The Exploits of Nehemiah

Thursday 27 August
READ: Neh. 2: 7 -8
MORE LESSON: Neh. 6: 15 -16

Nehemiah was a man who did exploits. When we talk of exploits, many people think it is only for men of war but Nehemiah is an example of a man who did exploits without being a warrior. He was a slave in the kingdom of Persia where he was a cupbearer to the king. However, he had a dream that an average slave will never even think about. A slave who had no money had a dream to rebuild his nation’s fence and reinforce it. You can imagine how much it will cost to build a fence around a whole city but Nehemiah conceived the thought. Great exploits always start with having a great thought in your mind. You cannot be greater than the greatness of you vision, so people who will do exploits must dream big. You never do any exploits until you have succeeded in the place of dreaming and planning big.

Another factor that helped Nehemiah to achieve great success was that he was passionate about what he wanted to achieve. Neh. 1: 3 -4 shows this; And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. Brilliant success does not just come because you wish for it. The passion to achieve must apprehend you, reflected in your fasting, praying, speech and countenance. A man with a great dream must have a great passion for it or else his dream will ever remain a dream. Brilliant achievements do not come to idle people. Your quest for exploits must drive you to work hard. Laziness is incompatible with doing exploits. Nehemiah made up his mind that Jerusalem must be built again, he worked at it and he achieved it.

It was his passion that made way for his performance of exploits. In Neh. 2:1 – 4, we see that he was so passionate about his dream that the passion changed his countenance without being conscious of it. The king noticed the expression on his face and asked him what he wanted. He prayed to God for favour and God crowned his desires with success. It is by the favour of God that a man is crowned with brilliant achievements. God's favour through the king met with his passionate pursuit of his dream and it became a reality. As you go out today and for the rest of your life, God's favour will rest on your efforts to achieve your dreams and you will do great exploits, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Say to yourself, “ I shall dream big, and God will perform it”.
* Pray about every great idea on your inside to receive the power of performance.
* Rebuke every form of road block on the pathway of your success in life.
* Give God thanks for the promised greatness He has given all His children.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Holy Spirit of God, move into my life afresh and do new things with my destiny, in the name of Jesus.

Favoured by the King

Wednesday 26 August
READ: Neh. 1: 1-9
MORE LESSON: Neh. 2: 1-8

Nehemiah was brought from Israel as a war captive and he became the cupbearer in the king's palace. He had a vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but he personally didn't have the means to fulfill his heart desire for God's kingdom. Nevertheless, he decided that he would not be deterred by his financial limitation because of his lack of personal resources. He chose not to look at what he had but what God had to bring his aspiration to pass. So he fasted and prayed. One day Nehemiah took drinks to the king as he always did but the king, instead of facing his drinks and enjoying it, he looked at Nehemiah's face. The king noticed that he was not looking happy and then asked him why he was sad. It was an offence to be gloomy in the king's presence and he could have been punished by death. Because of God's favour on him, instead of the king punishing him for appearing sad in his presence, the king decided that he would do everything to remove the cause of his sadness and make him joyful. So the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted him to do for him. When God favours you, kings of the earth will favour you.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. Neh 2: 4. Even though Nehemiah prayed before he met the king, he prayed again when the king asked him what he wanted. It is only when God favours you that men can favour you. It was because God answered Nehemiah's prayer that the king granted all his requests ...And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Neh 2: 8 KJV.

When God favoured Nehemiah, the king granted his requests by providing all the materials needed to rebuild the walls destroyed by his own predecessors. Nehemiah went ahead to rebuild the walls as he aspired. This great feat was not achieved as a result of Nehemiah's burden alone but God’s favour which He granted him through the king. A slave became a man of achievement and he was even promoted to be the governor of the land through the King's favour.

Today is the day you will find favour with God and this favour will be expressed by men; kings and nobles, opening up their treasures to you in Jesus’ name. This did not just happen for Nehemiah worked assiduously for it by praying, weeping, mourning and fasting, his own way of showing great commitments and love for his Father’s land - Jerusalem. It was not in vain, God answered. Don't wait for favour like magic, do all that is needful spiritual and physical then wait and see the salvation of the Lord in a special way.

