Psalms 69:5 Salmos 69:5
"Dios, tú conoces mi insensatez,
Y mis pecados no te son ocultos.” RVR 1960
“O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.” NKJV
How painful it is to have a friend and master who knows everything, yes, everything about you--and how wonderful. There are no secrets between a man and the Creator. God does not chose a leader and then later find out he is afraid to speak. God knows all of our weaknesses, and all of our failures. And yet He still calls us--knowing what we are.
How great His mercy is for me, that He would find something in my foolishness to glorify His name. And because of this, I do want to glorify His name.
Now that I know I will be heading back to the United States--to a place where I can actually communicate with people I don’t know--I want to talk more about what my Savior has done for me.
Lord, please give me a boldness to speak the words that You give to me.
Friday, January 20, 2012
His Wonderful Works
Psalms 107:9 Salmos 107:9
"Porque sacia al alma menesterosa,
Y llena de bien al alma hambrienta." RVR 1960
“For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” NKJV
Once we were all lost, wandering in an endless desert searching restlessly for a meaning and a purpose. But everywhere we traveled our thirst grew, our hunger gnawed violently at out insides. And all the while He was there, beckoning us to come home.
Once we begin to follow our Lord, our Savior, on His path, we do find that our longing soul is satisfied, and our hunger is replaced by goodness.
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
And so I, too, should give thanks. My application is to spend more time meditating and praying about what I am thankful for that the Lord has been gracious to give or to show me in my life.
"Porque sacia al alma menesterosa,
Y llena de bien al alma hambrienta." RVR 1960
“For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” NKJV
Once we were all lost, wandering in an endless desert searching restlessly for a meaning and a purpose. But everywhere we traveled our thirst grew, our hunger gnawed violently at out insides. And all the while He was there, beckoning us to come home.
Once we begin to follow our Lord, our Savior, on His path, we do find that our longing soul is satisfied, and our hunger is replaced by goodness.
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
And so I, too, should give thanks. My application is to spend more time meditating and praying about what I am thankful for that the Lord has been gracious to give or to show me in my life.
Songs in a Storm
Psalm 107:28 Salmos 107:28
"Entonces claman a Jehová en su angustia,
Y los libra de sus aflicciones." RVR1960
“Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.” NKJV
“Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.” NKJV
I don’t know what else to say about this verse except that I’ve been there--quite recently. That storm came so quickly I could not comprehend it. I saw the heights of the waves and the depths and my mind was truly at it’s wits’ end.
But immediately, before anything, the problem was brought before the Lord--the God of the universe, who knew it would happen before the foundation of the world.
It is crazy for me to think of how God had my back during the whole ordeal. I don’t know if it was his amazing grace and foresight to design a shock reflex in humans, or his amazing grace for me that I did not feel any of it. He truly is good.
And He has even had me preparing for this moment ever since my first year of highschool. Throughout my teenage to adult life I’ve had migraines. These miniscule tempests used to ravage a day, leaving me on my knees shaking or in the dark praying the pain would go away. God taught a weak Christian many things through those trials.
First, that no matter how bad it was, He was always with me.
Second, that even though there was pain, and it sucked, He knew everything that was happening and He had a plan for it.
Third, that even though He knew it was happening, He wanted me to come to Him with the problem, and so I did finding out the fourth thing.
That God wants relationship.
After some time, I realized that these times of trials brought me closer to God than any other part of my life. I would lay in the dark singing whatever songs of praise I had in my memory to take my mind off the pain and put it in Christ, my faithful savior, my Lord, and my God.
One of the first songs I memorized for that purpose, the one that for some reason was always easy to find in a muddled mind, was How He Loves Us. That song took on a whole new meaning for me last Saturday.
The words of the song are as follows.
“He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath, the weight of His wind and mercy
And all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful you are,
And how great your affections are for me.”
That day, I felt love like a hurricane and was about as powerful as a tree. Yet in the midst of the storm those afflictions truly were eclipsed--completely blocked out--by his unfathomable glory.
I feel bad when those storms come in the midst of others, because my reaction will always be to sing praise to my God and King as He has been teaching me to do for so many years. But in spite of this setback, I do wish to commit more songs to memory--in order to combat the storms that take all night to endure. God has given me this tool, and I need to make it as effective as I can.
By the end of this week I want to have one new song memorized.
