It is one thing to make a confession a put all your faults on the table, but a completely different ball-game to cut a 
covenant that,’ you will endure a curse if you default on the agreement you’ve made.’ This was the case with Nehemiah and the returnees from exile. They argued that since God had been so good in allowing them to come back to his holy city; to build houses and live in them and to worship him in a place where the weight of his glory was evident, they would sign an agreement enacting a curse if they defaulted. Could you do such a thing? We are so fortunate that we live in the period of ‘grace’ since we are reminded that ‘grace was given to each of us as Christ apportioned it’ (Ephesians 4:7). However, are we to be so arrogant that we deceive ourselves and live in perpetual deception? No, God forbid! Since we are heirs and joint heirs with Jesus let us put away falsehood, remember the oath we took at baptism, ‘I will serve you until death’ and return to the Lord in repentance. It is only then that we will avoid the curses that await all those who turn their back on the king of glory. I want to be like Nehemiah and say to God, to the best of my ability I will serve you, keep your commandments and will remember to set aside one day every week to devote solely to worshipping you! And moreover, ‘I will not neglect your house O God’, Nehemiah 10:30b. Please read Nehemiah 10:37-39.
as we ask the question, can I ‘bind’ myself with an oath to follow the Lord?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Agreement, Confession, Covenant, Grace, Mercy, Weight of Glory
as we speak the word of faith as positive confession
One of my favourite scripture verses is takes from Romans 10:17 where the apostle Paul says this: “So Faith comes 
from hearing, that is, hearing the good news about Christ.” (NLT) And our faith will rise when we speak the words of Christ to ourselves. When a child hears a word that tells them they can, they generally do. And we are no different from the little child. We need to hear positive affirming words. So speak the word of faith to bring hope into all and every situation you face!
We come to realise then, that there are two types of confession, positive and negative. One brings bad news and the other good news. When we hear any news it affects us. For example, when we hear that we have been successful in an examination, we are elated and want to tell all those close to us. Similarly, when we hear that we may be suffering from a malignant disease, we can become withdrawn and lose the will to live.
Today the word to live by is this; speak words of life repeatedly to yourself, print them out, stick them to your wall and recite them. Place your faith not in faith, but in the giver of life. That is in Christ Jesus. It is he who has the words of life; it is he whose words raises the dead, heals the sick and causes the lame to walk. He said ‘My words are Spirit and they are life’ (John 6:63). Nehemiah understood this principle and shared it with all his peers. Positive confession starts with praising God. “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” (Nehemiah 9:5b-6); and ends in the name of Jesus. Negative confession start with a moan and end with how hard ‘done by’ you feel. Words are indeed powerful, so you chose the ones you receive in your spirit. Read Nehemiah 10:28-39.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Belief, Breath of Life, Faith, Fear, Fearlessness, Transcendance, Words
as we continue the confession/repentance/reparation process
One of the great things about confessing is acknowledgement of wrongs that we have done in the past and the wrongs 
our ancestors did. Many Christians still argue that we are not responsible for the wrongs that their ancestors did and therefore we should not confess on their behalf. I would argue that the wrongs done by our ancestors and the evil perpetrated on them has lasting effects and those effects are still in prevalent in operation today. The act of confession must precede repentance and repentance must occur before reparation can happen. The major problem faced by the scribe Ezra and the governor Nehemiah was getting the mindset of the people changed. So in the confession and worshipping process those leading this took the people back to where it all began. They spoke about the call of God on Abraham’s life. How his faithfulness led to God making a binding agreement with him (Gen 15:13) that He fulfilled 430 years after (Ex. 12). How he delivered His people from the grip of a ruthless slave master and gave them great wealth [the Egyptians gave the Israelite gold and precious items when they left]. And now this people who should be an example to those who served other gods were a disgrace because of their unbelief.
So should we as 21st century Christians repent for the wrongs our ancestors have done? Or do we just repent for our own wrongs?
