Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Nehemiah - "Break Every Chain"


"There is power in the name of Jesus..."


Yes! There IS power in the name of Jesus...without a doubt! He is greater than anything the enemy can put before us. The thing we forget is that what we pray for must be in His will before He will bless us with the answer we desire. Sometimes even if what we are praying for is in His will we still have to wait because it is not His time to bless us. Praying can be a very hard thing to do. We are use to having things instantly in today's society. Praying is not always an instant answer. But it is always a comfort in knowing the Lord hears our prayers and answers them. It is a comfort to know we are not alone in any situation we are facing. When it comes to praying against the enemy, He is our strength. He is there to "Break every chain..." just as this song says. 

We all have 'chains' in our lives that need broken. Some have the 'chain' of fear. Others have the 'chain' of allowing our past to direct our future. The enemy has many bound in chains of addiction. These chains can be broken when we pray in the name of Jesus. Once again we must remember they will be broken in His time. As we live through situations there are lessons to be learned so the Lord may not break the chain as quickly as we think He should. But if the chain we are bound is imposed upon us from the enemy the Lord WILL break the chain when we ask Him to. He will empower us with His strength to stand up against the enemy. Miracles do happen when we pray in His name. Families are restored...physical healing will occur...lives will be changed when we pray in His name. 

Throughout the New Testament we read about Paul being in chains. Yet when he was in the physical chains he did not allow the enemy to bind him spiritually. That is a key lesson to learn as we go through life. We may be bound with a physical ailment, a failing marriage, a loss of a job. But we do not have to allow the enemy to steal our joy while going through difficult times. 

In the book of Nehemiah we are given teaching about the Lord's help being the only way we can actually change and not allow our past direct our future. The story of rebuilding walls is a good picture of how we can have the Lord's strength as re-establish our life with Him. Many years ago I made the choice to rebuild the walls in my spiritual life. I am grateful for that decision. But it was not a once-in-a-lifetime decision. It is an ongoing process. In Nehemiah, we find some steps on how to rebuild our spiritual life:

  1. Concern - we must be concerned for the destruction in our life
  2. Confess - we must confess the destruction to the Lord
  3. Commit - we must commit ourselves to the will of the Lord
  4. Courage - we must have courage to stand against the enemy
  5. Caution - we must not try to rush into things but allow the Lord to work in and through us in His time

Some people are 'happy' where they are in their relationship with the Lord. I, personally, am always seeking more of Him. I can never give Him enough of myself. I know He is there for me no matter what my circumstance. I have joy even when going through tough times and the enemy tries to tear my joy away. To be honest there are times he succeeds but not for long. The Lord encourages me and loves on me when the enemy gets in. I must remember..."There is power in the name of Jesus..."

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the reminder of the power You have in me through the Holy Spirit. Thank You for rebuilding my spiritual life many years ago. Thank You for the lessons learned from that time of my life. Lord, I pray for You to use my past to enable others to overcome the obstacles the enemy has put before them. Father, empower more people to stand upon Your grace, love and mercy to be who You desire of them to be. Father, fill me to overflowing with more of You and less of me. Use me as a willing servant to speak the truth. Lord, today there are some people facing some tough physical challenges and for them I pray for Your strength. I am praying for those facing turmoil in their marriages. I pray they will realize the need to be on their knees praying for their spouse. I am praying for those who are so caught up in life they are not giving You time. Lord, open their eyes to what they need to do. Lord, come down upon the ones who are confused and enable them to see You as their Director. Open their eyes to what the enemy is doing in their lives. Thank You Jesus for being My Rebuilder. Amen.



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