Worship
“Ring and Robe (Welcome Home)” by Dante Bowe, featuring Naomi Raine
Scripture
“So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.
From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.” -Nehemiah 4:13-21 (ESV)
Building Together in Ministry
The Lord placed these words on my heart over the last week:
Find your people; find your purpose.
It’s a word for the Bride of Christ right now. We must know in this hour who we are building with and who we are fighting alongside. One of us may be holding a spear, shield, and bow over others while they build up the purposes of God for the display of His glory. Shoulder to shoulder we must stand so the enemy doesn’t have a crack to enter! We are preparing ground for the harvesters to bring home their sheaves. So many are coming! It’s harvest time!
“The kingdom of God is built with both a sword and a trowel, a sword to come against every spiritual force of wickedness in high places, and trowel to do the work of building up the people of God.” -David Guzik, Nehemiah 4 commentary
For the 200 who joined us last Friday for the luncheon, thank you for being present! If you missed Christina McCracken’s message, you can watch the video online. She talks about being under siege and living with a sense of urgency, throwing off lukewarmness and embracing this moment in history. I looked out at the tables of women, so many I deeply love, and believe that the remnant of revivalists are being mobilized in this hour to carry the fire of God to the nations. An army of sent ones is arising!
Learning from Nehemiah’s Example
When Nehemiah’s heart broke for Jerusalem, he was actually 800 miles away in Persia. Distance was not an issue when it came to carrying the heart of God. His heart broke for God’s people and God’s land. A remnant had returned from Babylon to go back to the Promised Land God had for them. Only 2% of them went home. The city of Jerusalem had been conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians, and the city sat so vulnerably with open gates and broken walls. It was about 100 years after God’s people returned home. They had tried to repair the walls 75 years prior but were stopped by their enemies. Defeat, discouragement, attack, and fear kept them vulnerable, stuck, and exposed—until one man stood in the gap for God’s people and His purposes and believed this was indeed the Promised Land for God’s precious people!
The Power of Prayer-Guided Leadership
Nehemiah had God’s heart first, and from that place he contended in prayer and intercession. He had spiritual jurisdiction to rebuild, and the favor of the Lord was upon him. Then God resourced him with everything he needed as he began to first build up God’s people. It took one fearless leader to rally God’s people to what was on His heart. Then it just took a remnant of God’s people (as we see throughout Scripture) to accomplish His purposes. And together they worked and prayed and positioned themselves against the fear of the enemy. And the Lord saw to it that the rebuilding of the walls happened in a miraculous amount of time.
Sisters, there’s a word for us today in this story. Nehemiah was a revivalist in his day—rallying God’s people to work and to stand, to armor up and to pray—in order to see the promises of God fulfilled. He could move forward with vision, favor, provision, and the covering of the King, but Nehemiah needed God’s people to also apply faith and action to see something supernatural take place. It’s imperative to surround yourself with people who are aligned with the faith and vision for this hour. We will inhabit, occupy, rebuild, and advance in lands that are ours for the taking. But who will go forward with you? Do you have people with faith to call you up when you are wavering? Do you have people with vision to lead you to places you have never traversed and to people you have never encountered? Do your friends call you to places of encounter with the Living God? Do you know the love and power of God because of those who stand with you? Do the people around you stir you to deeper worship of Jesus as you push out together into deeper waters?
“I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.” -Amos 9:14-15 (ESV)
“There is a fortifying and occupying that God is going to bring in this new era for many, and there will be great blessing and increase awaiting those who seek the Lord. There is a huge harvest waiting in these lands, and that’s why the battle has been so fierce for many. There will be new anointings, new mantles that will be walked in, waiting in these lands. The very thing that the enemy has used to try to take many of God’s people out in past seasons will become the new lands that they will occupy … .” -Lana Vawser, “I Hear The Lord Say ‘New Era’”
A Call to Biblical Community
Beloved, find your people, those who will draw you continually to the Lord. And find His purposes for you that He has planned for you before the foundations of the world! You don’t want to miss a moment to take hold of every adventure and assignment that He wants to place in your hands! Nehemiah’s assignment took place 800 miles from where He lived. (Yours could, too, or it could right in front of your nose.) Nehemiah told them to fight for their loved ones. They would fight in prayer and take their stand against the taunting enemy. They would fight together, for one another—not against one another. That is key to our crossing the finish line together. Keep on running, sisters, arm in arm!
“Find God, and once you have Him, determine to live the rest of your life in pursuit of His glory. As you touch Him, something will come alive in you: something eternal, someone Almighty!” -Francis Frangipane, “Holiness, Truth, And The Presence of God”
A Few Key Notes
- The last Zoom call to discuss my latest book “Revivalist Arise” will be this Friday at 10 a.m. CST. Join the Zoom call as we close out our 40-day devotional study together!
- We have a $50,000 match in place through December 31 to expand the Arise movement into 70 cities in 2022. You can give at www.eastwest.org/arisematch.
- Join us for these upcoming Arise events. Email me at [email protected] for details.
- Christina McCracken and I will lead a six-week study of the book “Revival 101” beginning October 13. Join us Wednesdays from noon-1:15 p.m. at The Hope Center. Cost: $25
- Mary Ethel Eckard will lead a session about writing your first book. Join us for this lunch session at The Hope Center on October 19 from noon-1:30 p.m. Cost: $25
- Kathy Gray will need another three-part dream class for Arise women. Come to The Hope Center at 7 p.m. on November 3, 10, and 17. Cost: $30
- Join us October 22-23 in Midland, Texas, as we share the hope of the gospel for Harvest Day. Email me at [email protected] for more details.
- Our Mountain Tops Weekend has moved to January 29, 2022. More details to come!
- We are now recruiting for an Arise short-term mission team to South America from March 19-26, 2022. Apply online to join the team.
