Rebuilding the Walls of a Nation

The king could tell by looking at his servant's face that he was troubled. At that time it was a death sentence to enter the king's courts in that manner. Yet the king regarded his servant. After all, he was his cup-bearer and was willing to die so that the king could live. Many times Nehemiah drank from the king's cup to ensure the king’s safety. The king would never be poisoned because Nehemiah's job was to lay his life down for the king.

It is this quality that caused a humble layman to take action. Laying his life down for others was his job, but now it would become his calling. Nehemiah's distress and angst over the crumbling walls of his nation became his mission. Not knowing what to do, he starts by being an intercessor. He simply starts by repenting for the condition and sins of his nation; this is the same quality we see in our intercessor Jesus. We see Christ knelt in the garden praying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). Before Jesus could ever become our sacrifice he had to be willing to drink of the King's cup. God will never give us authority over any area we are not willing to lay our lives down for. Like Esther, Nehemiah knew that favor came from having an intimate relationship with the King.

The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord! That's why Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is at hand!" The heart of God is always extended towards us. God has always meant for us to rule and reign with him. He has made us an extension of his authority and dominion through Christ. Just like Jesus we are seated in heavenly places, and like Nehemiah we are able to be intercessors before our King. God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things in this hour. We need to remember that Nehemiah wasn't a priest or prophet; he was a layman. He was what some people would consider a blue-collar worker. Yet God used one man who dared to believe God to bring revival to a nation. God will always use the one to influence the many! In this hour, God is looking for the Martin Luther's, Esther's, Nehemiah's, Daniel's, Deborah's and others who will take a stand for their nation.

Recently in Germany, a woman found out that they were going to invite an Imam to recite prayers in the church that was dedicated to the famous Protestant founder Martin Luther. Not sure if she should go or what she would do, she drove an hour and a half to the church where they were having a concert. The whole purpose of the gathering was to get Christians to accept the Muslim faith. As she stood in the balcony, Heidi Mund was stirred by holy anger and exclaimed, "Jesus Christ alone is Lord of Germany," and shouted, "I break this curse." It was her distress that the walls of her nation were now being breached by an encroaching religion who is presently responsible for killing Christians worldwide that moved her to action. It was her brave efforts that have made the video go viral. In her interview with CBN News, she was asked if she was worried about becoming a target for Muslims. "Many people ask me, 'Are you afraid of the Muslims?' And I can only say, 'No, I'm not afraid of them,'" she told CBN News. "I know my God, the living God of the Bible can protect for me for as long as he wants. When my time is over, I will go to him." She was escorted out of the church.

There will always be opposition whenever we do something for God, especially if we take on the task of rebuilding something the enemy has torn down. The enemy becomes furious when we become serious; this is what happened in Nehemiah's time.

"But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” (Nehemiah 4:1-2)

The devil will always mock the idea of our task of rebuilding. He will first attack our identity. Remember what he said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God..." He will also mock our ability, "Turn these stones into bread!" However, if you really want to know what makes the devil nervous it is the offer of sacrifice. Sanballat is a type of the devil. He asked, "Will they offer sacrifices?" Why does this make the devil mad and worried? Sacrifice restores relationship in the Old Testament. Jesus is our sacrifice. In the New Testament, sacrifice is the ultimate act of love. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13

This sacrificial love is what Nehemiah was walking in. He was willing to gain favor with the king, to be mocked by others, and ridiculed for rebuilding the walls to his nation. He, of course, could not do this alone; he needed help. He needed people who were willing to have tools in one hand and weaponry in the other hand. He needed people who would fight to rebuild the walls and gates that had been burned down. Not only did Sanballat mock their ability, but he also said this, "Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” Here is a prophetic word that came to me regarding this:

What made you burn in anger in the last season will make you burn for God in this season. The devil has provoked God's people long enough, and now he has pushed the envelope. Without knowing it, the devil has provoked us unto love and good works. The fire of the last season will be used as fuel for this season. See, when you burn something it ignites quicker. It is actually a survival technique. You burn a char cloth and save it for later so that it can be used for fire. God has saved what was burned in the last season to start a fire! Be encouraged because God is going to use the ashes of what remained in your life to light His fire! You are an ember that is ready to be sparked!

