Is There Hope?

If there's ever been a story written for someone's difficult and dark place in life, it would be this story the book of Esther. God doesn't just sit passive on his throne when the people of God turn to him with all their heart and passion in great need.

A wicked man Haman had demised a plan to kill all the Jews. He connived in ways that were deceptive and destructive to kill all Jews in 127 providences. How would the Jews escape this dark plan of destruction?

It wasn't by chance that God had chose Esther to be the new queen of Persia. Was it her beauty, her talents, her smile, her demeanor that caused her to rise to the top?

God wasn't surprised when Haman came up with his demise to destroy all the Jews. He had a person in place named Esther that was chosen to make a difference with the enemies plot. Haman had great hate and anti-Semitism against the Jews. He hated Mordecai who refused to bow to him and plotted to rid himself of every Jew.

It so happen that an assassination attempt was being planned to kill the king, Mordecai heard of it and went and told Esther. As she reported the information to the king, the plot was stopped and the men were taken out and hung.

The king was up reading one night and so happens to read where Mordecai had saved his life, stopping the plot of these evil men. He asks, "What was ever done to Mordecai for saving my life?" The response was "Nothing was ever done. Haman who was in the king's court was ask, "What should be done to the man who the king wants to honor?" Haman thinking he wanted to honor him said, "I would parade him up and down the streets on the kings apparel and his horse." The king said, "Go and show honor to Mordecai."

Was God already at work for the Jews deliverance? Was God already working behind the scenes? Never give up friend in your darkest hour. Never under estimate the power of the hand of God to turn any situation around. Esther had ask her people to fast and pray for 3 days believing for a breakthrough.

The bigger question today is this, what am I doing to see a breakthrough? Am I being proactive with my own prayers and fasting in my darkest hour? God is no respecter of persons, He doesn't play favorites, and He does see and hear the cry of our hearts.

This story isn't over just yet and neither is yours. Never give up in your darkest hour. God can turn any mess into a miracle, He can turn your darkness into a powerful deliverance, He can turn this test into a awesome testimony. Ask today, what am I doing to see it happen?

dannysdevotional.com

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One Man

Nehemiah 8:1-18

A vision or a dream doesn't start with a congregation, or a committee but rather one man. Creating a light bulb didn't come from a large group of people but rather it came from one man who experimented some 1000 times before he designed the first light bulb.

Homes and businesses today enjoy light in our homes without candles all because one man was determined to make a difference. One man chose to take our transportation beyond the horse and buggy days. Henry Ford was determined to build a horseless vehicle that would carry a man to his destination. The model T Ford became a reality and it changed the way people live out their lives.

One man named Nehemiah wept when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. He had a dream of going back and viewing its brokenness and ended up doing something about it.

As you read through all the names of those who came out of Babylon, nearly 50,000 were released to go back to Jerusalem to worship their God, let's be reminded that it all started with one man.

Are you that one person today that God will give a dream, a vision to make a difference in your community, your workplace, your family, your church, your neighborhood, your small life group?

Never underestimate the power of one man. The word of God is full of stories of one person who accepted the challenge to move the people of God forward into His blessings.

What would Israel have missed without Moses who went to Pharaoh to release them out of Egypt? What would have Israel missed without David who fought the giant Goliath and later became their king? What about Esther who became the voice of deliverance for Israel under Haman's demise?

Praise the Lord our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of the living God became the second Adam who gave his life on a cross so we could have life. The perfect Lamb of God would take away the sins of the world.

Paul said; "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Just how many enjoyed the blessings in Nehemiah's day all because he was willing to take the risk and use his courage and faith to start a new day for the people of God. He made a decision to go beyond being a cupbearer for the king, and became the servant God was calling to make a difference with the brokenness of Jerusalem.

Has God placed something on your heart to accomplish? Never say, "I'm just one person." It all starts with one who is willing to yes, "Here are my hands, my feet, my voice, my heart, my faith. Here I am Lord, you can use me."

dannysdevotional.com

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More Determined?

