Hello Everyone,

In Nehemiah 2:1-8 we seen in our series Ground Zero that Nehemiah was a planner.

¹ In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; ² so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, ³ but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶ Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

I love the beginning of this story of Nehemiah. God has called him to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem the problem is that Nehemiah is a slave in Susa, in Babylon, 900 miles away from Jerusalem.

Here are some keys for you in making a plan. These hold true whether you are trying to build an abundant marriage, work with your children, or building a career.

• Know where you are and where you are going. - Nehemiah is 900 miles from where he wants to be - he’s a slave - has NO resources - I’d say the odds are against him.

I told you last week though that if God wants you to go somewhere He will take you there - all he needs is your cooperation.

You have to know where you are and what you want!

• What are your resources - what are you starting with? It may be nothing it may be a lot - but know what your resources look like.
• Count the costs - know what it’s going to cost you - and be willing to sacrifice whatever it takes.
• Prepare - Plan your route - set out the goals, benchmarks, and roadways for success.

For Nehemiah this started in November 1:1 - and he talked to the King in April 2:1 - but when he did he knew everything he was going to need. He planned.

• Wait for God - When He says go - don’t hesitate - go - but don’t get ahead of Him or lag behind.

Greater Things Are Still To Come

Pastor Phillip