See, God is going to raise up Nehemiah's in this next season, and they are going to revive the burned out stones and take up humanity from the ash heaps of rubbish to build up the walls of America. The Lord can revive his church in one day and undo the destruction of generations! Nehemiah's army of workers rebuilt the walls in 52 days. Church, we need to stop looking for pretty cut stones. All around us is the rubble of burnt up humanity, laying around in piles, waiting to be picked up. Are you willing to dig into the piles of burnt, charred, and broken humanity? Jesus was. Maybe you are one of these burned out stones and have barely survived the last few seasons of testing. The Bible calls us living stones!

1Peter 2:5 “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Burnt or not, God is going to use what the enemy has done to this generation to ignite us and cause us to burn for Him! We may not realize this, but we are standing before the water gate! If we just allow our worship and prayers of repentance to go up before God, we will find ourselves standing before the audience of the King. The walls of God's holy standards will once again be erected in our nation, and the floodgates of revival will burst open washing away the ashes we once stood in.  

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

Let's look at Nehemiah 8:1-4

“Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”

Look at where they were standing; they were standing in front of the water gate! Church, you are now in a season of rebuilding. God is looking for Nehemiahs and skilled workers to rebuild the walls of nations. Just like that German woman, he wants his people to declare, "Jesus is Lord over this nation,” and “we break every curse that speaks contrary!" Though people may mock our efforts, at what seems like a feeble attempt of a few people, we have something in our hands, “We have letters from the King and His favor to rebuild the walls of our nation once again!" May the watergate break open in Jesus name! Amen!

Get Your Prayers Answered!

One of the biggest complaints I quite commonly hear among Christians is that their prayers are not answered. While there may be many reasons our prayers not being answered, there are times that we fail to recognize when God does. For example I had a friend who prayed to be married for years. He had gotten a girl pregnant and the girl truly loved him. He didn't find her attractive but she was a terrific mother and would have made a great wife. Before long she moved on and she got married. He was very upset! All he would do is complain about how someone else was raising his child. She waited quite a few years on him but he was caught up in indecision and being picky about her looks. She was actually a good looking gal. I ran into him years later, he was still alone, single and wishing he could be in his daughter's life full-time. Unfortunately, he failed to recognize the gift God had brought into his life and missed out on his blessings. His expectations were way out of the boundaries of being reasonable so he did not receive what he was believing for. I hate to say but this happens more than we think. We fail to seize the moment or enter into the doors God opens. We start to put unreasonable expectations on God.

A good example of a an unreasonable expectation is to believe for a young beautiful looking spouse when we are old and mediocre looking. The truth is many people believe for things in their flesh because they have been looking at far too many magazines. Most people do not look like Hollywood stars my friend. For instance, you might be entertaining mental fantasies that has created unreasonable expectations of your mate. You may be missing out on someone who is already in your life willing to love you but your are too hung up on an ideal that no one can live up to. Our selfish desires sometimes cause us to miss out on our answered prayers!
Another way you can miss your answered prayer is if you think you are too good for a job, a person or an opportunity. Pride will keep you from receiving from God. It isn't realistic to believe for something you can't afford. I knew a brother who refused to get a used car even though he was on a budget and instead wanted a new one off the lot. The most expensive one! Well the money came and went with no car. I knew another Christian who lost a job opportunity because they decided to make unreasonable demands for a salary. The employer never called back. You have to know when you are in a position to bargain and when you are not. Perhaps you are believing for a house when you don't have a job to make the payments. You may get what you prayed for but then not have the money to make the payments. We can't allow presumption to cloud our reasoning. God wants us to operate in wisdom. We must count the cost of every relationship, purchase, decision and hear God's voice in every matter. Faith may get us what we want but wisdom will help us keep what we received by faith.

Believe it or not unrealistic expectations caused the Jews to miss their Messiah. The Jews could not receive their king because they were stumbled at the fact that Jesus was looked upon a everyday blue collar worker. "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him." Mark 6:3 They couldn't get over the fact that they knew him and the town he was from. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:45-46 They were expecting a Moses or Elijah and expected to be delivered from the hands of the Romans. They expected Jesus to overthrown the Roman government by force like Joshua or David but Jesus came to establish a kingdom that could not be seen. When the time came and Jesus was crucified they thought all was lost. They rejected Jesus as their savior because He did not meet their expectations.

This can also happen in spiritual relationships when people create unreasonable expectations of people in leadership. The truth is they couldn't possibly live up to the expectations they place upon others themselves. They expect every call, e-mail, or glance to be acknowledged or they get offended and leave the church. The problem with that is that they are probably missing out on something God had for them but they were never were around to receive it because of offense. There are people that literally wander around for years without anyone to speak into their lives and mentor them because they continually find fault with those over them. They want God on their own terms and on their own time. It doesn't work that way. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

In fact not being able to make to make up our mind, being hesitant, fearful, or expecting way too much are all signs of being double minded. Which really means that we are of two mindsets. The bible exhorts us this way, 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-7 Instability is caused by our lack of faith or double mindedness it causes us not to receive what we prayed for.