Shadows -- David Crowder Band
Life is full of light and shadow
O the joy and O the sorrow
O the sorrow
And yet will He bring Dark to light
And yet will He bring Day from night
When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We remember the cost
We rest in Him
Shadow of the cross
"Entonces claman a Jehová en su angustia,
Y los libra de sus aflicciones." RVR1960
“Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.” NKJV
“Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.” NKJV
I don’t know what else to say about this verse except that I’ve been there--quite recently. That storm came so quickly I could not comprehend it. I saw the heights of the waves and the depths and my mind was truly at it’s wits’ end.
But immediately, before anything, the problem was brought before the Lord--the God of the universe, who knew it would happen before the foundation of the world.
It is crazy for me to think of how God had my back during the whole ordeal. I don’t know if it was his amazing grace and foresight to design a shock reflex in humans, or his amazing grace for me that I did not feel any of it. He truly is good.
And He has even had me preparing for this moment ever since my first year of highschool. Throughout my teenage to adult life I’ve had migraines. These miniscule tempests used to ravage a day, leaving me on my knees shaking or in the dark praying the pain would go away. God taught a weak Christian many things through those trials.
First, that no matter how bad it was, He was always with me.
Second, that even though there was pain, and it sucked, He knew everything that was happening and He had a plan for it.
Third, that even though He knew it was happening, He wanted me to come to Him with the problem, and so I did finding out the fourth thing.
That God wants relationship.
After some time, I realized that these times of trials brought me closer to God than any other part of my life. I would lay in the dark singing whatever songs of praise I had in my memory to take my mind off the pain and put it in Christ, my faithful savior, my Lord, and my God.
One of the first songs I memorized for that purpose, the one that for some reason was always easy to find in a muddled mind, was How He Loves Us. That song took on a whole new meaning for me last Saturday.
The words of the song are as follows.
“He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath, the weight of His wind and mercy
And all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful you are,
And how great your affections are for me.”
That day, I felt love like a hurricane and was about as powerful as a tree. Yet in the midst of the storm those afflictions truly were eclipsed--completely blocked out--by his unfathomable glory.
I feel bad when those storms come in the midst of others, because my reaction will always be to sing praise to my God and King as He has been teaching me to do for so many years. But in spite of this setback, I do wish to commit more songs to memory--in order to combat the storms that take all night to endure. God has given me this tool, and I need to make it as effective as I can.
By the end of this week I want to have one new song memorized.
Shadows -- David Crowder Band
Life is full of light and shadow
O the joy and O the sorrow
O the sorrow
And yet will He bring Dark to light
And yet will He bring Day from night
When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We remember the cost
We rest in Him
Shadow of the cross
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A Day Devoted
Nehemiah 9:3 Nehemías 9:3
"y asumieron así su responsabilidad. Durante tres horas leyeron el libro de la ley del SEÑOR su Dios y en las tres horas siguientes le confesaron sus pecados y lo adoraron." NVI
"And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God." NKJV
They came before the Lord humbly and covered with dirt. The people confessed the failings of their fathers and their own failings. Then for three hours the read the Word of God. Then for the next three hours they confessed and worshiped.
The World English Dictionary says to worship is to "treat... something as deity: to treat... something as divine and show respect by engaging in acts of prayer and devotion."
And we are blessed by being able to see the prayers they gave up to God during this event. The prayer starting in verse five and going on to the end of the chapter has a few parts. It begins with praising God and pretty much running through what is in the early scriptures. That he created the heavens and the earth, Genesis, the calling of Abram, and the journeys of the Israelites. Then they confess the sins of their fathers and His continual righteousness. Finally they end with a confession of their struggles (starting in verse 36) and the solution they found in His Word. They reaffirmed the covenant--they wanted to follow the law.
What a beautiful day for the Israelites. Truly it was a day that was blessed for it brought them back to their knees--it brought them back to God's will for their lives. What a beautiful day this would be to have in our lives. What if we could have a day like that in our lives? What would that look like?
If we could start the morning off in humility, coming to the Lord with our sins laid bear so that our pride does not push us away. What if we could spend three hours simply reading the Word--the living Word of God. And then we could spend the next three in honest prayer with God.
I used to wonder how anyone could pray for hours on end. But now as I come to know Jesus more I wonder how I ever prayed so little. It is good to note that in the Israelites' prayer 95% of it was praise and a statement of who God is. Statements of His faithfulness and goodness. If I don't have enough instances in my own life to say about His faithfulness for three hours (which I am sure I do) then I have a whole bible to turn to for more examples. Example which will no doubt be fresh in my mind considering I just read it for three hours.