Today, I believe that there is enough biblical evidence to suggest that we should repent, worship and praise on a regular basis. If we develop a theology of repentance we may never move on to true worshipping. Conversely, if we worship without first clearing the air in repentance we will never get the break through and see the glory of God. It is God’s mandate to be among his people, so let us make room for him to come and fellowship with us who heard him calling. Please read Nehemiah 9 again aloud, it is powerful.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Confession, Reparation, Repentance, Resolution, Restitution
as we break with the past and separate ourselves to the Lord
Ezra and Nehemiah started a process that touches the heart of God and if those principles are followed today then we 
will be able to change our communities for good. After identifying that the festivals the Lord instituted were for particular purposes and were designed to bring back the glory to his people, they became passionate about following them. To do this they had regular times of fasting and prayer which was prefaced by separating from those who did not know Yahweh or knew about the things that he did in the past. They also confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. “In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly” (Nehemiah 9:33). This sets the precedence for us breaking the effects of previous generations on our lives.
We must be reminded that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob always keeps his promises. Moses tells us that God visits the iniquities or the sins of the parents unto the children to the third and fourth generation. Alternatively, he pours out the blessings to a thousand generation to those who love him and keeps his commandments (Exodus 20:4-6). Ezra gives us a formula to break the generational curses that afflict us. We do this by repenting and confessing with fasting and prayer and then conclude with positive confession of what God has done, what he is doing and what he will do. Today we too can break the effects of past and declare the blessing from God over us and our families.
Read Nehemiah 9 and make a binding agreement with the Lord ch.9 v.38.
as we re-institute God’s calendar
As the days roll into weeks we can sometimes forget why God instituted certain festivals and then lose their 
significance. After going back to the word, Ezra the scribe read from the Law of Moses and explained how the people made booths. They then gathered leaves from the palm, the olive and the myrtle trees and made tents in their gardens and on their roofs to celebrate the time when their ancestors wandered in the wilderness. At that time God was teaching them to trust him as he provided supernaturally for them. However, like us today we soon forget the blessings and only focus on the times when we had no water or provision for tomorrow. By taking time out after completing the project of securing the people, Nehemiah and Ezra were reminding his people and future generations, that when God starts something he will finish it. The length of time it takes to complete it is dependent on the faith of those whom he has instructed to carry out his plans. When God ordains a thing, i.e. when he gives you a vision to do something, he will always supply the provision. This is because the God who brought his people out of Egypt is the same God who led them into the Promised Land. And when they forgot him, it was the same God who allowed them to go into exile. Now he was restoring them and it was up to them to restore the three major festivals, Passover, Booths and Weeks, to celebrate his provision. Today we call booths harvest or ingathering. This is when people bring the excess of their products to give away. God has a protocol and as we follow it he will show up supernaturally. The supernatural God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. When He gives the vision he will make the provision! He did it for Moses and for Nehemiah and he will do it for us today.
Read Nehemiah 8:13-18.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Expectation, Faith, Hope, Supernatural, Trust
as we get back to the future
One of the most important things in any individual’s life is to know that you are walking in step with the eternal spirit, 
Yahweh. Nehemiah heard from the Lord, built the wall around Jerusalem and encouraged people to settle in the fortified city. Now they needed to hear the word and remember what God had directed them to do in the first place, namely to be an example to those around them. So Ezra took the people back to where they started from, the word of God. Going back to the word should be the default position for everyone. Wherever God places you and whatever you have achieved, always go back and give him thanks on a regular basis. Ezra blessed the Lord for his provision, lifted up his hands bowed down his head before the Lord in obeisance and worship.
Today always go back to God in whatever situation you find yourself. Everything that starts and end with the word will succeed. In our busy lives remember to take a day off and enquire of the Lord about where he wants to take you.
