April 23, 2025
- Dutch Sheets
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
Important Lessons from Nehemiah
We are in a season of restoration and rebuilding in America. The book of Nehemiah is a great guide, and it reminds us that restoration takes God-given vision, unyielding faith, and perseverance. Let’s review a few of Nehemiah’s important lessons today.
God’s Heart
Perhaps the most important leadership advice I could give someone would be: Ask God to reveal and impart to you His heart regarding those you influence, lead, or minister to. Seek and identify with His desires. Become a true friend of Jesus. Nehemiah allowed God to impart His heart to him when he heard how badly the work of restoration was going in Jerusalem.
“… The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned. When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven…” Nehemiah 1:3-4 (NLT)
True intercession is born out of love. God’s love is poured out through His Ekklesia as we connect with His Heart for America and the nations. “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16). I labor in prayer for America, as Nehemiah did for Jerusalem, because God has broken my heart for our nation. As the apostle Paul stated, His love constrains me (2 Corinthians 5:14). We intercede daily for America because the love of Christ compels us to do so. He wants to reap a harvest of millions here, and a billion souls among the nations. Our motivation to transform America is NOT out of anger or political partisanship; the Love of Christ motivates us.
It was said of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, that he carried God’s heart for the poor in the slums of England. Leonard Ravenhill recounts a story regarding Booth, highlighting the need to minister from God’s heart:
“In my twenties, during a period of pastoring, I loved to go past the Salvation Army building, which was the largest one outside of London. There’s a huge memorial at the front. Chiseled in one stone is, “William Booth of the Salvation Army opened this corps,” and then it gives the date of 1910. On a second stone it says, ‘Kate and Mary Jackson, were officers in this corp.’
“It was in this poor city, where they spin and weave cotton into cloth and the whole town was on the poverty level, that Kate and Mary Jackson labored for a couple of years, and nothing happened. Those girls worked diligently and went to bed exhausted at night.
“So they wrote William Booth: ‘Would you kindly move us to another station? We’re so tired and disheartened. We’ve tried everything that we’ve been taught to do. Please move us to another location.’
“Booth sent a telegram back with two words: ‘Try tears.’
“They did, and they saw real revival come. The girls entered into travailing prayer; not just prayer, but travailing prayer, prayer with anguish in it.
“The road to revival is often paved with tears and brokenness.”(1)
Let’s ask Holy Spirit to impart the Father’s heart to us, just as He did for those girls, and Nehemiah.
Battles will Come
Nehemiah also teaches us that genuine Kingdom restoration causes much conflict from the enemy. Nehemiah 4:1, 8: “But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and in a great rage, and he ridiculed the Jews. … And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, to injure and cause confusion and failure in it” (Amplified Bible Classic Edition). How appropriate for today! Have you ever seen or heard as much hatred, anger, rage, and ridicule toward another administration as that directed toward our President, his team, and his agenda? Despite the outrage and attacks of the enemy, however, Holy Spirit calls us to follow His leadership and enforce Christ’s victory on Calvary.
We must keep at the forefront of our thinking that we are on the winning side. Be confident of Christ and His victory. Colossians 2:15 (Amplified) says, “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the Cross].” Matthew 28:18 (NKJV) reminds us that “All authority has been given to [Christ] in heaven and on earth.” Revelation 1:17-18 (NKJV) states, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” And Matthew 16:18 (NKJV) declares, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Our confidence grows as we learn how to intercede and decree from the place of victory!
Three Important Reminders from Nehemiah
In Nehemiah 4:14, this great leader told the people, “Don’t be afraid of our enemies” (Nehemiah 4:14). What a powerful reminder for the Ekklesia. We must NOT magnify the enemy by overly focusing on his schemes. His tactics of wrath, fear, and deception are predictable, BUT he is defeated. Jesus is Lord over the earth, is building His Ekklesia, and the gates of hell are NOT prevailing!
This great verse continues, “Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful!” Worship! Magnify the Lord! A key to our victories is to remember how great and powerful our God is. And the verse concludes by saying, “You must fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters! You must fight for your wives and your homes!” We must fight! Yes, we “fight” on our knees to release Kingdom power and victory on earth, not with carnal weapons. We extend God’s Kingdom through our prayers, intercession, and decrees. But…we must fight!
God Is Frustrating the Plans of His Enemies
I love Nehemiah 4:15 (NASB): “When our enemies heard that…God had frustrated their plan…” Today, as we pray for President Trump, his cabinet, Mike Johnson, Congress, etc., we can be assured that God is actively restoring America and frustrating the plans of the enemy.
Pray with me:
Father, we ask that You impart to us Your heart for America and the nations. We refuse to be motivated by politics and the political spirit. We purpose to be motivated only by Your purposes and desires.
Our adversary, the devil, opposes us in our efforts to turn this nation and evangelize among the nations, but we stand in Your victory. We are neither surprised nor intimidated by his anger, hatred, or attacks. We refuse to fear, but will war for our children, families, and fellow citizens. And as we do, You will frustrate the enemies of Your Kingdom.
We know that America shall be saved, and that all the nations of the earth are the inheritance of Christ. As we war, we do so from this position of victory. And it’s in Jesus’ name that we ask and declare these things. Amen.
Our decree:
We declare that God will frustrate satan’s plans and fill the earth with His glory.
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