By Jennifer Eivaz
Nehemiah had come to a decision. It was time to restore the broken-down wall of Jerusalem. Rebuilding the wall would give the city and the temple a natural hedge of protection from her enemies once again. Rebuilding the wall was also a powerful visual statement of God’s continual covenant with Israel. He promised to rebuild her ruins, repair her breaches, and make her into a city that shines with the glory of God.
Nehemiah’s first step was to discreetly inspect the broken-down walls in Jerusalem in order to best organize a plan. He secretly conducted his inspection in the middle of the night by viewing all the gates that had been ravished with fire and noting the full extent of the destruction. After surveying the ruins, he then spoke to the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, and workers and gave them heavenly instruction. Nehemiah said, “You see the bad situation that we are in—how Jerusalem is desolate and lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, and let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace” (Neh. 2:17 AMP). He then proved to them how his words were so marked with God’s favor that even the king would supply all their resources. When they heard all of this, they enthusiastically agreed together that it was time to “Arise and build” (Neh. 2:18).
Never forget that when God gives you the assignment to build,
He doesn’t leave you without help.
He partners perfectly with you to not just start something but also finish something. Nehemiah started the wall and he also finished the wall. He successfully led others to participate in this monumental assignment, because he knew how to partner with God. As you step into your assignment, realize this is a divine partnership. You are not alone and you are not without help. God will provide whatever you need to complete it. He will empower you with supernatural favor, wisdom, and strength to sustain you. He wants you to last and most importantly, He wants you to finish. Are you a person who starts things, but doesn’t finish them? If so, let’s ask the Lord for a change at the heart level.
He wants to make a finisher out of you.
We see from the choices of Nehemiah and those who partnered with him, that entire families, cities, and nations were impacted by the decision of one man to arise and build. Are you being called to build or rebuild something as well? Do you need to rebuild the ruins of your family legacy? Are you called to reclaim lost generational blessings and obtain a spiritual inheritance? Has the Holy Spirit called you to build in business, education, media, or elsewhere?
I once heard the Holy Spirit speak to me about a young college-aged woman at a conference. She grew up on an island and moved to the United States with her mother after her father was murdered in a politically motivated assassination. I had no knowledge of this until after I spoke to her by the unction of the Holy Spirit. I said, “You are called to be an influence in government. I see you in your own political office making decisions to help the people.” She was shocked at my words and even rejected them for a season because it was too painful. She eventually went to work in a local political office, however, and is still exploring how to arise and build a spiritual inheritance from the Lord.
When you accept His assignment for you, realize the significance of it. Your kingdom assignment was written down by the Creator Himself before the earth and time began. We learn from King David, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (Ps. 139:16). This makes your calling and assignment eternal, not temporal, even though it’s being carried out in chronological time. The impact of your calling will continue into eternity as well. With that said, realize the impact of your “yes” to God’s assignment to build and be encouraged with this:
*What you do affects others;
*Your choices do matter;
*Don’t be afraid to do hard things;
*Passivity is a decision with consequences, but diligence has a huge reward.
For all of these reasons and more, you will need strength to build. This is not ordinary human strength, but a supernatural one. Here is God’s special promise to you, “I will be strength to him and I will give him my grace to sustain him no matter what comes (Ps. 89:21 TPT).”
Be Strong
I was ministering somewhere in California, and the pastor spoke this to me, “There is life and strength that comes off of you and your husband Ron.” I was surprised and encouraged that he noticed any strength in us at all. We had been put into a precarious position at just 27 years old when my husband was made the senior leader of a historical Pentecostal church in Turlock, California. We had attended that church prior to finishing our education and had no plans to return except that the Lord had spoken to both of us during our senior year of college. He said, “You will go back to your home church and pastor there.” At the time, the church was nearly 80 years old and had seen much better days. If God didn’t intervene, it was on track to shut down.
The Holy Spirit encouraged us many times in the process to “be strong!” We needed crazy amounts of strength and His sustaining and supernatural grace to rebuild this church from the ruins. The whole process seemed ridiculous because it was an “impossible” directive and any progress at all seemed to take forever. Like Joshua, we were the next generation in that church fulfilling a promise that the previous generation had been assigned to do but could not do. And like Joshua, He told us to be strong and to hold on to His clear promise for a spiritual inheritance. Like Nehemiah, we had heard the clear word of the Lord to arise and build. I believe He is saying the same thing to you.
Do you feel you need more strength? Strength is something you don’t come into it all at once. It’s something that you build one victory at a time. When you get a directive from God, you put your grip on that thing body, soul, and spirit, and put everything toward it. You go after it somehow, someway and you go after it every day. You have to have a mindset to not let go of God’s assignment even when it hurts. And you have to have your leadership muscles built, which takes time, to ultimately carry the end result. This is why the process is so important and this is why we have to be people who make no excuses to stop building.
No Excuses
I led our worship team for a season years ago and my most basic and obvious instructions were to never be late, to not miss a practice, and to always be prepared. I also told them that a headache or emotional upset was no excuse to skip scheduled service. I did that because I had a few leaders who were inclined towards such “excuses.” It was real to them, but I knew better. If I gave it to them, they would make use of it every other week. I took that excuse away to teach them that commitment to a goal means we endure pain. Is this extreme? For some yes. For builders who finish, no. It’s how we think. Too often people excuse themselves from their assignments because it’s too painful or too costly. Have you stopped short of God’s directive because of an “excuse?” We are a society that hates to feel pain! Only pain and discomfort come with the building process. Builders who finish don’t escape the pain but work through it and learn to work with it. This is how our character and integrity are built. A leader must be a person of high integrity. Integrity is more than just being honest. Integrity is staying sound and immovable under long and intense pressure. Are you feeling the pressure? Don’t lose your head over it. Keep building. Nehemiah kept building. He didn’t accept excuses. He refused to listen to the naysayers. He continued to progress through pain. And in 52 difficult days, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. This was utterly impossible, but with God all things are possible. Are you ready to arise and build? Then it’s time to be strong and make no excuses. And you too will eventually have your victory day.
Biography
Jennifer Eivaz is a minister and international conference speaker with a heart to equip the church in the supernatural and for raising up passionate and effective prayer. She is a content contributor for many online Christian publications, has been featured on several Christian television shows, hosts the popular podcast Take Ten With Jenn, and authored several bestselling books. Jennifer and her husband, Ron, co-pastor Harvest Church, now meeting in several locations – in addition to hosting a thriving online campus. They also have two wonderful children.
Jennifer Eivaz's Website: www.JenniferEivaz.com
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