The last part of the prayer is important to note as well. As the time of devotion ended they brought it back to the application--like we do in these blogs. Six hours spent with the Lord--if the experience was genuine--I can guarantee He will have convicted you of something, and He will have shown you something you can change in your life.
So what's my application. Well, I'm sure you can guess that I want to do this. Six hours is a big chunk of time to come by, but my next true day off I am going to do this.`
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
"y asumieron así su responsabilidad. Durante tres horas leyeron el libro de la ley del SEÑOR su Dios y en las tres horas siguientes le confesaron sus pecados y lo adoraron." NVI
"And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God." NKJV
They came before the Lord humbly and covered with dirt. The people confessed the failings of their fathers and their own failings. Then for three hours the read the Word of God. Then for the next three hours they confessed and worshiped.
The World English Dictionary says to worship is to "treat... something as deity: to treat... something as divine and show respect by engaging in acts of prayer and devotion."
And we are blessed by being able to see the prayers they gave up to God during this event. The prayer starting in verse five and going on to the end of the chapter has a few parts. It begins with praising God and pretty much running through what is in the early scriptures. That he created the heavens and the earth, Genesis, the calling of Abram, and the journeys of the Israelites. Then they confess the sins of their fathers and His continual righteousness. Finally they end with a confession of their struggles (starting in verse 36) and the solution they found in His Word. They reaffirmed the covenant--they wanted to follow the law.
What a beautiful day for the Israelites. Truly it was a day that was blessed for it brought them back to their knees--it brought them back to God's will for their lives. What a beautiful day this would be to have in our lives. What if we could have a day like that in our lives? What would that look like?
If we could start the morning off in humility, coming to the Lord with our sins laid bear so that our pride does not push us away. What if we could spend three hours simply reading the Word--the living Word of God. And then we could spend the next three in honest prayer with God.
I used to wonder how anyone could pray for hours on end. But now as I come to know Jesus more I wonder how I ever prayed so little. It is good to note that in the Israelites' prayer 95% of it was praise and a statement of who God is. Statements of His faithfulness and goodness. If I don't have enough instances in my own life to say about His faithfulness for three hours (which I am sure I do) then I have a whole bible to turn to for more examples. Example which will no doubt be fresh in my mind considering I just read it for three hours.
The last part of the prayer is important to note as well. As the time of devotion ended they brought it back to the application--like we do in these blogs. Six hours spent with the Lord--if the experience was genuine--I can guarantee He will have convicted you of something, and He will have shown you something you can change in your life.
So what's my application. Well, I'm sure you can guess that I want to do this. Six hours is a big chunk of time to come by, but my next true day off I am going to do this.`
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Law
Nehemiah 8:9-12 Nehemías 8:9-12
"Y Nehemías el gobernador, y el sacerdote Esdras, escriba, y los levitas que hacían entender al pueblo, dijeron a todo el pueblo: Día santo es a Jehová nuestro Dios; no os entristezcáis, ni lloréis; porque todo el pueblo lloraba oyendo las palabras de la ley.
Luego les dijo: Id, comed grosuras, y bebed vino dulce, y enviad porciones a los que no tienen nada preparado; porque día santo es a nuestro Señor; no os entristezcáis, porque el gozo de Jehová es vuestra fuerza.
Los levitas, pues, hacían callar a todo el pueblo, diciendo: Callad, porque es día santo, y no os entristezcáis.
Y todo el pueblo se few a comer y a beber, y a obsequiar porciones, y a gozar de grande alegría, porque habían entendido las palabras que les habían enseñado.”
RVR 1960
“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard to words of the Law.
Then he said to them, ‘Go on your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’
So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’ And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” NKJV
Upon hearing the burdensome law, the Israelites wept. The book of the law (which I am guessing was Leviticus) is long and intricate. Not to mention expensive to keep properly, and dangerous to cheat. I can understand why they would be distressed. But the Levites and the priests put everything back into perspective for them. Yeah, the law was tough, but they were serving and rejoicing in a God who just freed them from slavery once again and restored their walls and security. They were serving the God who created the world--why shouldn’t they rejoice?
I think I get into the same type of wrong mindset from time to time. I lay down, after a long day of struggling with sin and I think of all the years that could be ahead of me and I wonder if every day will be the same. Every day filled with failure. Never meeting God's best for me.
