I have been using a 21-day devotional written by a friend of mine, Trisha Roselle. The title is 21 Day Fast to Break the Cycle of Unbelief. With her permission I will be sharing from Day Seventeen of those devotions.
Nehemiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I so appreciate the attitude, heart and perseverance Nehemiah displays. Trisha used his story to address the challenge we face rebuilding lives in need of healing and restoration.
Nehemiah was given an assignment to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He therefore went out and surveyed the broken walls in the city, made an honest assessment and sought the Lord for His plan to rebuild. Of course, once he and the people made the decision to rebuild the walls they met opposition every step of the way. Sound familiar??
Many of you reading this know only too well that when we attempt to make changes in our lives (like breaking off doubt, unbelief, bitterness, resentments, anger, etc.), the enemy will ridicule, resist and ultimately discourage us in order to stop our forward progress. He loves to attack our mind with lies. But ladies, we MUST resist those lies, as did Nehemiah, if we want to walk in healing and wholeness.
When the enemy continued to harass, using Sanballat and Tobiah, his goal was to get Nehemiah and his team to compromise and back down. But Nehemiah knew what he had to do. He cried out to God for help praying, “Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.” (NAS) His prayer was not from a place of doubt or unbelief but rather he was fervent, passionate and quite specific. It was still a VERY hard work but Nehemiah and the people were going to do whatever it took to complete their assigned task and restore Jerusalem.
The enemy of our soul is no different today than in the days of Nehemiah. His goal is to prevent you from walking into your God-planned destiny. He loves to cause confusion and frustration. He doesn’t want the rebuilding to take place so you can walk in victory. He delights in getting us ensnared in blaming, murmuring, and complaining so that we become bitter and walk in unforgiveness.
But we are women who are daughters of the King of kings. We can refuse to give in to the schemes of the enemy of our soul. Even when we are worn out, let’s press on as Nehemiah and his team did. Pray, receive strategy from the Lord and act on that strategy.
Nehemiah was told to station armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assign people by families with swords, lances and bows. Each family had to learn to war on behalf of their own. The Lord desires YOU to WAR for your freedom and destiny in Christ with VICTORY in mind. “Do not be afraid of them, remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” (Nehemiah 4:14b)
Ladies, let us get our minds on the MASTER, not on our situation. God will frustrate the plans of your enemy as you keep your eyes on HIM!! Station armed guards (HIS WORD) at the most vulnerable places in your mind. Surround yourself with people who will stand positively with you ready to lift up their sword (HIS WORD) in agreement with your destiny in Christ Jesus.
Let us pray:
“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17-18)
Oh Lord, I thank you for YOUR goodness! I declare today, “there is nothing too hard for YOU.” I choose to fix my eyes on YOU instead of my problems. You are the great I AM, El Gibbor, Mighty God, Champion, Warrior!!
Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC Graduate
NOTE: To purchase your copy of 21 Day Fast to Break the Cycle of Unbelief by Trisha Roselle call King of Kings, 219 Mt Airy Rd., Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 (908) 630-8755; www.hisworship.org
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Victory Call 
Dear Patricia:
I so enjoyed your writing of today. I am a woman who has an “interesting” challenge in life:
I am engaged to a wonderful man. I have been divorced for almost 12 years and had not dated or been in a
relationship for over a decade, until I met my fiancé last year. The problem that I can’t seem to “shake” is leaving behind the emotional ties with my former husband.
He verbally abused me. He verbally tormented me. We bickered every single day of our 20 year marriage.
He seemed content when he would finally see me in tears.
We did not have physical intimacy in over a decade. We tried with quality Christian counselors for SEVEN years,
but to no positive avail. He has TOLD me to stay with the wonderful man I have met. He has TOLD me that he
does not want to be married to me and is not in love with me (although he will always have “a love” for me).
When I suggest that we make things right for G-d and remarry, he adamantly refuses.
It’s time for me to be released. It’s time for me to move on. It’s time for me to make a life with somebody who
truly loves me and shows me love. It’s just that I become “homesick” for my family (my children are all raised and
in their twenties.) The enemy, I believe, keeps me tied to a place where I feel that G-d wants me. Well, the
other person involved does NOT want me, so perhaps G-d led me to a darling man who DOES want to be with me
and treat me like a princess.
Now that is a challenge you don’t hear of every day, yes?!? I thank you for a thought-provoking writing, and
I wish you a blessed week ahead.
Stephanie from Lancaster, Pa.