Prayer/Action
*Prophesy it upon your life that nothing will stand on your way to achieving great facts in destiny.
* Declare that like Nehemiah, you will not trust God in vain.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, I receive the force of righteousness to take over and rule my life right now, in Jesus’ name.

Good Success

READ: Josh 1: 7 - 8
MORE LESSON: Psa. 115: 13 - 15

When we talk about good success, it is absolute and complete success that God represents. God is an epitome of excellence and success and so everything He created is to be successful. You are created by God and you should have good success because you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139: 14). Good success is a character of God's kingdom. Salvation doesn't only mean to be free from sin, it also means freedom from all mentality that is not coherent with the mindset of the kingdom. Failure is not part of the kingdom lifestyle: you will find it difficult to successfully witness to people to accept Christ when your life does not have a symbol of success. As believers, we should make a success of our work, businesses, careers and academics, then, we will have a solid basis for telling the unbelievers to follow us to Church.

Good success has some characteristics. It is progressive and involves continuous addition. A successful man may start small but he doesn't remain small. The way water drops little by little until it becomes a mighty ocean, so does success accumulate till it becomes good success. Little success, a little more and a little more and you become great. Another characteristic of good success is that the continuous progress is made by means that are pleasing to God and approved by Him. This implies that a doctor, who performs abortion to accumulate money, even if he builds houses and buys cars through his abortion specialist practice, it is bad success. It is a bad success when you put charm in your shop to draw more customers; you may be making money, but the source is wrong.

God gives good success. The psalmist in Ps. 121 understood that his help was from nowhere but God and He had to lift up his face unto Him. God is never against good success for He expects His children to be successful and live in this reality (1 John 1:2). God spoke to Joshua and told him of what he needed to do so that he will be guaranteed good success. It is the Word of God that gives good success by renewing our mind and making us live by the principles of God. Therefore, good success comes when you receive the Word of God, allow it to change your thinking, start to live according to its principles and continue steadfastly in it. Good success is yours in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Command the forces of success to begin to work for you.
* Lift a standard against the spirit of failure in all its ramifications.
* Invoke the spirit of excellence upon your destiny with evidences following by the power of the Holy Ghost in Jesus’ name.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every force of sin, error and mistake that the accuser is using against my open door, be broken to pieces now, in the name of Jesus’.

Greater Works

Monday 24 August
READ: John 14: 10-14
MORE LESSON: Heb 11: 39 - 40

There is provision for greater achievements for us today than men of old ever had. If there is any great thing done by ancient men in the scriptures, there is opportunity for every man who is in Christ to do greater things. We know about the faith of Abraham; we have celebrated the exploits of Moses at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, we know about the conquests of Joshua and miracles of the prophets but none of these men are as great as Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Now Jesus Himself said, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. John 14:12 NKJV. If Jesus, The Greatest, gives us room to do greater works than He did, then we automatically have provision to do greater works than all ancient men of renown.

As you study the Bible, you should do so with the consciousness that you have a greater opportunity for greatness today than the men of old. We are living in a privileged era- the era of the fulfillment of all the promises that God made to the fathers of faith. This is expressed in Heb 11: 13, 39 – 40; These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. . . and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. What they had were promises but we have the fulfillment which is Christ. It was recorded several times in the Bible that the Spirit of the Lord came upon men of old and they did exploits.

It was the Spirit of God that came upon Samson that gave him strength; it was the Spirit of God that came upon the prophets and they prophesied, it was the Spirit of God that visited Solomon and he became the wiset and richest man ever. That same Spirit of God doesn't just come upon you today but He is resident inside you. This is the reason Jesus said to you as His disciple, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it. Luke 10:23-24 NKJV
You have the Spirit of Christ in you. You have the privilege to do the works of Christ and even do greater works. The hour has come for the manifestation of the sons of God; step out today and do unprecedented exploits.

Prayer/Action
* Ask Jesus to fulfil the promise of greater works through you today.
* Anoint yourself with oil and declare that the spirit of greater works will begin to function upon your life now.
* Ask for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon you.
Create time today to pray in tongues for an hour.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every evil spiritual arrow targeted against my destiny and well-being be paralysed today, in the name of Jesus.