“Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 2:20).
TEXT — Nehemiah 2:12-20
Message
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, two-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom had this to say about tenacity: “The nose of the bulldog is slanted backward so he can continue to breathe without letting go.” This posture applies to Nehemiah whose commitment reminds us that in the race of life, momentum does not necessarily favour the majority. For a time, Nehemiah was a one-man squad facing up to a formidable army of determined detractors. However, he made up for what he lacked in numbers with hard work, focus, faith, planning, self-sacrifice, and an unshakeable confidence in God. He won the victory.
Nehemiah’s story is a salute to diligence. He was, clearly, not a believer in waiting till the ship comes sailing in; instead, he would swim out to meet it. He surveyed his challenges in the serenity and solitude of the night. Next, he mapped out a plan of action. Finally, Nehemiah rallied his beleaguered compatriots into massive action against the headwinds of the bitter opposition and the enemies’ withering mental and psychological attack.
When called up to tackle a seemingly daunting task, many buckle at the knees and fold up, but not Nehemiah. By the sheer force of his determination and clear-eyed leadership, he succeeded in rallying his countrymen to the restoration of Jerusalem after an extended period of desolation. The actual measurement of success is not merely in the achievement but in how many obstacles have been surmounted along the path.
You must not surrender your destiny into the hands of naysayers. They may come in different shades and colours, but no matter what, God must have the final say in your life. If you work hard and pray hard, failure will make you a hard nut to crack.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
Leave a Reply