all of them.  In Nehemiah 4:4 he says to God,”Turn their insults back on their own heads.” (We as kids may have said similar things, right? “I know you are but what am I?”)   Unlike us, he didn’t talk to his critics or try to defend himself.  He let God handle it.  He shared all of his feelings with his Heavenly Father, His Creator, Who knew him better than he knew himself.  What happened next?

“So we built the wall.
And all the wall was joined together for half its height,
for the people worked with all their heart.”

In other words, satan was defeated at his own game.  What he dished out didn’t take their focus off of what was important; it made them turn hard to God.  Their focus was on the work of their Lord and no one could destroy them.

So this New Year, instead of making impossible lists of goals and setting yourself up to feel like a failure…make another kind of list.  Like one that lists all the ways God loves you and wants desperately to be your Guide and so much more.  And when that doubt is thrown at you, you have His Word to lean on and encourage you.  His own words to guide and direct you in any task that He is asking of you.  You are ready and you are able to do it—you just have to be willing.  I’m going to leave you with some verses of encouragement and I urge you to write them down, post them on your mirror or wherever they are most visible.  And if you aren’t sure if you have Jesus in your heart, I urge you to pray the prayer below with me and take these verses to your heart that are posted below. Please let us know in the comment section so we can celebrate this special day with you.

 

For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:8

Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22

My comfort is my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Psalm 119:50

The Lord is my Strength and my Song: He has become my Salvation.
Psalm 118:14

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner. I need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and He is the Savior. I ask that You come into my heart and stay. Be my Lord and Savior. I need You to guide me and give me that joy You promise. I’m tired of going this alone. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that I now have to guide me. I love You, in Jesus’ name, amen.

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

Each year, as we enter the new year, many of us begin to set goals or make resolutions. Personally, I don’t make resolutions. I choose a few goals and try to meet those throughout the year. For me, changing the wording helps with that feeling of less-than that often comes when I don’t meet the goal. This way, I still have the rest of the year to succeed!

This month I will be writing a series of posts for At Home w/ GCH that discuss getting our homeschools organized for the new year. With this series, I am hoping to help many of you, as well of myself, as we focus on just one task each week. Feel free to take more than one week to complete each task, though. It will probably take longer than that for me here, since I am also in the midst of homeschooling and working each day, too!

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

This week our task is decluttering. I am sorry to say that my home is often cluttered. The job of decluttering seems to be a constant work in progress, and can very easily get me overwhelmed if I don’t focus.

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

  1. Set a timer and work for a specific amount of time, then take a break. You will be impressed with how much you actually accomplish in that concentrated amount of time.
  2. Start with one small space. A desk, a drawer, a shelf. Simply beginning is half the battle.
  3. Throw away extraneous papers that are lying around.
  4. File bills, pay stubs, and other important documents.
  5. Purchase plastic or cloth bins to use as storage (found at places like Target, Walmart, or Goodwill and other thrift stores).
  6. Sort toys and books into ‘like’ piles and place them in bins together. This simple step helps so much when it is time for you and your children to clean up!
  7. Label the bins according to the item—blocks, books, Mr. Potato Head, cars, etc.

Do you have tips and tricks for decluttering? Please leave your suggestions in the comments section below! Be sure to check Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year  for other posts as we move forward with this organizational series throughout the month of January.

Life’s Healing Choices – Week 1 – Admitting Need

“Each of our lives is tangled up with hurts that haunt our hearts, hang-ups that cause us pain, and habits that mess up our lives.” (Baker, page 1)

Ouch! What a sting those simple words can bring. And immediately I begin the defense – I’m only hurt because of what other people did to me. I don’t have hang-ups, that’s just the way I am. Habits? They’re coping skills necessary to deal with life & the people around me. We’ve all done it, allowing the behaviors and attitudes to continue.

But hope is here! January 2013 marks not only a new year, but a new journey in your life. It’s a time for change … to shed the habits, hurts & hang-ups that affect your relationships, your life, and your walk with Christ. Using the book “Life’s Healing Choices” by John Baker as our discussion tool, the GCH: Victorious Healing ministry will lead you on this journey to joyful change, freedom, and blessings only He can provide to us.

RECOVERY. What comes to your mind when you see or hear this word? Do you brush it off as something only addicts or alcoholics deal with? Or do you think only of illness, surgery or other physical ailments? The truth is very simple. We all have hurts in our life that require healing. Some of us choose to symptomatically treat our hurts with food, chemical substances, spending sprees, toxic relationships, and more. But true healing, not just masking of symptoms, is possible only through the power of Christ in our lives. RECOVERY.

There are eight basic principles we will uncover during our study together:

  • Realize I am not God.
  • Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me. Consciously choose to commit my life and will to Christ’s care & control.
  • Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God and to someone I trust.
  • Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life.
  • Evaluate all my relationships.
  • Reserve a daily time with God.
  • Yield myself to God to be used to bring His love & Good News to others.

What areas of your life do you have power (control) over? What areas of your life are spinning out of control? What coping skills do you use to get attention, or protect yourself? How do you handle pain & disappointment? What hinders our ability to admit our need for change, or help?

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” (Invictus by Henley). What comes to mind when you read those words? For me, it’s a sad commentary on how many of us live our lives. So often we believe we can handle our lives on our own. We determine our futures and no one will keep us from doing what we want, dream, or desire. Our decisions will only affect us. No one can tell us what to do.  But this idea is what causes so much of our pain. Until we realize that we are not in control of our lives, and allow God to do what He intended for us, our pains, hurts, habits, and hang-ups will continue.

Are you ready to “let go, and let God”?

In “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount” by Oswald Chambers “There must be a dominant, personal, passionate devotion to Him, and only then are all other relationships right.”

God tells us “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there” (Jeremiah 6:14 TLB). How many times do we try to ignore our hurts by saying we’re fine, or nothing’s wrong? How often do we try to tend to issues by our own power because we don’t want to burden others, or appear weak or “out of control?”Denial only hinders our growth more, freezing us in our pain, insecurities, and worry even more. Denial encourages us to keep secrets as we continue to pretend that our lives are going well. Denial brings shame, anxiety, and a false sense of protection from our pain.

The admission of our powerlessness is the first step on our journey. From here, we need to leave to stop denying our pain. There’s only one God, and you ain’t Him, so stop trying to control your life as if you are.

God promises so much more.

  • Light in our darkness (1 John 1:5-7).
  • Rescue from the darkness (Ps 107:13-14).
  • Healing from our pain (Jeremiah 30:17).

So, join us this week as we explore this principle deeper. Instead of packing for a journey, get ready to unpack all that baggage you’ve been carrying around! But I warn you, this journey won’t be an easy one. However, I promise that we have the best Guide with us because He promises to never leave us, nor forsake us. Ever!

 ___________________________________

Reading Assignment for Week 1:

Chapter 1 of Life’s Healing Choices
Monday: Laurie will discuss Principle 1
Tuesday: Leslie will discuss The Cause of our Problems
Wednesday: Kim will discuss The Cure for our Problems
Thursday: Amy will discuss Make The Choice, Action Steps to make it real in your life
Friday: Laurie will bring it all back home with a recap of our week

Ps6_2-3

Restoration is possible. Will you move towards this for your life … today?

_________

Principle 1 Power Verses:
Jeremiah 6:14
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Job 30:27
Romans 7:15-17
Proverbs 14:12
Job 17:11
Psalm 6:6-7
2 Corinthians 1:9


If you would like to join this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send Amy a personal message in regards to today’s blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.