January 21: Nehemiah 1:1-11 

What Is Revival? 

The NEED for Revival 

When in the course of human events there lies such a heavy sense of injustice and despair over the proliferation of evil and the failure of any forces for good or righteousness to carry the sentiment of the day, there remains only one answer: revival. This has been the experience of men and women throughout history, as the biblical record testifies. 

While thousands pray for revival throughout the world, in western nations few understand it, either its nature or its true effects. Yet western nations are presently experiencing a moral bankruptcy rarely, if ever, seen in our history. Spiritual life in the churches is the only answer to the free fall of our society. 

Kaiser Jr., Walter C.. Revive Us Again. Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition. 

 The DEFINITION of Revival 

• It is NOT just a series of religious services, although it may occur during those services 
• It is NOT just a renewed focus on evangelism and outreach, although these may be the result of revival

“Revival is the sovereign act of God, in which He restores His own backsliding people to repentance, faith and obedience”  

– Stephen Olford

“It presupposes that the Church is sunk down in a backslidden state, and revival consists in the return of the Church from her backslidings and in the conversion of sinners”

– Charles G. Finney

Revival is a reanimating of those who already possess life…. It revives spiritual life which is in a state of declension”

– C. E. Autrey 

A revival is a time when believers witness an extraordinary work of God enlivening, strengthening, and elevating the spiritual life and vitality already possessed, but which life is now in a state of decline and is feeble, mediocre, and dull in its outworkings. Revivals come as “times of refreshing from the Lord” (Acts 3:19)…

– Kaiser Jr., Walter C.. Revive Us Again . Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition. 

Some Thoughts about Revival 

• We pray for revival, but only God can send it. 
• God sends revival in response to certain conditions: humility, prayer, earnest seeking, repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14; along with James 4:7-10). 
• Revival is for the CHURCH; evangelism may come as a result, but the emphasis is upon God’s people returning to their first love. 
• When the CHURCH is revived, God will use her to change the world. 

January 20: Nehemiah 1:1-11 

The Plea for help (verses (10-11) 

When Nehemiah prays that God will prosper His servant (Nehemiah) and grant him mercy in the sight of this man (the king), he was offering himself to be used by God to be a part of the answer to his prayer. “Here I am. Use me!” Are you willing to offer yourself as a part of God’s solution? 

We often pray for God to answer our prayers, but I wonder if we ever consider that God may want to use us to answer our prayers. Now I realize that we don’t normally have the ability to answer our prayers, but we should consider that God may not only choose to use us, but through His Holy Spirit, He will enable us to do what He calls us to do. 

Whom would God choose to use? 

Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 

Because Nehemiah offered himself to God, God used him to remove the trouble and reproach of the people in Jerusalem, God used him to rally the people to rebuild the wall in record time and bring restoration in the spiritual and social life of the community. 

APPLICATION

Do you fit in the plan of God by these standards? Remember, God isn’t interested in what you can do for Him. He wants to put on display what He can do through people who will simply make themselves available to be used by Him. To God be the glory! 

Is the refrain of the hymn, To Be Used of God, the cry of your heart?

January 19: Nehemiah 1:1-11 

The Recounting of God’s promise (verses 8-9) 

The warning against disobedience had been given through Moses and reiterated by God’s prophets, but the remedy had also been specified (Leviticus 26:39-42). Christians are also promised pardon and forgiveness (1 John 1:9). What promises in God’s Word are you claiming? 

Promises, promises…. When we humans talk about promises, we mean anything from “maybe I will” to “I will do whatever it takes.” Some promises we have the ability to keep and some we don’t. Some promises we have the desire to keep and some we don’t. We keep some promises to benefit ourselves and we fail to keep others for our benefit. Promises in the world of humanity are uncertain. However, the promises of God are sure, certain, and unchanging. Because human promises are fragile and unsure, they are often accompanied by something or someone that will secure the fulfillment of the promise should the promise-maker or the promise-made fail. We use an oath to emphasize the seriousness of our promise and the assurance that it will be kept. God always keeps His promises. ALWAYS! God pledges upon His own character to keep His promise. To emphasize that fact, He swears by two immutable (unchangeable) things: His Word and His Oath. 

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Hebrews 6:13-19 

Nehemiah knew God’s Word: 

After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form — doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger —  I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.  
Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.  

Deuteronomy 4:25-27

He claims God’s promise: 

But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 

How do I know which of God’s promises are for me? 

APPLICATION

God has made promises to us, His people, and we have the privilege to claim those promises and expect Him to keep them.

For further study, see https://www.gotquestions.org/God-promises.html; also, you might consider the resource: God’s Promises for Your Every Need, Deluxe Edition, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2008. 

