Welcome to Kendra Graham’s online Bible study. This is a place where we can come together and share in our journey towards Scriptural truths and spiritual maturity. We pray this will be a safe, respectful, resourceful place to come and discuss God’s Word…to discover What it says…What it means…and What it means to you!
Kendra Graham NOTES from Nehemiah 4:6
WHAT DOES IT SAY? THE FACTS ONLY PLEASE.
In this step you need to list the outstanding facts of the passage. DON’T get caught up in the details, just list the facts. Do not paraphrase. Use the actual words of the passage. This is God’s Word, a lot of times this step seems tedious to some, but I urge you, as we read, and say and write God’s Word, it begins to sink deep into our hearts. If you just pick one fact out of the verse, write it down and meditate on it.
Verse 6a: We built the wall, the whole wall was joined together to half its height,
Verse 6b: the people had a mind to work.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE LESSONS.
Look for a lesson to learn from each fact. What are the people doing that they should be doing? What are the people doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
Is there a command to follow? A promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow?
Verse 6a: The greatest verse in the chapter! The people chose not to be swayed, distracted or discouraged, they decided to be determined in this verse. The impossible was happening…. 1/2 the wall was brought up in no time!!! Sometimes it is easy to miss what God is doing because the opposition takes up so much of the view in our eyes and thoughts in our heads. Don’t miss what God IS doing because it is so easy to get caught focusing on what He is not.
Verse 6b: God did answer the prayer of Nehemiah from verses 4-5, just not in the way Nehemiah asked. Nehemiah asked that his enemies be shut down, defeated, demoralized and silenced….. instead, God raised up His people to be unified and brought together in the face of the opposition. The opposition continued, yet so did God’s people. The power is not in the hand of the opposition, but all power in and over the situation belongs to God!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME NOW? APPLY IT…. TODAY.
Take the lessons you learned and put them into the form of a personal question that you would ask your spouse, or a friend or your son or daughter.
As you write the questions, listen for God to communicate to you through His Word.
*Do not rush. Do not write things down just to have something on paper, this step takes more time that you may think. This is where Scripture meditation becomes real, this is where you begin to hear that still small voice speak to you, and place His finger in your life and begin to direct your paths…. this day, and the next, and the next. Do you trust Him enough to put into place that which He is moving you to?
Verse 6a: Am I so focused on what God is not doing, that I am missing what God is doing? What has God called me to today? Will I become distracted and demoralized because God has not allowed things to be easy? When have I kept my eyes on God in such a way that I didn’t realize all God was doing in such a short time?
Verse 6b: Do I get upset that God doesn’t answer my prayer when and how I have asked? DO I miss how God is strengthening me right in the middle of my trial? How much do I stress and freak out and worry over people and circumstances that I have no power over? Why is it so hard to leave things in the hand of God for whom nothing is impossible and wait for His deliverance, His way?
LIVE IT OUT!
Look over all your facts, lessons and applications for a given passage.
Is there a main theme to them? Does one verse stand out over the rest for some reason??
Hold yourself accountable to LIVE OUT in your daily life that which God impresses upon your heart. Write it out, sign it, date it and claim the transforming power of God’s Word and His presence in your life.
LORD, strengthen me today to focus on what you have put in front of me to do, and not to become distracted or defeated by what is out of my power but to leave it all at the foot of Your throne. #nothingisimpossible #Godofwonders
Homework: Nehemiah 4:7-9
Get stuck? www.annegrahamlotz.com and Anne will walk through the Three Questions with you and help you along!