DATE POSTED: Thursday, July 27, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Orlando, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE New Living Translation (NLT) IS FOUND IN Nehemiah 9:29-31

THE BIBLE TEXT IS:  “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them. But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: I believe it will be important to explain ‘Life’, for those who read or listen to this devotional will all be alive and wonder what might the Bible be referring to. Many might go to church, so they may wonder what else they need to obey, as instructed in our Scripture today. This Scripture is taken from an extended prayer by Nehemiah for his people, and I pray that this may encourage us into dedicated prayer for our respective nation and people.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Think about the last time you prayed longer than a few seconds. Now before you get insulted by that, try timing your prayer tomorrow! Ever tried praying deliberately for 5 minutes? It feels like an eternity, doesn’t it? Well Nehemiah got with the leaders and after standing on their feet for a 3 hour sermon, they entered into a time of prayer for another 3 hours. Although you may quickly retort that you can say things a whole lot quicker than this group did, I believe it might help you if you read this chapter and see what all they prayed about. It seems natural for us to sit and ridicule our government leaders for the decisions they make, but for the child of God who believes the Word and what Jesus said about Him being responsible for placing leaders in their place, wouldn’t it seem natural that we converse with God about things we may not fully understand that may be happening at the time? Why is He allowing that thing and what should you know in order to be a part of His will surrounding those decisions? Notice that Nehemiah was not questioning God about what He may have permitted in the life of the Israelites, but in reflecting on their past, Nehemiah was able to see the handiwork of God evident through the attacks of the enemy and in God revealing His mighty power through saving the Israelites. As earthly beings, we are excellent at referring back to the ‘good old days’! Wouldn’t that be an excellent time to also reflect on, and give thanks for, all that God did in the lives of your ancestors and previous national leaders? Without this type of reflection and thanksgiving, don’t you suppose that our children might be looking at us and wondering if we will be as much of a failure as our ancestors were? Friends, there is always a positive and negative outlook on life experiences. For those of us that love God, have surrendered to His lordship, and communicate with Him about all of life’s decisions, then we will be mindful of all that He has done, and faith to believe all that He will do. Let’s not give Satan the pleasure of sucking us into the evil and wicked plans that he has in store for his people. We’re a child of the King, and it’s to Him that we owe our allegiance. When we said ‘yes’ to Jesus, we said ‘no’ to Satan, so we follow God’s commands, seeing that we owe nothing to our old master. Many may think that because the church teaches that if we walk the isle on Sunday morning and accept Jesus as Lord, then we are a changed person. But you must place every effort and determination to implement that change in your life. When decisions arise, remember that your King/Lord/Savior must always win! The way to keep in tuned with His decisions, is to make it a daily habit to read what He says – read the Bible. As you practice this, you will find yourself searching for God’s response to make sure that you never decide in a conflicting way. According to Scripture, when you live like this, you are assured of ‘life’ – that’s life eternally in heaven with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: God took care of the Israelites, especially in getting them out of Egypt and into the land He had prepared for them. Filled with doubt, fear and disbelief, they wavered in many ways, but God was faithful to His chosen people. To those who follow Christ, I am convinced that God is still faithful, if only we will obey His commands, as confirmed by God Himself in His Word!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: I believe we can safely say like Nehemiah, in spite of who I’ve been, and who I am, yet You have been faithful, full of grace and merciful dear Lord! Thank You for Your goodness towards me. Please teach us to stay strong in our faith, dedicated to You and obedient to Your Word. Please help us to always insure that our Master wins in every decision, for it is much too easy for us to fail on our own. Lord, we want others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and not be misled by us in any way, so help us to insure that You are in charge and we are obedient to You. Please draw us to the cross and help us to be faithful in all walks of life and in all that we say. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home near by your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!