January 18: Nehemiah 1:1-11

The Confession of the sin of God’s people (verses 6-7)

The prayer acknowledges the depth and seriousness of the sin against God and identifies all involved, even the one praying. Confession begins with the recognition that we are a part of the problem. How have we contributed to the problem?

I am sure that many who have been following these prayers have grown weary of the repetition of these confessions. Nehemiah’s prayer is essentially the same one Daniel prayed 94 years before. Sadly, sin continues to proliferate and to do great spiritual harm, until God’s people cry out in confession. It was needed in Daniel’s day, it was needed in Nehemiah’s day, and it is still needed in our day.

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proveerbs 28:13, ESV)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1John 1:7, ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9, ESV)

Many Christian leaders today warn devotees that to continually confess sins is tantamount to cheapening God’s unmerited favor or, worse, mocking Him. Do they have a point, or not?

First, we should note that the apostle John urged his “dear children” in the faith—those who have been “forgiven on account of [Christ’s] name” (1 John 2:12)—to continually confess their sins (1 John 1:9). Far from cheapening God’s grace, confession purifies our hearts and restores the joy of our salvation.

Continuous confession brings with it the certain promise that God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Hank Hanegraaff’s Daily e-Truth, Christian Research Institute

REVIVAL IS NEEDED:

• When the Church cares more about what the world thinks than about what God’s Word says
• When Christians find it easier to sit on hard benches for hours to be entertained than to sit on padded pews for an hour of worshipping God and hearing His Word, in other words, when worldliness so captures the hearts of believers that we are consumed by our selfish desires
• When Christians value entertainment in their meetings more than edification and instruction, in other words, when there exists a serious decline in the church’s appetite for spiritual things
• When the Church is more concerned about finances than about ministry, more about attendance than about the salvation of souls
• When Christians see Bible study and prayer as optional in their lives rather than mandatory to their spiritual health
• When political discussions consume more time, attention, conversations, and emotions than the world’s need for Christ
• When Christians think that society’s problems can be solved by political and economic means rather than through moral and spiritual transformation
• When Christians desire the comfortable, the status quo, the familiar more than the passionate pursuit of the power, presence, and blessing of God
• When the Church is more committed to worldly principles, values, and solutions than to following Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, by faith into the uncharted territory of obedience, sacrifice, and service
• When there is more world in the Church than Church in the world; when we are more interested in getting our way than we are in making an impact on the world
• When more time is spent combatting apathy, indifference, divisions, and fighting in the Church than is spent in seeking to reach the lost
• When Christians have lost reverence for God, His gospel, and spiritual matters and trivialize Christianity by their lack of respect
• When wickedness triumphs in the culture while the Church sits by observing, seemingly helpless to counter it
• When Christians have lost their first love
• When sin in the Church is overlooked, excused, or hidden rather than dealt with through the Biblical principles of rebuke, correction, repentance or removal, forgiveness, and restoration (Church Discipline)

January 16: Nehemiah 1:1-11

The Concern (verse 4)

This verse summarizes a burden he carried for four months. Has God placed a burden on your heart for His people?

Let’s face it…It is tempting to see a world of need right around us and cut ourselves off emotionally, because the feelings can be overwhelming. I admire Nehemiah because he allowed himself to respond emotionally to the situation that was presented to him. He:

• Sat down—whether he fell back in his seat or took his seat, this was news he literally could not take standing up (I can picture him seated, leaning down with his head in his hands and grieving over the news)
• Wept—I know people who seldom cry, even if they are sensitive people. I don’t think Nehemiah was a “weeper”, but the dire situation brought tears. One can care deeply about something without crying, but the tears do speak volumes here.
• Mourned for days—actually, four months lapse between chapters one and two, when the king recognized that something was affecting Nehemiah visibly. This was more than a momentary feeling, but a burden he kept carrying and it would not be lifted until he was able to do something about the situation.
• Fasting—a spiritual discipline practiced by serious spiritual people throughout the centuries. This is not just about temporarily giving up food; this is about focusing on spiritual matters and signaling to the flesh that it is not in control of my life. When we say “no” to fleshly desires, we open the door to the Spirit.
• Praying—Communication with God is the solution to every problem, every need. The fact that this was Nehemiah’s first response rather than last resort is commendable. Nehemiah knew the importance and power of prayer. He understood the concept of “praying without ceasing.” His account notes numerous moments of prayer.

