Rebuilding Our Spirits

                In our Christian faith we often go through trials and tribulations. Sometimes we must start over fresh in order to draw closer to God. We need to get rid of the contaminants in our lives and rid ourselves of our former selves. We need to let go of the things that kept us from receiving Christ.

                Nehemiah, whose name means comforted by Jehovah, was from Judah. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon. When the Roman Empire fell to the Persians, Nehemiah found himself as the royal cup-bearer in the palace of the Persian king Artaxerxes. This made it possible for him to be made the civil governor of Jerusalem at the time of their return. In the book of Nehemiah, he hears of how the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the gates burned with fire. Immediately he fasted, prayed, and mourned for the people of his country. He asked for favor in front of the king so that he may go and help the people of Israel.

                When the king saw him, he saw how upset he was. He asked Nehemiah to explain what was wrong and upon hearing him, the king granted Nehemiah permission to go help rebuild the walls. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah inspected the wall and ordered the start of the rebuilding. Certain men were assigned to rebuild each of the gates and the rest of the men built the walls. They faced opposition during the rebuilding from Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Amonites, and the men of Ashdod. They threatened to knock it down again but the Jews heard and warned Nehemiah. Therefore, he stationed men with weapons to prepare for attack and told them that God would protect them. During this time, Nehemiah helped the poor get food and the wall was completed in just 52 days. How? Because of the favor of the Lord. The exiles returned and the Israelites confessed their sins.

                In future years, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and discovered that the Israelites had returned to their previous way of life, sinning and disobeying the laws. Nehemiah ordered the Levites to purify themselves and assigned everyone duties.

                So, how can you apply this to your life? We need to rebuild ourselves when we are broken. When we sin, God allows us to give in to the desires of our flesh and only with repentance can we fortify our spirits again. We will be judged with the fire and be destroyed. When we have backslid, we are disgraced. Have you ever noticed that when you are deep into sin, something dramatic happens that causes you to repent and draw back to God? It’s the work of God to keep His people close to Him.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in:

Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have

been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall or Jerusalem,

and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

-Nehemiah 2:17

                I will share two personal experiences that happened to me that made me realize I needed to rebuild. The first experience was in February of 2011. I had gotten caught up with the wrong people at my job and my dad, as he was supposed to, reprimanded me for it. I ran away the next day with $50 in my pocket and my car. My parents found me later that night and brought me home. I repented and started rebuilding my life and relationship with God.

                 I broke up with my boyfriend back in April. I had been so busy focusing on him that I often forgot about God. I believe that God allowed my relationship to end so that I could be drawn back closer to Him. Ever since the end of April I have been working on rebuilding my spirit, layer by layer, as Nehemiah and his workers rebuilt the wall. Have I completed the work? No. We are never finished growing in the Spirit. I continue to grow each day but God is using me for His works. Is a short period of time He has helped me progress so much. 

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who

is great and awesome, and fight for your

brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives

and your homes."

-Nehemiah 4:14

"Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, 

join us there. Our God will fight for us!"

-Nehemiah 4:20 

                 During the rebuilding of our spirits, we will face opposition from the enemy but he won't have a stronghold over us. If we have fear of the Lord and commit ourselves to Him, He will protect us. The enemy will not bring us down.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and

your staff, they comfort me."

-Psalm 23:4 

                     Have you gone through a period where you had to rebuild? If so, I encourage you to please comment and share. 

 

What's There To Fear?

                What is your biggest fear? Someone has probably asked you this before and it is only natural as a human to have fears. For some it’s a tangible thing like snakes or sharks or being drowned. For others, it is an idea such as being alone or hurting someone they love unintentionally or even losing a loved one. However, if we have Christ as our savior, we should fear nothing.

“I sought the Lord and He heard me, and

delivered me from all my fears.”

-Psalm 34:4

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but

of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

-2 Timothy 1:7

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be

dismayed, for I am your God. I will

strengthen you and help you;…”

-Isaiah 41:10

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment,

 and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

-1 John 4:18

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

-Psalm 56: 3-4

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for

it is the Lord your God who goes with you.”

-Deuteronomy 31:6

                There are so many more Psalms and stories in the bible that reveal we should fear nothing. The only thing we should fear is God. We should fear him out of respect and fear what he can do with our spirits. For he will judge us with a sword and either put us to death (send us to Hell) or declare that we have earned everlasting life in Heaven.

“Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

-Matthew 10:28

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one

may turn away from the snares of death.”