Read Nehemiah 8:1-12.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Authority, Holy Spirit, Power, The word, Worship
as we complete the restorative process
After the foundation is laid and the walls are built, the restorative process must be completed. This is done by 
having the right people in the right places. Firstly, the gatekeepers must be appointed. These are the people who are on high alert and monitor who is coming in or is attempting to come in. The gatekeepers must be sensitive, alert and open to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Next to be appointed are the singers. These are people who attract and present an atmosphere for miraculous occurrences. The worshippers are crucial, as they cause the angelic presence to show up in the locality. As the praises to God are offered up, the scene is set to resemble heaven. In heaven there is constant worship led by the angelic singers who are constantly singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God the Almighty who was and is and is to come. You are worthy our Lord and God to receive glory and honour and power for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Rev. 4:8b &11. Finally the priests are appointed. These are the people who present the petition of the people to God. They have the people’s needs on their hearts. This was a part of Nehemiah’s job whilst he was restoring the physical walls of Jerusalem.
So today the order in which we do things is as follows:
Have people who know and monitor what goes in and out of your temple, through all the relevant gates: The eyes, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, your hands and feet.
Then have a melody in your heart at all times and
Finally present your needs to the father.
For Nehemiah total restoration was achieved and Jerusalem, the city of God was secured. We too can achieve total restoration.
Read Nehemiah 7:1-4, 70-73 & Revelation 4:1-11.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Completion, Gatekeepers, Holy Spirit, Priests, Restoration, Singers, Watchfulness
as our opposition pushes us towards God
There are many times in our lives when things are going well. It is at these times that we tend to spend less and less time with God because we are busy doing our own things. However, when we are faced with an impending calamity, or we hear bad news about our physical condition, or someone who is healthy and vibrant suddenly gets struck down, we take time out to seek God about it. Nehemiah faced these problems; his opponents were constantly trying to distract him and to get him to stop doing what God had placed in his heart to do. They sent letters (emails) (Ch. 6:2), they plotted to cause confusion among those who were builders (Ch.4:8), and threatened to kill him (Ch.6:10). However he took his eyes off his immediate problems and focused on God. He was able to complete the building of the wall in 52 days (6:15) and see the promises of the lord fulfilled in his day.
There will always be people who are sent to discourage you and who will guide you off the track that God laid out for you. There are those who will delay the purposes of God in your life by their antics. But like Nehemiah and Daniel after him, practice the spiritual discipline that God instituted, i.e. declare a fast, take your eyes off your circumstances and invite God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit into the situation and praise him for the victory the he has given you, even though you don’t see it yet. Like Nehemiah, we will face opposition from outside and inside (Ch.6:17), but when God decrees a thing it must come to pass. Read Nehemiah 6.
as we overcome oppression
It is only when God starts to show up that people starts to take notice of you. You were there all the time but as God’s plan begins to take shape in your life those who want you to fail arrive to tell you what you cannot do. Nehemiah was at that place (Ch 4&5), he started the rebuilding process, organised the work into manageable portions and envisioned the workforce to see the finished product. The wall was only build to half height and the schemers started to plot against them. Fortunately for Nehemiah and for us, if God is in the plan then it may be delayed but not thwarted. The enemies will come to discourage you but they will not succeed. Today, they will try everything to get you off track, but take your eyes off the situation and place them on God. Do not focus on the opponents because God will cause them to fight against each other and will give us, who are called and who follow him, great success. Expect a miracle today! Read 1Chrinicles 20.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Battles, Crossing Over, Faith, Focus, Looking to God, Opposition
as we work under duress, keeping one eye on the prize!
Working towards a goal tends to focus the mind. When we have a word picture of what we are trying to achieve it is more likely that we will achieve it. Nehemiah envisioned the people and reminder them of the splendour of the city of Jerusalem and the powerful presence of God that dwelled there under an open heaven. Like another exile, Ezekiel, Nehemiah wanted the glory of the Lord to return to a place where God had placed his name. Even when the opponents rose up to thwart the restoration process, the mindset of the people of God kept them going. Today the first task of the believe starts in their mind. Once the mind is focused, the building process can be accelerated and the strength of the people allowed to ‘rise’. Nehemiah tells us that the walls were built in quick time because ‘the people had a mind to work’, Nehemiah 4:6b. Get your mindset into building mode! read Nehemiah 4.