Nehemiah 6:1-19

Troubles and problems cause some to cave in and run while others find a way to dig in with more fire and determination. It always seems easier to run than to stay and fight.

Most pastors stay at the church only three and half years and most youth pastors only stay nine months nationwide. What is it that affects our tenure at a place? I'm convinced that many move on because they think the grass is greener in another location. Maybe the next place won't have any real big problems or real bears? Friend there is no such place on this side of heaven.

What about your mandate? What about the assignment that the Lord has given you? What about making a mark in a place that needs a breakthrough, a real move of God? Can one see that done in a few years, or will it take a decade or even more time?

Nehemiah was under heavy fire from Sanballat and Tobiah. They even hired a prophet to tell him it would be better for him to pick up and run. I have learned that even when the fire is being turned up, "It's better to wrestle with your struggle than to wrestle with the regret that you quit." Friend let's not forget that God's hand is controlling the thermostat. He knows right where you are and what's really going on.

Too many times ministers don't stick around to enjoy the harvest that would come if they would just dig in and trust God to see them through their nightmare experience in ministry.

Sanballat's are still around today. They will intimidate and manipulate and aggravate you from what God has called you to do. Nehemiah states to this evil man, "You have made me more determined to continue this work until it is done."

Leaders need to remember the picture of the turtle sitting on a fence post? He didn't get there by himself. If we're not careful, we will forget that we didn't get where we are by ourselves. God is the one who opens the door and gives us the power to go the distance, the provision to keep the work going, the passport was written out in heaven for our place, and the protection to stay in place.

Nehemiah must have remembered the miracle that got him to the walls in the first place. God gave him a passport to get through some 1000 miles back to Jerusalem. God gave him the provision of timber from the king to build the walls. He gave him the protection to make the journey, and God gave him the power to get where he was. We forget to easy all that God did to get us where we are today. We had better expect a fight when we get on the job.

Dig in today, don't lose confidence in the one who has you in the place He has called you. As I look back through the pages of history, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, none of them had it easy. They all experience a bumping rocky road experience in fulfilling the assignment.

Why should we expect anything less in our service to our God? The apostle Paul said, "I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angles, nor principalities, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God.

Paul was determined to not only stay in the fight but to keep the faith and to finish the course that was set before him. Jesus is our greatest example of all. He could have easily bailed out when all of hell's pressures came at him, but He said, "It is finished."

What if Christ had of never said those words? What if he had of called 10,000 angels to come to his rescue? Thank God he didn't . He finished the assignment that his heavenly father gave him.

Be determined to finish your wall, your mandate, and your assignment. Somebody is watching you. Somebody is counting on you. Somebody is depending on you to finish what you started.

Dig in, fight the good fight of faith, and watch the Lord stand up for you like he did Stephen. As he was saying, " forgive them for they know not what they do," The Lord was not sitting but standing at the right hand of God, cheering him on.

Are you more determined today? Have you made up your mind to go the distance? God has a grace for the test, the ordeal, and the quagmire that you're working through today. Hey, this case your dealing with now isn't to hard for your God.

dannysdevotional.com

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Keeping Your Joy?

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,Whose sin is covered.

Where does one really find joy? Does it happen when I get my drivers license, when I get my first car, when I meet my first love, when I get through with college, or I get married, or is it when I have my first new child? There are people who are on a long search for something that will fill that emptiness in their gut.

David says very clear, joy is found when a man's sins are forgiven. In the Psalm 32, David expresses a season of his life when he was covering up a time where he had made a great blunder. He lusted after Bathsheba's beauty, slept with her hoping nobody would find out. To make sure nobody would put two and two together, he had her husband killed then he took her to be his wife.

David is expressing days that have gone by, "My bones waxed old through my roaring all the night long." He tossed and turned in the night miserable about his evil acts of adultery and murder. David starts out this Psalm, "Blessed is the man whose sins is forgiven." There is no joy like knowing things are cool between you and the Lord.