-Proverbs 14:27

“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

-1 Peter 2:17

                No man can harm us if we have the Lord (Hebrews 13:6). God protects those who live for him and desire to have salvation through Jesus Christ. This all goes back to faith. If we have faith in the Lord we shall not be afraid. If we do have worries or fears troubling us we should go to the Lord.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will

give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I

am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest

for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-Matthew 11:28-29

                When Jesus is talking to the weary and burdened, he is not talking about a physical state but rather a spiritual state. Rest means inner peace and the Lord’s yoke is God’s will. There is no burden or stress when following God’s will and there should be no fear. No man can kill your spirit. Fear in the Lord is good because it helps keep us on the narrow and straight path in living a righteous life. However, fear of things that hurt the flesh will only hurt our spiritual walk because it will distract you from God’s will and overwhelm our minds. We won’t be able to focus on what is good and holy.

                However, there can be an unhealthy fear of God. An unhealthy fear of God, known as theophobia, can lead to debilitating factors of everyday life. A healthy fear of God leads us to live moral and ethical lives. It can even calm our anxiety and fears. But there are those who are so fearful of God that they are in a constant state of mental disturbance. In everything they do they fear negative judgement of God, even when they are doing nothing wrong. An unhealthy fear of God prohibits us from drawing closer to God. Unhealthy fear is fear that controls us and consumes us. Since such kind of unhealthy fears are based upon unreal possibilities, it causes a major obstacle to our relationship with God and in experiencing his blessings. In order to have a healthy fear, we need to understand God and his word. He is a powerful, jealous, and judgmental God but He is also a compassionate, loving God. He forgives our sins and he loves us, for he sent his one and only son to die for us. He is merciful and pours his grace down on us. He heals us and loves righteousness. If you live according to his word, you will not suffer negative consequences; he will not disown a loyal follower.
 

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord

has compassion on those who fear him;…”

-Psalm 103:13

“For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

-Isaiah 49:13

                God never wanted us to be controlled by fear, He is the almighty one and no one is stronger than Him. Fear is a trick that the devil plays, he uses our ignorance and confuses us to fear the one we are suppose to revere. When destructive fear is entrenched in our lives, we must remember that the eternal God is greater than all our fears. Fear comes when we ignore God’s word or walk contrary to Him. He desires to empower us to dismantle and demolish fear’s strongholds in our lives (2 Corinthians 10:4).

                What ultimately matters is that “nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Remembering those words is the only satisfying solution to dealing with fear. As we live that good news, we entrust control of our lives to God, and stop giving control of our lives to unhealthy fear.

              Others have no fear real fear of God and see him as just a loving compassionate God who will harm no one. This isn’t healthy either. This will lead some to live as though God does not exist.

            What is your fear of God? Do you shudder at the thought of him and distance yourself? Or do you not fear God enough? If so, I hope that you have gained some understanding and will begin to live a life with a proper fear of our one true God. 

Fear must be uprooted and the truth implanted so that we are freed not merely to survive but to thrive in a dangerous world (John 8:32). Life is never risk-free. But freedom from overwhelming fear empowers us to enjoy all that God offers us in a fallen world.

Other references to fear:

Psalm 7:1

Psalm 16:8

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 91:5-6

Acts 18:9-10

Philippians 4:13

Joshua 1:9

Isaiah 43:1-3

Deuteronomy 20:1-3
Proverbs 29:25

               

What's the Plan?

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or

that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then

vanishes. Instead, you ought to say,

‘If it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that.’”

-James 4:13-15

                We are always making plans and often we forget that it is God’s will, not our own. He has his own plans with what he wants to do with us and we cannot interfere with them. Yes, we can make plans to hang out with someone or do daily tasks but we should not plan out our whole lives. We do not know what God’s plan is and everything is done in God’s perfect time. You might plan to move to Florida or California but you never know, he might have a different purpose and calling for you where he needs you somewhere else. In order to be able to follow God's plan, we must be strong in the spirit. And it will happen at the right time that he sees fit.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they

cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

-Ecclesiastes 3:11

“Consider what God has done: who can straighten what he has made crooked?”

-Ecclesiastes 7:13

“In his heart a man plans his course, but

the Lord determines his steps.”

-Proverbs 16:9

“…for it is God who works in you to will

and to act according to his good purpose.”

-Philippians 2:13

                The Lord lets us ultimately have our own will. But if you walk in the way of the Lord you will please him. He has a plan for each and every one of us and we must choose to either go by our own plans or listen to him and let him work in us. If we choose to let him work through us, he will guide us the right way and do what is best for us and for him and his plans.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.”

-Psalm 32:8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding; in all

your ways acknowledge him, and he will

make your paths straight.”

-Proverbs 3:5-6

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you

what is best for you, who directs

you in the way you should go.”

-Isaiah 48:17

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;…”

-Psalm 37:23

                God does not want any harm to come to us. In Jeremiah 29:11 he says that he only has plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. We just need to call upon him.

“In him, we are also chosen, having been predestined according

to the plan of him who works out everything in

conformity with the purpose of his will,…”

-Ephesians 1:11

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ "


-Matthew 7:21-23