It takes the realization that I am serving such a great Master to pull me out. I should have no reason to mourn when I have the love of Jesus.
I need to spend more time in prayer, contemplating who my God and my Father is and getting to know Him more.
"Y Nehemías el gobernador, y el sacerdote Esdras, escriba, y los levitas que hacían entender al pueblo, dijeron a todo el pueblo: Día santo es a Jehová nuestro Dios; no os entristezcáis, ni lloréis; porque todo el pueblo lloraba oyendo las palabras de la ley.
Luego les dijo: Id, comed grosuras, y bebed vino dulce, y enviad porciones a los que no tienen nada preparado; porque día santo es a nuestro Señor; no os entristezcáis, porque el gozo de Jehová es vuestra fuerza.
Los levitas, pues, hacían callar a todo el pueblo, diciendo: Callad, porque es día santo, y no os entristezcáis.
Y todo el pueblo se few a comer y a beber, y a obsequiar porciones, y a gozar de grande alegría, porque habían entendido las palabras que les habían enseñado.”
RVR 1960
“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard to words of the Law.
Then he said to them, ‘Go on your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’
So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’ And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.” NKJV
Upon hearing the burdensome law, the Israelites wept. The book of the law (which I am guessing was Leviticus) is long and intricate. Not to mention expensive to keep properly, and dangerous to cheat. I can understand why they would be distressed. But the Levites and the priests put everything back into perspective for them. Yeah, the law was tough, but they were serving and rejoicing in a God who just freed them from slavery once again and restored their walls and security. They were serving the God who created the world--why shouldn’t they rejoice?
I think I get into the same type of wrong mindset from time to time. I lay down, after a long day of struggling with sin and I think of all the years that could be ahead of me and I wonder if every day will be the same. Every day filled with failure. Never meeting God's best for me.
It takes the realization that I am serving such a great Master to pull me out. I should have no reason to mourn when I have the love of Jesus.
I need to spend more time in prayer, contemplating who my God and my Father is and getting to know Him more.
One Focus, No Distractions
Nehemiah 6:3 Nehemías 6:3
"Así que envié unos mensajeros a decirles: «Estoy ocupado en una gran obra, y no puedo ir. Si bajara yo a reunirme con ustedes, la obra se vería interrumpida.»"
"So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?'" NKJV
Nehemiah said this to people who wanted to destroy him and to destroy the work the people were doing. Perhaps, by the Holy Spirit, he knew this. Perhaps not. The fact of the matter is he considered his priorities. He knew where God wanted him to be--leading the people to rebuild--and nothing aside from the will of God was going to take him away from that.
It should be the same for us. When we are blessed with the assurance that we are in God's will, we should not take that for granted. We should fight off anything that tries to deter us from that path.
This application may seem a bit of a stretch, but I need to start preparing myself physically and mentally for the next work that I feel God has called me to.
"Así que envié unos mensajeros a decirles: «Estoy ocupado en una gran obra, y no puedo ir. Si bajara yo a reunirme con ustedes, la obra se vería interrumpida.»"
"So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?'" NKJV
Nehemiah said this to people who wanted to destroy him and to destroy the work the people were doing. Perhaps, by the Holy Spirit, he knew this. Perhaps not. The fact of the matter is he considered his priorities. He knew where God wanted him to be--leading the people to rebuild--and nothing aside from the will of God was going to take him away from that.
It should be the same for us. When we are blessed with the assurance that we are in God's will, we should not take that for granted. We should fight off anything that tries to deter us from that path.
This application may seem a bit of a stretch, but I need to start preparing myself physically and mentally for the next work that I feel God has called me to.
Vigilance
Nehemiah 4:23 Nehemías 4:23
"Ni yo ni mis parientes y ayudantes, ni los de mi guardia personal, nos desvestíamos para nada: cada uno de nosotros se mantenía listo para la defensa." NVI
"So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand." ESV
The walls were only halfway finished when the rumors of war started to come in. Several nations despised the Jews and wished to bring them to an end before they were even on their feet again. Nehemiah reminded the people often that their God was behind this, so they had nothing to fear.
Then he did what was practical and set guards in the gaps, guards everywhere. He set up an alarm system so that if they were attacked they would be able to rally to the sound of the trumpet. And every last man, even the workers, held a sword in their hand.