Why would anybody want to be at odds with God? Why would anybody want to go into hiding from a Holy God? Like a small child not wanting to see mom or dad when they come home, knowing they have done something wrong.

Months later, the prophet Nathan comes to David and it was revealed that David had been hiding his sin. David confesses that he had sinned and cries out to God for his mercy. The greatest joy a man can ever find in this life is to know that everything is right between him and God. Life is to short to live your life with covered up sin.

James says; "Confess your sins to God, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness." Jesus teaches his disciples to pray each day, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

One day, when Oral Roberts kids were small, he said he came home without asking any questions and gave his son a wiping. He later explained to him I just figured you needed one for all the times that you didn't get one. We all know there were times we may have felt we got away with something, but you know it in your heart when you have said something you shouldn't said, your attitude got out of line, your actions brought a heaviness in your spirit.

Friend real joy is found in keeping God's peace of forgiveness in your heart. David said, "When I kept silent my bones waxed old." Another words when he failed to bring to God his failures and mistakes he lived with this heaviness in his life. Go to God and get it out. God isn't looking for reason to junk you or get rid of you. He loves you and is just waiting for you to come to him for His mercy.

When there is real joy in your spirit, it will show and glow to others around you. There is nothing better else in life than knowing your sins are forgiven never to be in God's memory again. God says, "He buries our sins in the sea of forgetfulness."

God has a joy that puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face. Has He done that for you? He says, "Out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living waters." Are they flowing from your inner most being today? If not get alone with him today, confess whatever is troubling your inner man and watch the Lord restore unto you the joy of your salvation.

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Expect A Fight !!

Nehemiah 4 :1-23

Hell isn't sitting in his rocking chair this morning, he's not sun bathing on a cruise liner, he's very busy working his schemes and plans to discourage and distract God's children from their assignment.

Until we cross over to our home in heaven, Satan will stay at it with his demons to steal, kill and destroy. Nehemiah was very proactive in his approach to stay on the wall. He was very alert that Sanballat was angry and would attempt to stop and hinder the work of God.

Before our armed services, the marines, the army, the navy, the air-force goes into battle, they are all very aware of the threats of the enemy. On their radar is a close eye, watching out for their sneaky attacks. They stand ready, prepared, alert, and sober, to successfully win over the opposition. They realize the power of working with one another.

Nehemiah instructed his men to keep not only their tools by their side but to keep a friend by their side to protect them. I am thankful for the body of Christ. God teaches us to encourage one another, pray for one another, edify one another, be a friend to one another, fellowship with one another, worship with one another.

27 different times in the New Testament, God talks about one another. A friend is born for a time of adversity. The bottom line is you won't keep standing on the wall and keep working without buying into the plan of God who says, "We need one another."

The walls got built because Nehemiah was expecting a fight and he knew the only way to get the job complete was to work with one another. One was protecting his friend while the other was building the wall.

I have a group of men and women who pray for me everyday. The only reason I can keep doing what I am doing is, I know there is a devil who would like to take me down, but I know the real way to win the battle, is through prayer partners.

It's not your gifts and talents thats going to keep you on the wall, but it's winning the battle from discouragement and distractions and deception that hell throws your way. You can't do it alone. "Two are better than one." Live out your call and assignment with the anticipation that your going to need a friend that will stand by your side when the battle comes. Do you have a prayer partner? Do you have a friend that is standing with you? If not become one for someone else. Guys there's another brother than needs your prayers, sister there's another sister that needs your support.

dannysdevotional.com

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Generosity In Showing Mercy?

Nehemiah 3:1-28

Yesterday our church family loved on our community with oil changes, haircuts, feeding them, clothes, medical check-ups. We made a great effort in showing them the generosity of God's love and mercy.

Nehemiah had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the broken down walls. We live in a culture where so many are broken and hurting. Just look around, there are many opportunities to reach out and be generous in our giving to people's brokenness.

