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Nehemiah 2:1-20!

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  Introduction Nehemiah 2:1–20: Nehemiah asks Emperor Artaxerxes to permit him to go to Jerusalem. While there, he inspects the city’s walls and gates. Today’s Key Verse: Nehemiah 2:17b GNT [Nehemiah said:] “Let’s rebuild the city walls and put an end to our disgrace.” Read 2 One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before,  2  so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad? You aren’t sick, so it must be that you’re unhappy.” I was startled  3  and answered, “May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4  The emperor asked, “What is it that you want?” I prayed to the God of Heaven,  5  and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are bu...

Develop a Consuming Desire for God’s Word!

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  Develop a Consuming Desire for God’s Word Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2–3, NIV “ Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ” (1 Peter 2:2-3, NIV) Once a baby has tasted its mother’s milk, the focus of that baby’s life is to cry, “More! More!” The cry for more milk becomes the overriding desire of the baby’s life. The milk tastes good! The baby needs the milk if it is to survive and grow into a child and then an adult. Peter uses this metaphor to illustrate our consuming desire for the Word of God. The only way we will be able to grow up into mature believers is if we consume God’s Word. The Word of God must saturate our inner person if we are to be effective witnesses for him. By ingesting our “spiritual M&M’s”— m emorizing and  m editating on the Word of God—we can grow in him. When we begin to uncover the riches in the Word of God, we become hooked. “ It is impossible for th...

Nehemiah 1:1-11!

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  Introduction Nehemiah 1:1–11: Today begins a twelve-day reading from the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was originally one book with Ezra, continuing the account of the Jews’ return to Jerusalem after the city’s destruction and decades of exile in Babylon. The people undertake a project to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and commit to worship and remain faithful to the God of Israel. Today’s reading introduces Nehemiah, a Jew of high rank in the Persian court as a trusted personal servant to Emperor Artaxerxes. Hearing about conditions in Jerusalem, he weeps and prays for the people. Today’s Key Verse: Nehemiah 1:5 GNT [Nehemiah prayed:] “LORD God of Heaven! You are great, and we stand in fear of you. You faithfully keep your covenant with those who love you and do what you command.” Read 1 This is the account of what Nehemiah son of Hacaliah accomplished. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, was in Susa, the capital city....

Sharing in God’s Secrets!

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  Sharing in God’s Secrets Scripture: Psalm 25:14, NIV “ The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. ” (Psalm 25:14, NIV) Imagine it! The Lord actually confides in those who fear him. Not only that, but he also shows them his covenant. This means he shows them his favor. What are we willing to do to experience the favor of God? When we become acquainted with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, all kinds of wonderful things happen. We become friends with God, and friends share secrets along life’s way. The same is true in our relationship with God. He reveals many of the mysteries of the kingdom as our relationship develops with him. “ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory ” (1 Corinthians 2:7, NKJV). The apostle Paul continued by saying, “T hese are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a per...

Starve the Negatives!

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  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8, NIV Starve the Negatives The enemy roars threats, trying to bring fear and cause you to shrink back, to live doubting, insecure, and unworthy. But if you quit feeding the biggest, strongest lion for a week, his roar will be a growl. In two weeks, the king of the jungle is not going to have the strength to attack. In a month, he’s too weak to get up. If you quit feeding him, he loses all his power. In the same way, fear, worry, and doubt can seem too powerful to defeat. But if you quit feeding the negatives, if you quit letting them play in your mind, they will get weaker and weaker. You’ll get to the point where they can’t control you. Every time doubt or fear comes, that’s the roaring lion trying to deceive, manipulate, and limit. It’s your choice of whether you will feed it. Do yourself a favor and start starving those things. They lose all their power ...

Be a Winning Team Player!

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  Be a Winning Team Player Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6, NIV “ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ” (1 Corinthians 2:6, NIV) Fans of the winning team become really pumped up, yelling and waving their arms. Those of us who practice  Kingdo m of God are not only fans of the winning team, but we are also players on the team—and it is always exciting to be on the winning team! The Bible explains to us God’s plan for the ages and generally how it is going to end. He also reveals how we can be significant players on his winning team. Not only that, he gives us the opportunity to invest our time, talent, and treasure in this huge salvaging operation to save humankind. He even promises an immeasurable return on the the investments made on his behalf. The crazy “wisdom of this age” and the “rulers of this age” are coming to nothing. For this we are truly grateful, since they...

A Mighty Fortress!

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  The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1, NLT A Mighty Fortress Where would we be without the mercy and protection and goodness of our God? How can we thank Him enough for all the times when we could have suffered harm and danger, for all the times when He has spared us from all kinds of fear, heartache, and pain? He knows there are times when what comes against us is too much for us, too powerful, too strong. On our own, the sickness, the loss, the setback would overwhelm us. That’s when He steps in. The Scripture says that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God raises up a barrier. When the enemy attacks, when trouble catches you off guard, the Lord is your fortress, protecting you from danger. He is your light and salvation. He’s looking out for you. You can live in peace. You can stay at rest. You don’t have to face this on your own. The reason we g...