Not only can we miss God's answer to prayers because of our expectations are not reasonable but also because our expectations are too low. Perhaps we are asking God for a job with benefits and weekends off but then take a job that works us on the weekends with no insurance. Little did we know that the next call would have been our dream job but we failed to wait for it. Our unbelief can cause us to settle for less. Our desperation can cause us to be hasty.. We can't act out of desperation we need to move in revelation. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Yet, it happens all the time we get so impatient with the process of waiting that we jump ahead of God. I wonder how many people got married to the wrong people because they jumped in the sack before really waiting on God for the answer? I had a friend who desperately wanted to get married. He didn't care to who; he just wanted to be married. Well finally a girl complied and she ended up abusing him. Before long they divorced and I never heard from him again. He was the sweetest guy you could ever meet but he settled for less. How is God going to answer your prayers if you aren't willing to wait? "What are you believing God for?" What do you want? It is ok to be specific within reason.

Here is a great example from my own life. I was looking for a car and was a place of desperation because the car we were driving was breaking. We went to a car lot, quickly began the contract and went to get the money. We never signed anything they were still getting the car ready. My husband could not get peace. We called for prayer and the Pastor encouraged us not to be hasty but wait on what we really wanted. We felt embarrassed but we decided to go up the street to another lot. There it was, a natural gas car that my husband always wanted. We knew right away that we wanted it. It was what we waited for. I am so glad that we listened to the lack of peace we were feeling it saved us hundreds of dollars in gasoline. If we take the time to listen to God and wisdom we too can have our prayers answered.
You might be thinking, shouldn't someone do what they said they would do? It is better to back out of your commitment than to make a longtime mistake. We can't allow pressure to cause us to make detrimental choices. We can't ignore the red flags and sirens going off just because we don't want to look bad. Never ignore the red flags. I don't care if you already planned the wedding and caterers. God will do what he can to warn us but we need to take the time to hear Him. We can't allow ourselves to be people pleasers. We also can't be indecisive or hesitant because like I mentioned before we will miss out on God's answer for our lives. You may be asking God for a promotion but because you are hesitant to ask your boss for it you miss out on the favor God has for you.

Also, many people pray but don't follow through with their part. You have to put feet to your prayers! You can't expect to become wealthy by sitting at home without a college education, without trying to look for work or at least allowing God to prosper you through witty inventions or creative ideas. For some reason many Christians believe that somehow if they mystically put their money in the basket every week that they will automatically prosper. God's word says he will bless the work of our hands but that means you have to work. It seems like everyone wants to live off the gospel now or days. However, more than ever Christians are needed in the marketplace like places of government, medicine, education, entertainment and etc. I always hear about this wealth transfer that will supposedly come from the world. That my friends will happen when Christians leave their pews and start cooperating with God's plan to take over areas of influence. God has called us to take dominion over the earth. If you read the bible you will see God always raised up leaders among his people. Daniel, David, Solomon, Esther, Joseph and Moses were in key government positions. They were the decision makers of their day. Deborah was a judge and the general did not go to war without her! Abraham was a wealthy real estate tycoon he just needed an heir. God loves to bless his people but his people need to rise up to action.

Just to recap on how to get your prayers answered:
1. Set reasonable expectations by setting attainable goals. People don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.

2. Don't lower your expectations; God can do great things! Don't be hesitant, fearful or allow self doubt. This is unbelief and double mindedness. You will never reach solid ground in your life if you allow your mind and emotions to rule you.

3. Don't wait around for God to do everything rise up to action! Don't expect others to do things that you can do for yourself. Be proactive in what God has shown you.

4. Don't be afraid to change your mind if you have made a mistake. Please God not men!

5. Remember to get wisdom and revelation from God he is the best consultant you can ever find. Also, find people who provide good counsel to be sure you are hearing from God.

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

6. Get involved and cooperate with God. Believe it or not you can miss out on God's will if you sit around and do nothing. All his promises are conditional upon obedience. "If" "You" then "I" "Will."