In a toddlers world they have their own set of rules with their property. Here it is as follows; if I like it, it's mine. If it's in my hand, it's mine. If I can take it from you, it's mine. If I had it a little wile ago, it's mine. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine. If it looks just like mine, it's mine. If I saw it first, it's mine. If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine. If it's broken it's yours. That's pretty funny but it's really true isn't it?

In mans early development, we were born just like the toddler. It's only by the transformation and salvation in Jesus Christ that we learn how to take on the DNA of God's nature and be changed.

It was beautiful seeing all the hands involved yesterday in loving on people in our community. There's no greater joy that fills a heart than giving out to those who are in need. That's what Christ did, He reached out to their hurting brokenness.

In 1912 when the Titanic was going under, people started getting on the lifeboats, but sadly many of the lifeboats were not full. In lifeboat number 7, there were 65 seats but only 24 got aboard that lifeboat. Lifeboat number 1, there was room for 40, but only 5 passengers and 7 crew members got on board.

What went wrong? Why weren't all the seats taken? Why did the captain cancel the drills of getting on the lifeboats the day before? Was there a lot of pushing and shoving, "that's my seat?" If we're not careful we will go through life as a toddler only looking out for ourselves. It's amazing to me how many still have a toddler's mindset.

Where would you be today had not God reached out to you with His mercy? He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. If you had of lived in Nehemiah's day, would your name be on the list in rebuilding the broken walls? God takes the time to list each leader and worker who is engaged in the rebuilding of the broken walls.

I encourage you today to take time to engage yourself in the rebuilding of broken lives. Jesus said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

Lifeboat 13 was the only lifeboat that went back, pulling people out of the cold frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Will you take the time, the risk, and the effort to rebuild broken lives? I pray you have moved on pass the toddler's stage. There is a reason the creator created your life. It's more blessed to give than it is to receive.

daanysdevotional.com

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Is God A Rebuilder?

Nehemiah 1:1-11

In 1945 a pastor founded a church in North Jacksonville Florida. After several years, the church had grown to a couple hundred people. It started with great beginnings, but then the church began to experience great winds of doubts and discouragement and many disappointments and distractions. Would the church survive?

Year after year it was ripped apart with a quagmire that put into question its survival? Finally in 1985, the Superintendent of the Florida district said to one of his young ministers; "I'm fixing to close down a church, Oceanway Assembly Of God. If you want to go up and see if God may be in you and your wife going there, go there and preach and tell me what you think?"

This young minister in his early days of college, had an impression placed upon his heart that "one day he would go to Jacksonville Florida to pastor a church." Was this the place? Was this what God had in mind? After believing that God had confirmed to his spirit that this was the place, the young minister and his wife accepted that church.

Would there be challenges and devils to fight? Over the years he has watched the hand of God rebuild and grow the church. It wasn't long that backsliders and the lost were coming to Christ. God began to rebuild everything that had been lost and more.

Can God rebuild something that has been beaten down to the point that there's nothing left? Nehemiah wept when he heard from his brethren that the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed with fire. Nehemiah the cupbearer under Artaxerxes began to weep as he heard of his home's destruction.

Could there be a reason that Nehemiah took on such a burden, and compassion to do something about Jerusalem?

"Impression without Expression leads to Depression." When God puts something on your heart, unless you express what He has impresses upon your heart, it will lead to a huge heaviness and emptiness in your spirit.

Was God putting something upon his heart? Was God getting him ready to do something about the brokenness of Jerusalem? Was God about to rebuild a city that had been destroyed with sin and distractions?

God did indeed put that burden on that young minister, and today God continues to bless a church that is, Bringing people in, Building people up, Maturing people in Christ and Sending people out in the harvest field.

Today that church supports 155 missionaries around the world. Each year teams are sent out to evangelize and to build churches around the world. Can God rebuild? Well I am that young minister that has seen God's handwork in some amazing ways.

I'm not sure what quagmire you're dealing with, a broken marriage, a broken ministry, a broken business, a broken body? I'll say as a servant of God, "What He did for me He can do for you. Accept the impression that He places upon your heart, and express it and see what the hand of God will do. God is no respecter of persons. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

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