From everywhere the conclusion is reached that private, personal prayer is as a general rule neglected by those who call themselves believers. Many make no use of the privilege; they go to church, they confess Christ, but they know little of personal fellowship with God. Many do pray, but in a spirit of haste, and more as a matter of custom or for the easing of conscience. They cannot really testify to any joy or blessing from it. What is worse, the many who know something of prayer’s blessedness, confess that they know little about faithful, regular fellowship with the Father throughout the day as something that is as necessary as their daily bread.

Living a Prayerful Life by Andrew Murray.

• Before the God of heaven—The key to prayer is not just that we pray, but the one to whom we address our prayers. Nehemiah’s life was oriented toward God.

APPLICATION

What burden has God laid on your heart? If you have no burden, are you willing to allow God to place a burden on your heart? Note: a burden will spur you on to do something about that burden!

January 15: Nehemiah 1:1-11

The Circumstances (verses 1-3)

From my first encounter with the writings of Nehemiah I have been fascinated with his leadership, especially with his deep passion and concern for the people of God. He comes on the scene after a series of setbacks in Jerusalem. Around 538 B.C. Cyrus, king of Persia, issued a decree that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and Zerubbabel led a group back around 536 B.C. To understand the significance of these beginning words of Nehemiah we need to briefly review the historical background.

The situation the liberated captives faced is described in the Open Bible:

Their initial optimism upon returning to their homeland was dampened by the desolation of the land, crop failure, hard work, hostility, and other hardships. They gave up the relative comfort of Babylonian culture to pioneer in a land that seemed unproductive and full of enemies. Finding it easier to stop building than to fight their neighbors (Ezra 4:23-24), the work on the temple ceased in 534 B.C. The pessimism of the people led to spiritual lethargy, and they became preoccupied with their own building projects.

– Open Bible, Introduction to Haggai

To address this situation, God raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah in 520 B.C. to challenge the people to rise up and complete the rebuilding of the Temple.

““Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.”

(Haggai 1:2-5, ESV)

They did so and finished rebuilding the Temple in 516 B.C. But the poverty, desolation, and reproach under which the people struggled brought continuing distress. The situation was still prevalent in 445 B.C. when Nehemiah inquired about the conditions in Jerusalem.

APPLICATION

In thinking about theses verses, I realized that, just as Nehemiah had been involved in his life and career (as cupbearer and confidant of the king) and was unaware of the desperate need of God’s people, so, too, I often get caught up with the activities of life and am blind to the needs around me. And like the people in Jerusalem, I often find it easier to retreat to the comfort of the familiar than face the challenges of ministry that often seems “unproductive and full of enemies.” I pray that the Holy Spirit will keep opening my eyes to the needs around me and give me the compassion of Jesus, my Savior.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

(Matthew 9:36, ESV)

The dire circumstances of God’s people fueled the deep concern expressed by Nehemiah in these verses. Great affliction and reproach and no walls to protect or separate the people from danger caused great concern. Are my eyes open to the desperate situation or have I grown comfortable and complacent, seeking to build MY life rather than HIS kingdom? Do I need to consider my ways?

What dire circumstances do God’s people face today and how does God want me to respond? Pray about these.

January 14: Daniel 9:1-19

Living to Die or Dying to Live

Posted on May 11, 2016 by revdans

Between 40 and 45 years ago I was challenged to choose a life verse: a verse that would challenge, encourage and direct my life and, at the end, sum up what my life stood for. I somehow chose Philippians 1:21. I’m not sure what prompted that choice, but I am glad to say that, for me, it was a great one. I have been challenged by it, over and over again.

Early this morning while I was driving to work I heard a song that reminded me again of my life verse. See and hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obyCBevabGk. Performed by Sidewalk Prophets, it is called “To Live Is Christ”.

Philippians 1:21 (KJV)
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Perhaps a little background information would be helpful before I tell you why this verse is so important and special to me. The Apostle Paul, writing from prison in Rome to a supporting church in Philippi, opens his letter to them by explaining how the things that have happened to him recently, things that would seem to be harmful and hampering to his purpose to preach the gospel, have actually given him and others opportunity to share the gospel in a greater way. Certainly some people have used Paul’s imprisonment as an opportunity to malign his ministry and to seek to make a name for themselves and build up their reputation at his expense. He does not condone their motives but he rejoices that the gospel is being shared nonetheless. Then he presents his driving desire to the Philippians.

For to me

This is a personal choice. It cannot be made by another for me. It cannot be forced upon me. I have to decide what will be important to me in life. I have to decide what I will value, what I will pursue in life. The direction my life takes will be determined by that choice. The choices of my life will be influenced by what I decide to make my priority. I must choose wisely. Paul was confident in his choice, believing that, “according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed… .”