7. Always know that God has the best in mind for you so never get tricked into believing anything less.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life" Psalm 23:6

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

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Prophecy: Cold Hearts In Days Ahead

Jesus prophesied long ago "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."
Matthew 14:11-12

      It will be that many will turn away from sound doctrine, follow false teachings and will fall into deception. The increase of sin in the church and poor example that they see in leadership will so disappoint real believers that some will walk away. They will start to question what is real because it will be hard to tell what if God and what is not. Many will grow cold in their faith and love towards God. We are seeing this now in record numbers. However Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved!" In other words it is not a guarantee that you will make through unless you decide now that you will guard your heart will all diligence and endure the testing that is coming ahead. We will have to keep our hearts from offense, keep ourselves connected to God and be sensitive to the Spirit of Truth. My friends, we have no time to spend on frivolous activities for in the coming days ahead perilous times will come and we need to prepare now so that we may have the endurance to overcome. Endurance comes with resistance and training. Don't be dismayed that you are being resisted now because that is what is going to build your spiritual muscle. These circumstances may feel heavy but Jesus is helping you carry the weight until you can lift it yourself in prayer. In this season it will become very important that we pray for one another and strengthen each other. There is no room for petty strife, vain arguments and false accusations. We will need to stand together AS ONE!

Overcoming Apathy and A Defeated Mindset

The meaning of Apathy in the Greek apatheia, from apathēs without feeling, from a- + pathos emotion
1 : lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness 2 : lack of interest or concern : indifference

One of the things that plague the body of Christ more than anything is apathy. What I mean about apathy is our lack of interest in prayer or evangelism. Go ahead, call a prayer meeting at church and see how many people show up. Ask the local church to go out on a weekly basis to win the lost and few faithful members will show up. Tell everyone you are having a potluck and people will show in masses. We live in the fish and loaves generation. As far as diligence goes the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses have us beat.

So what happened between the early church and today's church? What did they have that we don't? They were being threatened, beaten and dragged to jail; yet no one could keep them from sharing their faith. They would spend hours and days praying for the Holy Spirit to pour out. They spent a lot of time in fellowship being of one mind, one heart and shared all things in common. Now or days it's difficult to get churches to agree to participate in an evangelistic event. Just recently I talked to a brother that had gone to a group of pastors to ask for support in his evangelistic event but they just simply told him "it was too soon." In other words, we aren't going to help you. This my friends are apathy at it's best. Don't bother me about the lost souls of this city. I'm having a potluck that same day. I am being cynical but you know what I mean. For those of you who think I'm being critical just think about the last time you had a problem and you told your fellow Christians in your life about it. Did they offer to pray and fast for you? Did they stop what they were doing and minister to you?

The main point I'm trying to make is that it's hard to get Christians to pray. There is an overall apathy when it comes to prayer. I really think that this has to do with the philosophy of Determinism that has infiltrated the church. This is a secular philosophy.
This is how it is described:
Determinism necessarily entails that humanity or individual humans may not change the course of the future and its events (a position known as fatalism); however, some determinists believe that the level to which human beings have influence over their future is itself merely dependent on present and past.
Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

1. A flawed perception of the consequences of exercised free will, ignorance, and forgetfulness.
2. That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible. ^[1] This belief is very similar to determinism.
3. That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end. ^[2] This belief is very similar to compatibilist predestination.
4. That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar to defeatism.

So when we don't pray it's because deep down we have a fatalistic view of our world and believe that our resistance to the inevitable is a waste of time. If all events have been predetermined then why bother to pray. This is why I believe why there is so much apathy in the church. We don't believe that our prayers will change the outcome of our circumstances or God's dealings in this world. Determinism has only disguised itself as submission to sovereignty and covered up for our unbelief. This is why many of us don't pray for the sick or the people we feel God is judging. Yet, Abraham prayed to stop the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. He was able to spare a few people through his intercession. Jeremiah wept and pleaded with Israel to return to God. James 5:15 Elijah was a man with like passions but he ended the drought in the land through prayer. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not fail even though he knew Peter would betray him. The Godhead is in constant intercession for us. Why would they do this if the outcome of our life can't be changed? Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Like many of you I had that same mindset but this scripture broke that over me.
Joel 2:12-14 ¹² “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD,

“ Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him—

Brothers and sisters it's never too late to turn around the circumstances in your lives. It's not too late to shake things up before his return. Let's get rid of this apathetic, fatalistic, defeated attitude that has kept the church from being the true salt in this world. Let's rise up to the influence and blessing that God has always intended his church to be in this world.

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.jazizgutierrez.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living