Discernment

Wk 49 Day 3

Nehemiah 6:12-13
¹² I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

.. Nehemiah "realized" is a statement of discernment.
.. He knew that these people had plotted against him, even using spiritual things (prophesying), in order to destroy the work of the Lord - rebuilding the wall.

// A few things:

.. A leader is discerning to the real work and leading of the Lord.
I can just imagine if Nehemiah wasn't discerning, it would have been a disaster.

.. A leader is constantly in touch with the Lord for complete guidance.
How would have Nehemiah known that the prophecy was not of God? He must have been so close to God that God's Spirit is imparted to him all the way.

.. A leader responds with confidence; confidence in God.
" ¹¹ But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"
⁹ They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

We know Nehemiah is a man of prayer. He always counteracted oppositions in prayer.

// BELLE:
.. I need to get as close as possible to God on a daily basis - not allowing small things to derail my thoughts from the presence of God - that I may be discerning even to the ones that seeming sound "spiritual" - appealing spiritual that are actually a trap.
.. Especially today (but also for the rest of the days), I will keep myself in constant mood of prayer - relying on the spirit of God.
.. On the same line, I will also be careful that in all that I do, my motives will be pure before God - not using spiritual things to get people to do or say things things out of my own selfish motives. Everything I will do must only be out of God's divine guidance. May this be far from me in the name of Jesus!

// Lord, Your Spirit is powerful. I pray that you will keep me in check, always in the attitude of prayer that I may discern your work and your leading. Remove from me anything that is not of You. In Jesus' name, I pray that you will keep away anything that defiles your servant. Help me also to discern what is of You and what is not, even if they seem to sound like it's from You. I can do this because Your Spirit is my guide. Help me to be sensitive to You, in Jesus' name, amen.