Helping to Build

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church life, encouragement, encouraging others, helping each other, helping others, helping people, how to encourage, how to help each other, how to serve together, mentoring, nehemiah, protecting each other, serving together, ways to help, weaker Christians, Zephaniah

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Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

I love the book of Nehemiah. There is so much goodness in it. The leadership of Nehemiah, the teamwork of the people, the enemies getting stronger but God’s people steadily plodding to build the wall anyway, all the prayers and encouragement throughout the book and of course the strategy…I love it all.

When I came across Nehemiah 4:6 a while back, I focused on “for the people had a mind to work”. After all, that’s usually what pastors preach about, isn’t it? This time though I was asked to look at how smart Nehemiah was to build all the wall to its half way point. My devotional leader Kelly Minter said, “So instead of completing the sections that were easily coming along and leaving the more difficult chunks for later, they decided to get the whole wall to the halfway mark. This may have meant leaving certain portions that were well-along in order to fill the gaps that were leaving vulnerable holes. It was better for the whole wall to be shored up, even though incomplete, than to have fully built sections here and there while others lie disconnected. This feels like divine wisdom to me.”

It felt like divine wisdom to me as well and I couldn’t help but think about people within our churches. Each church has people who are great at “wall building”. They just seem to be able to pray and trust and have the kind of faith everyone desires. They build great walls of protection around their loved ones through prayer, standing firmly on God’s Word and depending on the Holy Spirit. Through years of pressing in to Jesus they have faithfully built their section of the wall.

Others are more vulnerable. They haven’t gone through as much faith testing. At times, they’ve trusted in things besides their Lord. They sometimes forget to pray when an attack comes. They may not have as much Scripture memorized and they often forget to rely on the Holy Spirit. Their wall still has gaping holes where the enemy can easily penetrate.

Nehemiah 4:6 tells us the smart thing to do is to come together and help each other build the whole wall until all the sections are joined. We may not understand why their section isn’t further along, but we are still called to help.

The people of Jerusalem knew they were still vulnerable if any section of the wall was crumbling. Just because their section was finished, they realized in order for everyone to be safe all the separate walls needed to become one, big wall.  That’s just being smart. That’s wisdom. How many times have we heard that we are only as strong as our weakest link? It’s true. It’s also true that our church is only as strong as the wall of protection around it.

There are many people in our churches who need help building. Many people are still too vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Their foundation is barely started and they need help.

Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of teaching. People need to know the basics of building a strong foundation through prayer and Bible study, but they also need a side by side mentor that helps teach them the building process.

Others in our churches once had a magnificent wall, but sin, tragedy, or just the pounding of life has reduced it to a crumbling mess. We need to be faithful to help those dear ones clear the rubble away and rebuild. Christian counseling may be needed, forgiveness is often required and the clearing away of lifestyle choices can often help the rubble to be gone and the rebuilding to occur. This takes time and effort. A fresh build is much more exciting than the clearing away of old debris, but it often takes rebuilding the old before the whole wall can be strong once again.

Then there are those who are building for all they are worth, but need our protection. This is especially close to my heart right now because we have some friends who are being hit from every side imaginable. It’s not quite Job, but it’s getting there quickly. We need to be especially vigilant with these precious wall builders. Our wall is doing okay in the moment, our wall is standing strong, but our sweet brothers and sisters are being beat to death by the enemy. They are trying to build, they are trying to learn, they are trying to keep the faith, but the fiery darts keep hitting their backs over and over again. They can’t build because they are too busy defending.

Later in Nehemiah 4, Scripture tells us that in order for the wall to be built and joined together, guards had to be stationed. Some would build and some would guard. Those building had their sword at the ready as well, but they knew someone else was guarding, so they were able to focus on building and not be as distracted. They were encouraged to keep building because their fellow wall builders were taking the time to protect them.

Imagine that…guarding each other so everyone’s section of wall can be built. That’s beautiful. That’s what we need to do for one another and Nehemiah is a beautiful picture of Zephaniah 3:9. This is what it says, “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”

Serving shoulder to shoulder. That’s what it’s all about. Protecting each other and helping each other to build no matter what task that may include.

So, who in our churches needs to be guarded?

Who can you hold your sword up for today?

I’ll admit I look at my half built wall and think, “I still have so much work to do.” The sad fact is we will always have work to do. Our walls will never be finished completely, but God has called us to protect each other, to help everyone get their wall to the halfway point, to join all our walls together and become less vulnerable from attacks by the enemy as a whole church fitly joined together (Ephesians 4:16).

That’s a wonderful picture isn’t it? Building and guarding. Building and guarding. Building and guarding. Loving each other like the family we are. Praying together as a true army and lifting our swords not just for ourselves, but even more readily for those around us. Let’s take the example in Nehemiah and make it true today. Let’s build, help, protect and love as we are called knowing that the vulnerable places in our brothers and sisters will become our own if left in a state of rubble. Knowing that building together is the only way our churches will be strong. Knowing that without the Master Builder we would all be lost. Knowing that our walls will never be perfect, but that fellow believers are raising their swords for our protection and we are raising our sword for theirs.

Beautiful! Absolutley beautiful. Now, let’s get out there and actually do it.

My Story          Seeking Hearts Ministries

 

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Am I Trying to be Egypt?

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advice, bearing one another's burdens, burdens, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotional, devotions, encouragement, family devotions, God, helping others, helping people, soliciting advice, strength

As I was reading in Isaiah yesterday, I found a little treasure. You actually have to be in the KJV to find it. In chapter 30 of Isaiah the prophet is foretelling the tragic tale of an enemy approaching Israel. Instead of going to God, they go to other countries to make alliances. They trust in things that appear to be powerful, but hold no true strength. One of those countries is Egypt and when we get to verse 7, it says, “For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, their strength is to sit still.”