Christine Caine, in her book Unashamed, shares about the time she hurriedly and thoughtlessly caught a train she thought was heading into the city where she went to school, but discovered that it was an express train headed in the opposite direction far from the city. The distress and sickening feeling of heading in the wrong direction flooded her mind. But there was nothing she could do about it.

She concludes:

“When the train stopped, I rose, still numb from my mistake. When the doors opened I stepped onto the platform — and moaned aloud, ‘How did I get here?’ The stationmaster happened to be standing nearby. He looked at me with a grin and said, “Well, young lady, you got on the wrong train, didn’t you?”

How much time have we wasted by heading in the wrong direction. Can you imagine the sickening feeling that some people must experience, having reached the end of their lives realizing that they have been pursuing the wrong direction all along? Wrong decisions can be very costly.

Sin takes us farther than we planned to go, keeps us longer than we planned to stay, and costs us more than we planned to pay.

Just remember the saying, but not who said it

Five minutes after you die you’ll know how you should have lived.

— Leonard Ravenhill

To live is Christ

Paul puts it this way, “So now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” The I AM Second movement has it right. My life is not about ME! It’s not about what I can accomplish, how much I can earn, the experiences I can enjoy, the things I can do, the people I can know and who can appreciate ME. Living for Christ means living for others, because he himself reminds us that he came, not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45; John 13:15-16; Luke 19:10). Life is most rewarding and satisfying when it is lived with a focus on others and away from ourselves. A time came in Paul’s life when he found that the things that had motivated him and that he had been pursuing were a waste.

Philippians 3:7-8 (NKJV)
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ …

To die is gain

Paul’s dilemma was this: On the one hand, he wanted to be finished with this life, and all of its pain, sorrow, and trials. He wanted to be with Jesus, because that was “far better.” On the other hand, he felt the need to remain in this life to continue preaching the gospel and building up Christians. The Philippians and others “needed him.” Paul knew that the time would come when he would finish his course and receive the crown of righteousness laid up for him. He did not fear death, but welcomed it, knowing that it would initiate a whole new existence of eternal bliss.

Living to die or dying to live?

What are you living for? Have you chosen a life verse to challenge and encourage you? Some people simply live their lives trying to make it through each day with as little trouble as possible and acquiring as much as possible. They look no further. They are living to die.

Others are dying to live. They have renounced their selfish desires and pursuits to seek the will of their Master, Jesus Christ. They have found that in losing these selfish desires they have gained everything. They have found that the only life that matters and, in the end, the only life that offers real hope is a life lived in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

January 13: Daniel 9:1-19

Calling Sin a Mistake Is a Mistake

Posted on February 16, 2018 by revdans

mistake

noun

1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

2. a misunderstanding or misconception.

sin

noun

1. transgression of divine law:

the sin of Adam.

2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.

3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense:

It’s a sin to waste time.

Recently, I read the apology of the mayor of Nashville, TN about the affair she carried on with a member of her security detail where she said that she had made “a mistake.” After all, we are all human and all prone to make mistakes. I have made mistakes in actions. I have made decisions that I thought were wise and beneficial, only to discover that those decisions were poor ones because I didn’t possess all of the information I needed. I confess that I am not as proficient as my math teacher sister and have often made mistakes in calculations. My opinions are not infallible, so I have made mistakes there. Poor reasoning, carelessness, and insufficient knowledge as well as misunderstanding and misconception have all played a part in the many mistakes I have made during my 62 years of life. I certainly regret these mistakes and the consequences which have followed them.

However, when I hear people describe deliberate, premeditated, and serious breaches of morality and ethics as “mistakes” (as the mayor did), I bristle because it seems that they use it to minimize or excuse these breaches.

1 John 3:4 (WEB) Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

I think it is a mistake to call sin a mistake, because it seems that we are seeking to deflect the severity of our trespass and alleviate our guilt. We downplay the hurt and the consequences of our sin. We seek to excuse our wrongdoing by giving the impression that we didn’t know what we were doing, or that we didn’t realize the consequences. It’s not really our fault or, at least, not fully our fault. If you knew all of the extenuating circumstances, surely you would understand why this happened. But trying to blunt the reality of our sin and its consequences only keeps us from fully embracing the responsibility for our sin, deeply feeling the remorse for its hurt to us and others, and truly repenting of our sin and seeking to turn away from it. It also minimizes the price that has been paid for sin (Hebrews 9:26; Isaiah 53:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:3).

Embrace in one act the two truths–thine own sin, and God’s infinite mercy in Jesus Christ. ~ Alexander MacLaren

We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. ~ C.S. Lewis

Let us stop the progress of sin in our soul at the first stage, for the farther it goes the faster it will increase. ~ Thomas Fuller