6 Life Changing Lessons from the Book of Nehemiah
In the book of Nehemiah, a Jewish man receives a calling from God on his heart to go and rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem, that had been burnt down and were lying in ruins. At the time, Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king and had never had any experience in rebuilding walls. He prayed to God for forgiveness of the sins of Jerusalem, and asked for God to bless him with favour and success in the task ahead. He was so determined to do what God had placed on his heart that he boldly approached the king and asked for the king’s favour in allowing him the time to rebuild the walls, to help him travel safely to Jerusalem and, even to use wood from the king’s forest for the construction. God’s shield of favour surrounded Nehemiah as he called on the priests, Levites and others to help him rebuild the city walls. Opposition came against them and their enemies tried to defeat them, but through it all, Nehemiah placed his trust and faith in God and he led his people to stand firm against their enemies. With the strength and blessings of God, they were able to fully rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore hope back to their people and the city.
Throughout our lives and, our own personal walk with the Lord, there will be times that we feel Him calling us to do something that He puts on our hearts. God has plans for each of us and He wants to work with us to accomplish His will on Earth. Just like the calling Nehemiah felt from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, the Lord will prompt us to follow Him as He guides us to His purpose for our lives. Nehemiah was a bold, courageous man of God and he never gave up on what he felt God was asking him to do, no matter what came against him. He persevered, asked God for help and stood firm in his purpose. There are many principles we can learn from the book of Nehemiah about becoming successful and having victory in our lives and these are the 6 lessons I connected with most:
1. Follow Your Calling
Just like God prompted Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore the city, He will place dreams on our hearts and call us to follow certain paths in our lives too. A lot of the time God calls us to do something that feels too big for us to achieve, or something that we aren’t qualified to do. God wants to work with you and through you to achieve those dreams. With God, all things are possible.
The reason the Lord is calling you higher and stretching you out of your comfort zone is to teach you to lean on Him and to grow your faith in Him. Choose to follow the calling God has for you and let Him amaze you with what He does. Don’t let fear or anxiety stop you from living the best life He has for you. Just like God favoured and blessed Nehemiah and equipped him to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem, He will guide you, help you and equip you to accomplish the dreams He places on your heart. Everything we do and achieve is all because of the talents and anointing God gives us and He deserves all the glory of every success and victory we will ever have.
2. Be Bold
As soon as Nehemiah felt called to repair the walls of Jerusalem, He approached God in prayer, thanking Him for His kindness and compassion. He boldly asked God to help him be successful and for God to give him favour with the king. Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. He didn’t have a title or ranking, but he knew God was with him. He was so confident that God would help him and surround him with favour that he bravely asked the king to let him go to Jerusalem to restore the city walls. He also asked for the king to write letters to the leaders of the land to let him travel safely to Jerusalem and, asked to use wood from the king’s forest for the restoration of the walls, too.
Nehemiah was determined to do what God had prompted him to do. He didn’t let fear keep him from being bold. The king showed favour to Nehemiah and gave him everything he asked for. Nehemiah also found favour with the Jewish community around the city. They all worked together to repair the walls that were in ruins and helped Nehemiah achieve what God placed on his heart to do. Because he wasn’t afraid to step out in faith and placed all his confidence in God, Nehemiah was able to rebuild the walls and restore the city of Jerusalem.
When you trust in the plan that God has for your life and you have faith that He will bless you with success, He will surround you with His favour like a shield. He will send resources, people and open doors to help you, in His perfect timing. Be bold and follow the dreams that God places in your heart. Ask him to help you be successful and to find favour with people and watch as He does amazing things for you and through you.
3. Fight the Good Fight
When they found out Nehemiah and his people were rebuilding the city walls, the king’s men and nobles became very angry and started mocking them, calling them feeble and saying that they would never be successful in repairing the walls. Nehemiah heard them and responded by praising God, saying God would give them success.
Nehemiah 2:20
I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore, we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.”
This made the enemies even more angry and so they planned to fight and attack the Jewish people to make sure the walls would stay in ruins. Nehemiah heard about this, prayed to God and set up a defence line against the enemies. The Jewish people didn’t let the plans of the enemy stop them from fulfilling what God had asked them to do. They were committed to rebuilding the walls, holding a sword in one hand, to protect them from their enemies, and continued working on the walls with the other.