To top it all off, Nehemiah had them protected during all hours of the day. He told them to stay in the walls at night so that they would be ready with man power at that time as well. They were ready at all times, even while they slept, for they slept ready to fight the moment they awaken.
The response here is amazing. Fear of attack is put into the equation, but the work continued on. The only difference is that they replace the protection the wall should give with pure vigilance and manpower. What good does it do, if you construct a wall but let your defenses down while you do it?
Surely, before the wall is completed, the enemy will jump over it and stab you in the back--unless you are ready for him.
It is amazing to me how some Christians go about their lives believing that the devil does not exist. How do you defend against an enemy if you don't believe there is one there? You don't.
Nehemiah could have said to the messengers, "I don't believe you--God would not let enemies rise against us in this work" and went on about his business. But then the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites would have come in full force, putting Israel once again beneath their feet. At that point, in his confusion, Nehemiah might have actually turned to God and asked why. Why have you brought this terrible thing. To which God would surely say, "I warned you."
And He does warn us. He gave us the Word. The devil is the only character talked about from beginning to the end aside from God himself.
We are told and given countless examples of the ways he will attack us, and it is up to us--as it was to Nehemiah--to maintain the defense.
Nehemiah knew that God in His infinite power could easily overthrow any army that came at them without their help--nevertheless, he armed every last man to the teeth. He trusted God, but he was ready for the fight. And, ironically, that readiness is what won the battle before it even started.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ESV
The temptation will come, and if we are ready and defend against it, God will give us victory. Just as he did for Nehemiah.
I need to be ready for spiritual attacks in my own life--of all shapes and colors. Often times I think "Why am I not going through trials like those around me--does God know I'm not strong enough?" while an hour later I think "Why am I still struggling with this thing?" and I get disheartened because I think I'm having that struggle because I am weak. It's much different fighting that battle when I realize what it is. I need to recognize my struggles and attack them head on, knowing God is faithful, and knowing where it comes from.
"Ni yo ni mis parientes y ayudantes, ni los de mi guardia personal, nos desvestíamos para nada: cada uno de nosotros se mantenía listo para la defensa." NVI
"So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand." ESV
The walls were only halfway finished when the rumors of war started to come in. Several nations despised the Jews and wished to bring them to an end before they were even on their feet again. Nehemiah reminded the people often that their God was behind this, so they had nothing to fear.
Then he did what was practical and set guards in the gaps, guards everywhere. He set up an alarm system so that if they were attacked they would be able to rally to the sound of the trumpet. And every last man, even the workers, held a sword in their hand.
To top it all off, Nehemiah had them protected during all hours of the day. He told them to stay in the walls at night so that they would be ready with man power at that time as well. They were ready at all times, even while they slept, for they slept ready to fight the moment they awaken.
The response here is amazing. Fear of attack is put into the equation, but the work continued on. The only difference is that they replace the protection the wall should give with pure vigilance and manpower. What good does it do, if you construct a wall but let your defenses down while you do it?
Surely, before the wall is completed, the enemy will jump over it and stab you in the back--unless you are ready for him.
It is amazing to me how some Christians go about their lives believing that the devil does not exist. How do you defend against an enemy if you don't believe there is one there? You don't.
Nehemiah could have said to the messengers, "I don't believe you--God would not let enemies rise against us in this work" and went on about his business. But then the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites would have come in full force, putting Israel once again beneath their feet. At that point, in his confusion, Nehemiah might have actually turned to God and asked why. Why have you brought this terrible thing. To which God would surely say, "I warned you."
And He does warn us. He gave us the Word. The devil is the only character talked about from beginning to the end aside from God himself.
We are told and given countless examples of the ways he will attack us, and it is up to us--as it was to Nehemiah--to maintain the defense.
Nehemiah knew that God in His infinite power could easily overthrow any army that came at them without their help--nevertheless, he armed every last man to the teeth. He trusted God, but he was ready for the fight. And, ironically, that readiness is what won the battle before it even started.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." ESV
The temptation will come, and if we are ready and defend against it, God will give us victory. Just as he did for Nehemiah.
I need to be ready for spiritual attacks in my own life--of all shapes and colors. Often times I think "Why am I not going through trials like those around me--does God know I'm not strong enough?" while an hour later I think "Why am I still struggling with this thing?" and I get disheartened because I think I'm having that struggle because I am weak. It's much different fighting that battle when I realize what it is. I need to recognize my struggles and attack them head on, knowing God is faithful, and knowing where it comes from.
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