We spoke previously about our lives being in transition and about there being new open doors before each of us. As the Holy Spirit God expands that for me, there are specific thoughts that continue to become clear. As people whose purpose is determined by and is found in our eternity and in our eternalness, we must engage our individual and unique created design in the areas of service where our Creator has placed us. The Holy Spirit God said through the Prophet Isaiah that when we walk in our purpose, and when we operate as we are designed to function, that we will be known as those who “will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities, and then we will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.” Isaiah 58.
How does that happen? How do we operate as rebuilders of our cities, rebuilders of the walls, and restorers of homes? Cities are the communities where we live, work, and play. The walls refer to what we surround our cities with to keep them safe for our habitation and for our enjoyment. Homes are our Families, the basic and foundational organizational arrangement established by our Creator for our learning and for our correct development. Each of these areas were under attack when the Holy Spirit God spoke through Isaiah, as they are in our world today. They continue to suffer the onslaught of attacks from the Kingdom of Darkness. Many of our cities are unsafe and our homes are being broken and destroyed by the deceits/lies of our enemy, the defeated Satan. As Believers and Followers of Christ, we are charged to address these conditions of humanity, and to bring restoration so they/we can function as we are designed by our God to operate.
There are many aspects of this mission, all of which are not casual, but are decidedly dramatic. Our influence is described as “salt and light”. Salt changes the complete experience of food. Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Salt preserves and light stimulates naturally. When God Himself, Emmanuel, was on the earth as Jesus Christ, He told us that in everything we do, we are to pursue His Kingdom, His method, His plan, His System, and His way of doing and being correct/right before we take any action and before we do anything. This is to be our first consideration. His Kingdom is eternal, and everything about His Kingdom is based in eternity. If it is not about eternity it is not about the Kingdom. The Kingdom way of doing and being right that we are to consider and to pursue before we take any action, the first thing that we are to consider is to be based in eternity and in our eternalness. Everything our God as Jesus did while on the earth was based in eternity. Every action. Somehow, we have not recognized this, or we have just overlooked the importance and priority of these instructions/directions, and we too often base our actions completely on time and upon things that are temporary. This is a major disconnect for humanity. We are building on the wrong foundation, and we are building things that will not last forever. Since we are eternal and because we know that we live forever, what we build must be based in our eternity and must last forever. We cannot concentrate and deal only in things that expire.
How does this relate to rebuilding the places where we live, where we work, and where we play, otherwise known as our “cities?” How do we rebuild permanently, for our eternity, the structures for our protection that surrounds us and that keeps all of the forces of the kingdom of darkness out of our cities and out of our lives? This protection is also known as our “walls”? How do we restore our homes so they function in the Kingdom method as our Creator God so clearly has told us to operate? The task seems overwhelming. Where do we begin?
Fran and I have just attended the Council for National Policy meeting in Washington, D.C. CNP is one of the most informative thinktanks in America. Excellent speakers, excellent information, and excellent Friendship and Fellowship. CNP is intensively engaged in the pursuit of the preservation of the values and the principles in every facet of the lives of Americans that are espoused in scripture. The meetings are intense. Several Members asked how we enjoyed the meetings. I said that we were very impressed, but looking at the challenges, I was not sure we were not depressed also. Those who oppose the inclusion of Faith in our lives are well funded and they are organized. I personally rather felt like Israel when they were preparing to cross the river into the land promised to them by our Lord. Our Lord told them, “Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky! 2 The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants. You’ve heard the saying, ‘Who can stand up to the Anakites?’ 3 But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.” Cities, Walls, and homes. “Our Lord is with us!!!” Our victory is already won. But like Israel, we have to fight. For so long we have retreated from engaging the enemy. And when we did engage, we did not use the weapons provided to us by our Lord; the eternal weapons that guarantee victory. We engaged in using our own knowledge and our own strength. We cannot obtain and secure victory without following our God and fighting as He describes.
This is what He told Israel; 4 “After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. 5 It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people. ‘”
Victory can only be ours when we from the very beginning seek our God’s plan, His method, His system and His way of doing and being right, first. Priorities are important to our God. But, the victory is ours now. We must acknowledge Him and pursue justice His way. In all of our ways when we acknowledge our God, He will direct our paths. His paths lead to victory.
Nehemiah was faced with a dauting task. Rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. Walls, Cities, and homes all in disarray and disrepair. The length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The walls contain 34 watchtowers and seven main gates open for traffic, with two minor gates reopened by archaeologists. Once there, Nehemiah defied the opposition of Judah’s enemies on all sides—Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines—and rebuilt the walls within 52 days, from the Sheep Gate in the North, the Hananeel Tower at the North West corner, the Fish Gate in the West, the Furnaces Tower at the Temple Mount’s South West …
The Prophet Amos said “with blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all of their defences.” (5:9)
How did Nehemiah build the wall? One brick at a time. How do we walk in victory? Identifying our purpose in eternity where our God has designed us to function and “one brick at a time” building the wall. It may appear that it will takes loads of time, but as Nehemiah, when you are walking in your purpose that our God has designed you to function, “with blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all of their defences” and accelerating our victory for His purpose to expand His Kingdom and to bless humanity.
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