2-Identify the need: Nehemiah began his fasting and praying. This stops the knee-jerk reaction of “doing” and allows honest review and evaluation of issue/situation. Nehemiah heard, sat down, wept, mourned then began a fast with prayer time.
During this Fast and Prayer time Nehemiah went before God and sought three things from God:
1-To bring Glory to God. He wasn’t looking for self-aggrandizement or even to help people. He recognized that his path, and strength would need to come from God. He mourned for the implication that the ruined temple and city had on God. He desired to see God’s Name Glorified by the renewal and rebuilding of Jerusalem and God’s temple.
2-He needed God to show him the “need” and to create the “burden” within himself. We can so often be burdened by situations and circumstances. We want to be vindicated or gain some accolades/respect from the world. But every burden/ALL our burdens need to be taken to Jesus. Prayer and fasting allows the Holy Spirit to correct and transform these burdens into burdens that will bring Glorify to God.
3-Seeking PASSION. Holy Passion. This will be a true and sustaining motivation and assist us in determining the “plan of attack”. True Godly Passion will burn in ours bones requiring us to act!
step 3-Take personal responsibility:
Nehemiah, through his devotion to God, realized that One Person taking RESPONSIBILITY will get the entire reBuilding Process started.
Pit-falls he avoided:
“Blame Game” – blaming others for the situation, the problem(s), etc only leads to failure. Those who take responsibility will take on the burden of blame. I have so much respect for leaders who say and actually believe, “The Buck stops here!” I am the leader and I bear the burden. Now let’s get to work on correcting, moving forward, rebuilding.
“justifying failures” or “excuses” – don’t lead to success because you are looking backwards and you are not focused on how to change the situation. God wants us to be about His work no matter how we got to the current state of disrepair. Maybe I (you) had nothing to do with getting to the current state, but here we are, where God has placed us.
Blaming others only leads to discouragement and failure.
Prayerfully, take responsibility and begin the LAZER FOCUS needed to rebuild. The God-given initiative will lead to the “correct” plan of attack and the “right” team of co-workers. It is God’s work and only by His intervention, His power, and His equipping will the work be completed.