Hello Everyone,

OK so you might say yea I am discouraged but what is The Cure for discouragement.

Nehemiah gave his people 3 steps to getting out of discouragement:

First Nehemiah armed the people.

v. 13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

He said, we’re not going to take the enemies advances lying down. He gave them swords, spears, and bows.

Think about it: we already know what Satan is going to try to do. He’s going to attack us with discouragement. So, we are foolish if we don’t prepare ourselves and take up arms!

Ephes. 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Then it goes on to detail each piece of armour to put on! We talked about that last week.

Accept no substitutes. As David told Saul, I need my own armor, not another’s. Don’t try to be encouraged by anything other than Christ. Accept no other crutch. Not drugs, not a hobby, not a holiday, not a person.

What does it take to lift you from discouragement? No temporary help should be good enough…accept your armor from none other than Jesus…none else will do!

Secondly Nehemiah assured the people.

v. 14a After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,

‘Your dad’s bigger than their dad!’

If it had been written I’m sure Nehemiah would have quoted

Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

That’s the opposite of discouragement!

Know why we get discouraged? In a nutshell: because we take our eyes off the Lord!

Are you discouraged? Look to Jesus! Keep your eyes on Him, not on others.

Peace is not found in the absence of trouble; it is found in the presence of God.

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

There’s no panic in heaven, only plans.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

And finally Nehemiah aroused their spirits.

v. 14b “and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

‘There’s too much at stake to be discouraged. We can’t quit!

We’re not just building walls…we’re fighting for our families and all we hold dear!

It’s not just brick and mortar, its flesh and blood!’

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

What are The Causes of discouragement

Nehemiah 4:10-11 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

¹¹ Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

They were Worn out.

They had been working hard, but still things weren’t going anywhere. They had lost their zest for the work.

v. 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

It was halfway done. That’s where we often get discouraged, when we’re in the thick of it.

Steele our grandson always gets excited to go walk on the beach, or around the block at home but halfway around the block he’s tired! Guess what, it’s just as far to get back!!

When do you get tired of your car? When it’s about half paid for!

When does marriage get old? Halfway thru. Somewhere between ‘I do’ and ‘You’d better!’

When is school the most boring? After lunch!

What’s the most depressing part of winter? Half way thru!

When’s the most discouraging time for men? Middle age…mid-life crisis!

A guy looks at his life and gets discouraged. His body / his job / his goals!

It’s time to buy the sports car, unbutton your shirt and tell the world you’ve still got it.

Halfway thru is when we get worn out…like rowing a boat across a big lake…in the middle you are worn out, but you realize to turn back is useless.

You are worn out and discouraged, and maybe the only thing that sounds good is sitting still!

The men of Judah are worn out physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

It is best to know your limits, and learn how to say no, for if you get worn out you can get discouraged, and then you’re no good to anybody, and will HAVE to say no to everybody!

We get Weighted down.

v. 10 “so much rubble”

They were looking at the total job, instead of just their section. They had miles to go and had their eyes on the wrong focus. Rocks everywhere. They were trying to juggle too much…they let life just pile up on them.

We must:

· Prioritize—not just what’s the most fun, but what’s most important. Not only what’s most urgent, but truly important.

Set aside daily time for God as a priority. For family / for homework / for a project / and for church.

· Plan—don’t bounce around like a pinball in the machine, but learn to live by a schedule…be organized.

· Plod—this means to just take it a day at a time, don’t look at the whole job and the long term, but take the plan and have some focus…what do I need to do today?!

Just plod away, and keep going. I read this: “Life by the yard it’s hard, by the inch…what a cinch”! How do you eat an elephant? [One bite at a time!]

They were Wasting away.

v. 11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Their enemies were planning. And Satan has a plan, so we might as well form a game plan, too! The devil’s plan is to hit us when we’re down and discouraged, and we won’t even see him coming.

So our plan must be not to stay discouraged, but to escape it!

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Notice from v. 10 it is compounded when Judah “said” it. That’s how Satan can “spread” it to others. Then it became, “we are not able…”

James 3:4-5

Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

What we say can be encouraging, or discouraging to others around us. The same is true with what we do. You being here today is an encouragement to others, or your absence will be a big discouragement to many.

