Promises Week 22:
Nehemiah 8 - Job 7
…delighting in Him and His Word…Psalm 37:4
Nehemiah Chapters 7 to 13 – Reinstruction.
Chapter 8: 5 & 6 Step One - Reading the Word.. In the latter part of the book, chapters 7 through 13, is the story of reinstruction. We have six (6) steps beginning with the reading of the law, chapter 8, verses 5 and 6.
Chapter 8:5 & 6 Step Two – Worship. Ezra opened the book of the law in the sight of all the people and blessed the Lord, the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands; and they bowed the their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Chapter 9 Step Three – Remember His Promises and Obey. In chapter 9 Ezra through his prayer recounts what God had done in the life of this people and His faithfulness to His PROMISES. Following this prayer, the people signed a covenant that they would take the step of obedience.
Chapter 11 – Step Four – Use Your Gifts. In Chapter 11 there is a recognition of the gifts the Lord gave to his people. "Rekindle the gift of God that is within you," Paul wrote to Timothy. (2 Timothy 1:6) To build your faith - use what God has given you.
Chapter 12- Celebrate. The people celebrated their joy!
Chapter 13 – No Compromise. We can maintain our strength by saying "No!” to the forces that would destroy the work God is doing in our lives doubt, deceit and half-truths that distract us from His purpose and undermine our vitality in Him.
BE STRONG, BOLD AND CONFIDENT IN HIS PROMISES
Joy is powerful and Ezra knew that. He instructed the people to find their strength in God’s joy. He also encouraged them to eat and drink and send portions to those who had nothing. He was reinstructing them to be a blessing. Nothing releases supernatural joy in our lives more than being a blessing to others. We are called and equipped to reach out to others.
Trust Him daily. Recall and recite the Lord’s faithfulness, make a decision not to worry and trust Him to provide for you every day. His provision of grace comes one day at a time.
Nehemiah demonstrates the importance of both dedicating our wok and accomplishments to the Lord and celebrating what the Lord has done for us.
Thank You Lord for turning the curses in my life into blessings.
Esther.
When our family served as missionaries I remember many times my dad preaching on the book of Esther. At that early age I was taken by Esther’s courage and obedience. I remain equally in awe. Esther herself was the PROMISE the Lord used to save His people at that time. Chapter 4:14 – we need to be prepared and willing to serve His purpose – otherwise we can lose the opportunity to be part of the blessing.
The entire Book of Esther illustrates God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises and to the Jewish people. This is His promise—not because of the righteousness of the Jewish people, but because of God’s choice and faithfulness (Romans 11:28-29).
Let’s continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for the salvation of Jewish people, and for our country and churches to be a blessing to Jewish people. Let’s keep remembering that the greatest blessing we can bring to God’s chosen people is His most precious gift—the Messiah Jesus.
Remember we serve a God who always keeps His promises!
Believe God for supernatural favor. Joyce Meyer suggests we say this prayer every day, “ I believe that I have favor in this place today. I believe the light of the Lord shines upon me and that I have favor with everyone, with God and with men.” We have the ability to declare and decree, to operate in the miraculous and we know that whatever is written in the King’s Name cannot be revoked. Seek His Promises and find the one that pertains to your situation and stand on it!
Job:
Job 1:1 Job Is Blameless. We are introduced to Job as a “blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.
Job 1:3 Job Was Blessed.
Job 1:6 and 2:1 Satan’s Attack. God accepted Satan’s challenge to Job would curse Him if all his possessions and health were taken from him. Job’s friends came against him. Job remained faithful.
The suffering of the innocent cannot be rationalized. The book of Job offers an answer as God opens the curtain of heaven to reveal the spiritual drama of good and evil. We can rest assured on His PROMISE to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6) and that He will never allow us to be tried beyond what we are able to bear, but will provide away to endure ( I Corinthians 10:13). And remember there is no such thing as trusting God without unanswered questions.
Week Twenty-Three: Job Chapters 8 to 35