Their strength is to sit still.

Who is this talking about? Is this referring to Israel, or Egypt? Most commentators believe Isaiah is talking to Egypt. So, why would Isaiah tell Egypt that their strength is to sit still? Why would he tell them not to help Israel?

I thought about the many times I have tried to be someone else’s strength. It hit me how many times I have tried to be someone else’s Egypt. I’m not talking about someone who truly needs my help in a physical sense that God is calling me to encourage. I’m talking about people who come to me for advice, or a word from God. Instead of getting on our knees together, I puff up arrogantly (in my own mind) and decide that I can help. After all, I am a pastor’s wife, a homeschooling mom of two incredible boys, been married for over twenty years, a student of the Word, etc. etc. etc. That’s not exactly what I’m thinking, but you get the point. It’s expected of me to have a solution, so I panic a little and decide I must figure things out! I have to be someone’s strength. Just like Egypt in the book of Isaiah, instead of turning them to God, I get caught up in trying to fix things for them. I decide that I need to figure out how to protect them instead of leading them to their only true Protector.

I not only do this with people who solicit my advice, but also with my children and husband as well. People who would never ask for my opinion! Can you relate?

Isaiah 30:1-2 says, “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!”

I am discovering that I have allowed people to trust in my own shadow and not the shadow of the Lord. Psalm 17:8 says, “…hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” That’s what God wants for us and those around us. He wants us to be under His shadow, His protection.

Psalm 18:1-2 says, “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” That’s what God wants for us. He wants His strength to be permeating every detail of our lives… not us trying to be each other’s strength and salvation. He is the Rock. We are not.

Psalm 57 is another great Psalm that teaches us to cling to our God. That’s the kind of stuff we need to be sharing with people, not earthly wisdom that according to Isaiah 30:7 will have no purpose and no lasting value. In other words, we are wasting everybody’s time (ours included) if we aren’t leading them to Jesus.

Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  That’s our job. Not to be the rock, but to lead people to it.

Instead of frantically trying to fix things for everybody, let’s choose to sit still before our God. Isaiah 30:15 tells us that our strength comes when we are quietly confident in the Lord. If we are running on fumes, maybe it’s because we are trying to be Egypt for someone. Maybe we are trying to be someone’s strength when all we are called to do is sit still in His presence and bring others to that same place.

When people come to us, let’s help them, but let’s help them by showing them, teaching them and leading them to rest before the Lord in order to seek Him, hear Him and know Him.

Let’s stop trying to be Egypt.

My Story

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Guilt or God?

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assumptions, Good Shepherd, guilt, guilty Christianity, helping others, sheep, wisdom, wolves, wolves in sheep's clothing

A really odd thing happened to me the other day. As I was writing a blog about being God’s light where you are, having a passion for others and that kind of thing, my doorbell rang. There stood a teenage boy and his small sister asking me about trimming my trees. They wanted to know if I could pay them to clean up my yard. It was in the middle of a school day, my dog was barking to beat the band and there stood a boy and his sister asking me about my lawn. To say that things didn’t feel right would have been an understatement.

As I was speaking to him, I thought about human trafficking issues that I have heard about in regards to children coming to your door. I also thought about the fact that they should have been in school and wondered if I should call someone. In a moment of complete honesty, I would have to say that I even thought, “Would you please leave so my dog will shut up.” Yeah, if you haven’t guessed it by now, my spiritual gift is not mercy, but the whole situation was just really strange.

When I turned down the offer to have my yard picked up, things got weirder. I won’t go into any more details, but the boy kept asking me about things and I just kept saying, “No”. At this point, it was so strange that I even thought about calling the police. Things just didn’t add up. Even the way they were standing seemed calculated and just a little “off”.

They eventually left and I sat back down to my computer to finish writing about sharing Jesus. As you can imagine, the guilt was strong. Here I was writing about having a passion for others and a few moments before I couldn’t wait to get a couple of strangers out of my yard. I sat at my computer and asked God if I should have helped. I almost got up and ran after the strangers, but do you not what He said? He said, “No.” As clear a voice was in my spirit as I have ever heard from Him. The guilt was still really strong and so I kept asking and He kept saying the same thing, “No.”

As I mulled the situation over the next few days, I remembered Matthew 10:16. It says, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” God’s Word tells us that we are sheep among wolves. The sad part is many wolves look just like the sheep. That’s why we must be so close to the Shepherd that we can hear His warning to flee, or His admonition to help.

Sheep are not naturally wise. They are a little too trusting at times and so are we. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him.” We need to ask God for wisdom daily and in every situation that comes into our lives. We need to be armed with the wisdom of God in advance.

The sad truth is that the world thinks the church is stupid and oftentimes they are right. Some individuals truly need help and we need to help them. We are called to help them (Mark 9:41), but others simply view the church as a piggy bank. We have been entrusted to do God’s work with God’s resources and we need to be wise.

So, I’m not giving you an excuse to be selfish and not use the resources that God has given you to help individuals in need. But, I am saying please be wise. Please never assume that a person needs help because they appear to need help. Remember that in Joshua chapter nine the children of Israel were tricked into taking care of people that did not need to be taken care of. God wants us to be wise and not let our guilt rule us. Satan knows that Christians are commanded to help those in need. Don’t think that he won’t stoop so low as to manipulate us into situations that are not of God.

So, please pray today and ask for the wisdom that only God can provide. Don’t be scared either. Yes, there are many wolves, but there are many precious sheep as well and as long as we stick close to our Good Shepherd He will tell us the difference.

Seeking Hearts Ministries