So, let’s prioritize, let’s plan, and keep plodding along!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Read with me: Nehemiah 4:7-10

⁷ But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

¹⁰ Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

Here we find the first discouraging words in this book. And depression and discouragement will come to you if you try to accomplish anything in life. As the people of God were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the men of Judah became very discouraged.

First there is The Curse of discouragement—it’s the devil’s #1 tool he uses to try to get you out of the game! Out of church to give up on life.

Satan tries to discourage people in their finances…even if you tithe! Or your children, even tho’ you bring them up in church. Or, thru problems in ministry at church. Or thru physical problems.

Discouragement doesn’t discriminate. Even the best Christians are under its power at times.

Ill.—C. H. Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, was given to depression and discouragement. He said, “I would not wish upon my worst enemy the depths of despair and discouragement I often feel for weeks or months at a time.”

John Wesley was also given to discouragement. He married poorly, the wrong woman. There were times she would drag him around the house by the hair! [That only happen once at my house then I’d shave my head!]

In v. 10 Judah was the chief tribe, the leaders among the nation, the cream of the crop! It was these that said, ‘we can’t do it, we can’t continue.’

You’re not lacking faith because you get discouraged…only if you stay that way!

One person said “If getting saved is the end of troubles then it’s the front end!” But now God is on your side to help you up, and to stretch you and help you grow thru it all.

Or, maybe you want it easy, and want heaven on earth. Jesus carried His cross, and you must carry yours.

Another part of the Curse of Discouragement is that, Discouragement is debilitating. It will stop you dead in your tracks. ‘Anyone can do more than a man who has lost heart!’

ill.—back in the days of horse-drawn wagons, a man was hauling logs. On a hill the horses couldn’t make it, and gave up. He unloaded half the wagon, but they still wouldn’t try…he emptied it completely, but still they had given up! They were utterly discouraged. They gave up and wouldn’t try!

Some do this with their marriage, their children, their church!

But that’s not what God wants. He wants us to stay in the game, put our shoulder to the wheel, keep trying, and keep trusting!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

The inspection gate is found in v. 31 of Nehemiah 3. It was where the army was reviewed and registered. This reminds us of the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10 ...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Don't confuse this judgment of believers with the Great White Throne Judgment of non believers, when they will be cast into hell.

That's very real, but an entirely different occasion and result. We won't be judged for our sins, but inspected, and rewarded. Our sins have already been judged on the cross of Calvary.

This judgment it is not of our sin, but of our stewardship, our faithfulness. How have we used our time? 168 hours every week. Just a tithe of that [10%] would be about 17 hours.

How we used Our time, our talents and our treasures is what will be judged here.

Then v. 32 we’re back to the sheep gate!

It all begins and ends with Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Swing wide the gates!

Greater Days are still to come!

Pastor Phil

Hope to see you tonight at the Dallas Holm Concert.

Hello Everyone,

In Nehemiah 3:29 we see the east gate.

It led directly to the temple. Tradition says that when Jesus went to the temple he entered thru the east gate.

God’s Word says that when Jesus returns at the second coming [not the rapture], but 7 years later at the end of the tribulation, when He lands on the Mt. of Olives and enters Jerusalem to sit on the throne of David and establish His earthly millennial kingdom, He's entering thru the east gate!

So this gate speaks of the second coming of Christ!

Ezekiel 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ezekiel 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

The east gate today is all filled in with stone. Do you know why? In the 16th century when the Turks ruled Jerusalem, there was a Turkish sultan by the name of Suleiman the Magnificent [modest fellow!], an Arabic ancestor to many of today's Muslims.

He grew tired of hearing that the Jews' Messiah will someday return thru the east gate. He ordered the gate sealed with stone! He said, "There's no way He can come thru there now!"

You can't help but laugh at a guy like that! It's going to take a lot more than stone to hold Jesus Christ back. It didn’t hold Him in the grave!

Now, the east gate reminds us to live in light of His SOON return. It could be any day. It could be today! We are told to watch for Him... and pray.

Not only prayer, but purity is important in light of His coming.

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Where will you be, what will you be doing, and how will you be living when Jesus returns?!

The way this world is going, the signs of the times ARE all around us, the prophecies fulfilled, I expect Jesus to return anytime, and I fully expect it to be in my lifetime.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil