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Our stories are evidence of God's power. We can argue with theology, but we cannot argue with someone's truth or dispute personal stories. Our testimonies are a resume and proof of God's nature and capabilities.
The Nehemiah’s Story
In the Bible, Nehemiah’s story is a story of opposition, threats, intimidation, and fear. Sounds familiar?
Our enemy often uses fear, intimidation, and persuasion to hinder our pursuit of a better life. Regrettably, the enemy also manipulates individuals to block our progress. Nevertheless, Nehemiah's refusal to surrender to threats, intimidation, and fear made their efforts futile because his trust in God was unwavering.
It can be quite challenging to stay fearless when facing powerful individuals in positions of authority who are actively working against you, urging others to impede your progress and stop you by spreading lies? Their goal is not just to block your success but also to cause you harm.
Subsequently, they persist in spreading falsehoods about you, causing others to develop negative views of you and causing those who support you to become fearful as they seek to avoid any potential conflicts (Nehemiah 6:6-9). Nehemiah was clearly dealing with a tough scenario, and being in a similar predicament can certainly be scary.
Nehemiah's sole purpose and motivation were to follow God's commands obediently. However, despite facing numerous threats, he remained steadfast, which let his adversaries to conspire against him and plot his demise. It seemed as though the entire world was against Nehemiah.
Many of us have been in situations where we lacked support in doing something that would have bettered a situation, condition, community, nation, etc. And many of us have been in situations where people intentionally did things to stop us from succeeding. It has caused us to feel immense pressure due to our significant responsibilities. Nonetheless, not all of us possess the same level of unwavering faith as Nehemiah.
There are times when doing the right thing may lead to jealousy, anger, and negative talk from others. In the story of Nehemiah, his actions even prompted people to ask God to intervene and thwart his plans. However, their anger blinded them to the fact that the plan was actually ordained by God (Nehemiah 2:17-18).
Nehemiah was able to avoid falling into the traps of fear and intimidation set up against him because of his faith in God. His confidence in God was crucial for his success (Nehemiah 6:10-13).
Trusting in God is essential as it serves as your shield, guiding you through challenges until you reach the end goal.
Decisions that are not favored may lead supposed friends, supporters, and believers to turn against you (Nehemiah 6:14). Yet, in Nehemiah's situation, it only revealed their true nature, as anyone who reacts violently against God's will was never truly aligned with Him or His principles.
This story is further proof on how reading the Bible builds your faith. When it "sinks in" what God can do during the most challenging moments in your life and how what He says will come to pass, your trust in God will increase.
Eventually, Nehemiah successfully finished the project. Upon learning about its completion, the authorities and leaders who opposed him became afraid and lost confidence because they realized that his work had been done with the help of God (Nehemiah 6:16-17).
With God's help, you can also achieve success. Examining the story of King David in the Bible reveals that David always sought God's guidance before taking any action. David maintained a close and personal connection with God, enabling him to trust that whatever God decreed would come to pass. David's assurance did not stem from his own skills, power, or knowledge, but from his faith in God.
Confidence in God is key for achieving success. Some of us may have developed a fear of trusting others due to past experiences, leading us to rely only on ourselves. God desires for you to understand Him so that you can realize He is different from your past encounters or individuals (Numbers 23:19). He is a dependable source on whom you can completely rely. He will always fulfill His promises and words to you without fail. What He communicates to you holds greater significance to Him than His own reputation (Psalm 138:2).
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you
— Deuteronomy 3:16.
If you want people to know what God can do and be a testimony of who God is, then have faith! Whatever we are going through in our personal lives, if we learn to focus on what God said and cling to His Word and promises instead of the problem, then it will be the solution needed to get through and overcome any problems in our life.
Read the Nehemiah Story here
What's your story? What attempts have been made to stop you from accomplishing your endeavors? Leave your comments below.
My hope is that you will see how powerful having Faith in God is and how faith will give you the lifestyle you've always dreamed of.