September 17: Genesis 30:16-24
Key Verse: Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
Devotion:
How many times have you ‘given God a helping hand’ so your prayers could be answered quicker? How many times have you picked up your own baggage so you can move forward quicker? And how many of those times have you seen only small gains instead of the expected answer to prayer?
Too often we think we can help God to answer our prayers and we step forward before He has a chance to answer them. We take on the task in hand and we go ahead thinking we are doing what God expects us to do... did you really hear from God before you stepped forward, or did you step forward first?
This is a difficult thing in many of our lives because God wants us to have the faith to step forward and do things knowing He is going to back up all the way so His will can be done. But when we overstep our bounds and take on something by ourselves, we may well find out we only get part of the way there before we start to see things fall apart. I know I have difficulty listening to God sometimes and it is something I do ask help for, a lot!
We need to make sure we are doing what God is asking of us and not bending the rules to see if God will answer a bit quicker. Sometimes it does take patience to wait until God clears the path properly so we can give Him the glory He deserves. I have found the bible to be a constant source of patience for my faith; carry on reading until God makes it clear what you must do in your life. If that is to wait a season, then wait!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like doing things for God?
Are you sure you are not doing things for yourself first of all?
September 16: Nehemiah 1:4
Key Verse: Nehemiah 1:4
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Devotion:
I have enjoyed going through Nehemiah each day for a season; so, in summary, let’s look back and see some of the key things we have learned. The key thing I have got from this all is to spend time with God in prayer. Pray when things are unknown. Pray when things are good. Pray when things are bad. Pray when it’s all just ‘normal!’ God wants to hear from us all the time and He wants to talk to us all the time too.
Sit and wait for an answer from God! Far too often we shoot up a prayer and then run off into our lives and expect things to happen all by themselves. Whilst we should always expect God to do things we pray for; we also need to stop and wait for an answer. Sometimes He will want us to do something so the prayer can eb answered. If you think you are no good at waiting for an answer, then try reading through a chapter or two from your bible. Sometimes God just needs us to break away from the world before we can hear Him.
When God asks you to do something, do it! We need to act on what God says otherwise we start failing in our faith as we think God is not doing anything... He doesn’t have to do everything! We must do things too!
Always try to seek out Godly people who are also willing to pray, wait and then act. Together we can work better as a team than by ourselves. Together we can encourage each other. Together we can protect each other. Together we can notice when one of us slips up; we can help each other up so we move forward with God.
Never forget God is your team captain!
Points to Ponder:
Do you spend time each day to pray, wait and act?
Will you wait just a little longer today to hear from God?
September 15: Nehemiah 13:1-9
Key Verse: Nehemiah 13:8
I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.
Devotion:
When we sort things out in our lives or in our businesses, there is bound to be someone who will go against what we are doing because they have their own motives which are not the same as yours. They may be saying and doing the right thing at the time, but as soon as your back is turned, they revert to their own motivations and things go astray once again!
God knows there are going to be people in our lives who will go against what we are doing for God; and when this happens, we have to work hard to bring things back in line. Nehemiah was back with the king at the time while Eliashib was undoing what had been done and when Nehemiah returned, he had work to do!
The priest had, in effect, invited the evil back into the city after Nehemiah had spent a long time trying to protect the city from evil and well as re-focus the people back on God. When the people heard the words said by Moses where it said, ‘no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,’ they took things literally and excluded any foreigners from the city!
God does not want us to exclude people from the church just because He demanded that of certain races during the times of the great exodus. Jesus came to show us how to include all people into His kingdom; how we should love our neighbours... But He did not tell us to invite evil back into our lives... Tobiah had done many things to try and prevent Jerusalem from turning back to God and would continue to do so.
Points to Ponder:
What do you get up to when you’re not “in church”?
Will you live your life as if Jesus is standing next to you instead?
September 14: Nehemiah 12:27-30
Key Verse: Nehemiah 12:30
When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.
Devotion:
Nehemiah did not stop with making sure people got to hear the word properly, digest it, confess their sins and worship their God. He also made sure the gates and walls were dedicated to God. Too many times in our lives we are given or gain good things which we simply accept and carry on enjoying. What about making sure God is celebrated in these gifts or gains? What about making sure we remember just who it is who has given us access to such things in our lives!
I think the best houses I have lived in are the houses where I have asked God to bless and continued to ask Him to help look after them. The best things in life have also become more enjoyable and of greater blessing when I have involved God in the decision making and the looking after things.
Just like Nehemiah was doing here, we should be making sure God is involved in all things in our lives, especially those which are important or crucial! Just because it is made of bricks or stones or mud does not mean we leave God out of things! God needs to be involved in our physical world as well as our spiritual worlds.
Do you invite your best friend(s) to be a part of your life? Do you involve them in more aspects of your life than others? Do you allow them to help make decisions? Do you involve your partner in decisions you make in your life? If we want healthy relationships, we should be involving others in our lives and making relationships real. We also need to make sure we make our relationships with God real and involve Him more in our everyday lives and not just on our holy days!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you ask God for help making decisions in everyday life?
Will you try to involve God more in your daily routines?