When the enemy knows that the work you’re doing in your life will glorify God and build the Kingdom of heaven, he will plan attacks against you to try stop you from achieving the good plans of the Lord. Declare Nehemiah 2:20 over your life and receive the success God has for you. Arise and build. Fight the good fight of faith, holding the Sword of the Spirit in one hand and continuing on with the work God has for you with the other. Don’t let the enemy get in the way of your victory in Christ. Fight and defeat the plans the enemy has to stop your God-given purpose, in the mighty name of Jesus!
4. Stand Firm
If the enemy can’t stop you with fear and intimidation, he will try stop you through distractions from other people and situations that don’t matter. The enemy works through other people to stir up trouble, fear and strife in our lives.
In Nehemiah chapter 6, the enemies sent a messenger to try and trick Nehemiah, asking him to leave Jerusalem and meet with them. They also said they would send a report to the king that Nehemiah was trying to appoint himself as the king of Judah. Nehemiah’s enemies were trying to intimidate him and stir up so much fear in him that he would stop his work on the walls of Jerusalem and stop the purpose that God had for him. Nehemiah was not afraid and he stood firm through all of this, believing that God would protect him and help him. He asked for God to strengthen him so he could complete his work. When the enemies saw and heard about the wall of Jerusalem being fully repaired and restored, they lost their confidence, because they knew that God had helped Nehemiah and the Jewish people accomplish their purpose.
When you feel under attack from the enemy, and people are coming against you, don’t be discouraged, or intimidated, and don’t let fear stop you from accomplishing your dreams. Stand firm and trust in the Lord your God, because He is good. He loves you and cares for you. The Lord is our rock and our refuge and He protects us from any harm. He is faithful to help us finish the work and purpose He has called us to do!
5. God will Fix the Broken Things in Your Life
The walls of Jerusalem were lying in ruins along with the spirits of the Jewish people. The Holy city walls had been burnt down and destroyed. God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild and repair the walls and return Jerusalem to its former glory. God worked through Nehemiah and the people he led to accomplish His will to fix the broken walls in only 52 days, even with enemies coming against them from all sides.
Nehemiah 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God.
In the same way, God knows the areas of your life that feel broken and burnt down. We all struggle with things in life and we all face trials and challenges, but don’t let worry or fear keep you from repairing and rebuilding. Just like God sent Nehemiah to repair the city walls, The Lord will send people, resources and help to restore the broken things in your life. Jesus is the Living God and He will work good in all things, bring restoration and make all things new. Trust Him to provide and care for you, even when things seem messy and broken in your life. He’s got you!
6. Celebrate and Be Joyful
When the walls had been completely rebuilt and the city of Jerusalem had been restored, people moved back into the city. Nehemiah was chosen to be governor of the city and the priests and Levites returned to read the Book of the Law of Moses to the people, translating it for those who didn’t understand. Ezra the priest said to the people, “And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.”. The Jewish people praised God, gave Him thanks, asked for forgiveness and celebrated His goodness. They held a celebration for seven days and listed all the ways the Lord had been good to them, and to those that came before them.
Nehemiah 8:17
And there was great rejoicing and celebration.
When you overcome trials, experience breakthroughs and achieve successes in your life, celebrate! Praise God and thank Him for His goodness! We need to take the time to celebrate our wins in life, small or big, because it reminds us that we didn’t do it alone. God was with us through it all and will be with us through everything we will ever face. Celebrating His goodness and blessings in our lives helps grow our faith and trust in Him as our Heavenly Father. Rejoice and let the joy of the Lord strengthen you, because He has given you victory!
When God places a calling on your heart that seems unreachable, follow Him. Just like God helped Nehemiah accomplish his dream of repairing the walls of Jerusalem, He will lead you and help you. He will send resources and help for you to repair walls that need to be restored and to accomplish the dreams that are in your heart. Remember to stand firm when opposition comes and to fight the good fight of faith, because the enemy will try and discourage and distract you. Finish well and don’t give up. God will lead you to victory and there will be great rejoicing and celebration in your life, just as the city of Jerusalem celebrated, as His good plans for you become reality.
If you need some extra motivation to help you follow the Lord’s calling for you, this YouTube video by Joyce Meyer will teach you How To Rely on God’s Strength, Instead of Your Own, just like Nehemiah relied on God to help him defeated his enemies and repair the broken walls of Jerusalem.
