By By Kim Eidel
Passage Scripture:
Nehemiah 4:7-18 and 6:15-16
Mark 14:38
1 Peter 5:8
There is a saying, “If we have to take the time to get ready, then we are too late”.
This principle can be applied to many areas of life, including our spiritual walk.
Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem understood this concept all too well. In chapter four of Nehemiah, God’s chosen people yearned to rebuild the wall and to the dismay of their adversaries, they set out to do so. This caused the enemies of Jerusalem to become enraged and they plotted against the work of the Lord and His servants.
Operating in wisdom, Nehemiah instructed all the workers to pray and trust in the Lord and he posted watchmen to guard the people and the wall twenty-four hours a day. Verse 17 of chapter four reads, “…Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other” (NIV). That had to make their work more cumbersome and more than likely slowed them down. But Nehemiah understood the severity of the situation and knew the success of the mission rested upon trusting God and strategically planning to thwart the attacks of the enemy.
He planned for success by using what we know as sports terminology of offense and defense. Nehemiah acted in the offense mode by doing the work of the Lord and not allowing the enemy to deter him from what he was called to do. He also maneuvered in the defense mode by maintaining a solid relationship with the Father and planning how to counteract any attacks.
Because of Nehemiah’s faith and obedience, the wall was completed and those against the Lord became intimidated. God’s people had won.
These same principles can be used by Christians today. We must live ready everyday.
How do we accomplish this?
By building ourselves up in the word and in prayer. We can achieve great things for the Kingdom; we can be about our Father’s business; and we can have success in our personal lives by maintaining a solid relationship with the Lord and by being on guard over our spiritual state. Being prayed up allows us to be prepared for whatever comes our way. It puts us in a position to be on the offense by sharing God’s Word, being an example, being ready to answer any questions from unsaved people, and building one another up in Christ. We can be on the defense by using the armor of God to deflect any attacks from the enemy from any direction.
We can accomplish these feats by:
- Keeping your focus on the Lord
- Saturating yourself in the Word
- Walking by faith (choosing to believe God in the midst of your circumstances)
- Praying throughout the day
- Speaking the Word over your circumstances and telling them to line up with God’s Word (prophesy the Word over your situation).
- Putting a guard over your mouth and by speaking in line with God’s Word.
- Have an attitude of gratitude and worship Him with a heart of thanksgiving.
- Stand and believe and expect your good outcome…even in the midst of your challenge.
When we do these things, we stay close to God and our focus will be on Him. This will help our faith to remain strong and this will stir up our faith.
Why must we do these things? According to 1 Peter 5:8, we are to be on alert because the devil looks for opportunities to attack Christians; that is why we must…
Live Ready…Work Ready…and Rest Ready!
Additional Scripture Readings:
Romans 8:28
1 John 5:18
Kim Eidel is an Apostolic Minister and founder of Arise Ministries — a non-profit religious organization and its divisions — that teaches the “how-to’s” of faith and practice.
With a mandate to serve, encourage, empower, and disciple through speaking engagements, live events, writing, and broadcasting, Kim equips others to grow spiritually and to develop a closer and more personal relationship with the Lord.
Kim is an ordained minister through the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) and is the Executive Pastor at the Refuge Church of God in New Martinsville, WV and has a degree in education. She is also the author of several published articles and enjoys teaching the principles of God’s Kingdom.
Kim and her husband, George, live in West Virginia with their four children.
by leaps and bounds 