“In a world ravaged by sin, restoration and renovation are ongoing projects.” -Dr. David Jeremiah

When we make the choice to follow Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are restored into right relationship with God. But restoration does not stop there. There is ongoing restoration and renovation that needs to be done throughout our lives. In Nehemiah we see principles that he applied to the rebuilding of a physical structure, as well as a group of people, and it is also easy to see that those same principles can be used to continually restore and renovate our spiritual lives.

But YOU have to do it.

1. CONCERN

Neh 1:4a

When you come to the place where there is realization that your spiritual life is in disarray, it should cause you to come to a place of concern. This is not about worrying. What I am saying is that it should be concerning to us when our walk with God is not headed the right direction. God has a plan for us but we allow sin and the enemy and life in general steal and destroy that plan so we just come up with a backup plan that is close enough. Nehemiah felt concern for something he had only heard about. He had never been to Jerusalem. He had never seen what the city looked like. He had never with his own eyes seen the wall around the city. But when he heard these things about the state of things, he sat down and wept.

When is the last time God talked to you about the state of your life and it caused you concern? When is the last time God called you to do something or stop doing something and you just sat down and wept, not because you had to change something but because you realized you hadn’t yet changed it and it caused you concern? If YOU are going to build the spiritual life that God has planned for you, you have to come to the place where you are CONCERNED with where you are at now.

2. CRY OUT

Neh 1:5-11

Once concern is on the radar the next step is always the same. Cry out to God. Nehemiah does not play around. He cries out to God. And he makes it very clear that he is not trying to sugar coat things or make excuses or blame or pass judgement. And he continues to pray and continues to pray. And he keeps it up day and night for four months.

When you begin to cry out for something that is in line with what God wants, don’t stop. Continue to cry out. Continue to pray. Continue to ask Him. And if you don’t get an answer right away, continue to cry out to Him until He tells you to stop. If YOU are going to build the spiritual life that God has planned for you, you have to CRY OUT continually.

3. COURAGE

Neh 2:1-5

Courage is about doing what you know needs to be done, even when you are scared to do it.

Nehemiah was afraid.

See when God points out something in your spiritual life that needs changed and it causes you CONCERN and then you CRY OUT to Him, you are still going to need a lot of courage. Because whatever it is He calls you to do is not always going to be easy. Sometimes it will be the hardest thing you have ever done. We are not talking about going somewhere are rebuilding a wall here. What if what He is calling you to is to forgive that person who really messed up your life? What if He is calling you to give some of your time or resources to help others? What if He is calling you to pray for those who you have judged in the past? Whatever it is, it is going to take courage.

Nehemiah is afraid but he trusts in God and has courage to ask the king not only to let him go rebuild the wall but that the king would also send letters for safe passage as well as all the materials to get the job done. Talk about courage!!

If God calls you to do something, have courage. Because as you walk out His plan for your life, you will be successful. If it is God’s plan and you are following it, you will succeed. GOD wants you to take territory in your spiritual life. Have courage. He is with you. He will not leave you. If YOU are going to build the spiritual life that God has planned for you, you have to have COURAGE to do what God has called you to do.

4. CONFIDENT

Neh 2:17-20

Once we hear from God about the state of things and it causes us CONCERN.

And then we CRY OUT.

And then we have COURAGE to do what needs to be done.

WALK IN CONFIDENCE.

Speak things into existence. We need to do away with the negative self-talk. This isn’t about naming and claiming something. This is about speaking positively. It is about affirming who you are in Christ. It is about speaking over and over the praiseworthy deeds of our God. It is about giving Him credit for every good thing in our lives and not allowing the enemy to tell you that you are anything less than a child of the one true KING. If something in your spiritual life needs rebuilt or restored, have confidence that God will give you all you need to make that happen. Just like through the king, God gave Nehemiah all he needed to make it happen. If YOU are going to build the spiritual life that God has planned for you, you have to have CONFIDENCE in what He is going to do.

The bottom line is this; God wants to do some restoration in your spiritual life. Let’s be those who not only allow Him to but actually proactively take part in the process.

-Pastor Dale