Tag: Fast

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Week 3 | Cupbearer to the King

Strengthening:

Nehemiah 1:11

Call to Rise:

Nehemiah was Cupbearer to the King. As a mother, when I hear the word “cupbearer,” I’m inclined to think of moments when my fussy toddlers could be comforted by nothing except their sippy cups, and the parent who could produce the prize first would be the hero of the day. Nehemiah’s role was quite different.

In the ancient world a Cupbearer was an officer of high rank within the king’s court. As the Jewish Virtual Library explains, “since he was close to the person of the king, who feared intrigue and the possibility of poisoned food, the Cupbearer was required to be a man of irreproachable loyalty capable of winning the king’s complete confidence.” In addition to certifying the safety of Artaxerxes’ wine, John Westervelt clarifies that “Nehemiah was a confidant and counselor to the king.” Nehemiah was a man of integrity, and thus, influence. If we hope to influence our nation for Jesus, we would do well to demonstrate a similar level of integrity.

What is integrity?

A person has integrity when their actions match the values they hold and profess.

God demonstrates perfect integrity. He doesn’t lie (Titus 1:2). He does what He says He’ll do (Numbers 23:19). He keeps His promises (Hebrews 10:23). He doesn’t change his character (Hebrews 13:8) or virtues (2 Timothy 2:13). He is both perfectly righteous and absolutely just (Deuteronomy 32:4).

What does the Bible say about integrity?

Since integrity is part of the character of God, the Bible has a lot to say about it. Here’s a snapshot of the benefits and effects of Biblical integrity.

Regarding Slander

What is Slander?

Few things are more painful and debilitating for a person of integrity than slander. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, slander is “a false and malicious statement or report about someone.” As we move further into our study, we’ll learn that this exact weapon was used by the enemy against Nehemiah. Whenever God’s people begin to advance the Kingdom of light into the territory of darkness, the enemy feels threatened (as he should). One of the first weapons he will use against the righteous is slander, because if he can undermine our integrity (trust), he can undermine our influence (relationships). He is the father of lies, and so slander is his native tongue (John 8:44). 

In fact, the Greek word translated as “slanderers” in Titus 2:3 is diabolos; the same word that diabolical is derived from in English. Author Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth explains that “this word—diabolos—appears 38 times in the New Testament. And in all but four of those occurrences, it’s used to refer to Satan… This connection between slander and Satan shouldn’t surprise us. The first time we meet him in Scripture, he is slandering God’s nature and character to Eve in the garden of Eden. ‘You will not surely die’ for eating fruit from the forbidden tree, he told her (Genesis 3:4).”

How Does Satan Use Slander?

Satan slanders God to humans. He sows doubt as to whether God can be trusted. He accuses the Lord and twists His words. Have you ever heard the darkness whisper something ilke “If God is real, why hasn’t He done anything about it?”

Satan also slanders humans to God. DeMoss Wolgemuth says “he famously did it in the early chapters of Job, declaring that righteous man’s behavior to be the easy response of an easy life. ‘Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has,’ Satan said to God, ‘and [Job] will curse you to your face’ (Job 1:11).”

And finally, he entices humans – even Christians – to slander each other. 

How Should We Respond to Slander?

Thankfully, God has not left us defenseless when it comes to slander. The Bible gives us guidance on what to do when the accuser is on the prowl.

1| Trust God to Defend Your Honor. However you respond, make sure you are responding out of the fear of the Lord and not fear of people. Instead of panicking, we can trust the Lord to defend us. Pastor Gavin Ortlund says “After all, it’s in the context of being ‘maligned’ that Jesus says, ‘Have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known’ (Matt. 10:26).”

2| Pray for truth to be exposed and exalted. Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9 ESV)

3| Speak Truth. You don’t need to argue or plead your case. You are empowered to declare truth, which is an absolute defense against lies. The truth is mighty and powerful, while lies are simply biding their time before they crumble. Speak truth in gentleness and not in bitterness. This is precisely what Nehemiah did when confronted with slander, and it is what Paul recommends in 2 Timothy 2:23-26:

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

This gentle rebuttal is best done in person whenever possible.

4| Continue in Integrity. It all comes back to consistency between what you practice and what you profess. Your godly integrity is a testimony before Heaven and earth, a defense purchased steadily over time by faithfully investing in righteous words and actions. God honors that investment, and has vowed to protect it. 

Rejoice And Be Glad

Biblical integrity invites the blessing, favor and protection of God. As you commit to establishing the Kingdom of God in your sphere of influence, don’t be surprised if you find yourself on the receiving end of slander. Even more importantly, don’t forget that the One who never breaks a promise has promised to deliver you.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11–12 (ESV)

Prayer:

Father, you know my intentions and actions. Please empower me to be a person of integrity. I lift my values and priorities up to you and ask that You convict me of any that are not consistent with Your holy scriptures and character. Teach me Your ways. Please make my heart fertile soil for the seeds of Your word, so that all I learn about and from you will take root and result in a harvest of righteous thoughts and actions. Thank you that when I walk in integrity I will be delivered. Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. God, I ask that your American Church would be filled with people marked by Biblical integrity. 

Build Assignments:

  1. Fast, pray and repent.
  2. Contact all of your County leaders (often called County Commissioners).
    • Let them know you are praying for them. 
    • Ask any questions you may have.
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Week 2 | Informing & Mourning

Strengthening:

Nehemiah 1:1-10

Call to Rise:

Today’s scripture reading starts with a straight-forward, simple concept: Nehemiah chose to be informed. He didn’t stumble upon news of Jerusalem’s plight by happenstance. Furthermore, once he learned of the distress in the city of his fathers, he chose to receive it with an open, empathetic heart. He could have easily acknowledged the travesty of the situation on an intellectual level and then moved on. After all, he was far away and the plight of Jerusalem was not a burden on him personally. Instead, he softened his heart and allowed the compassion and concern of the Father to take root in his soul. He deliberately chose to identify with the distress and derision of his people.

In his commentary on Nehemiah, English preacher and author Alexander MacLaren says it this way: “Nehemiah might have made a great many very good excuses for treating lightly the tidings that his brother had brought him. He might have said: ‘Jerusalem is a long way off. I have my own work to do; it is no part of my business to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. I am the King’s cupbearer. They went with their eyes open, and experience has shown that the people who knew when they were well off, and stayed where they were, were a great deal wiser.’ These were not his excuses. He let the tidings fill his heart, and burn there.”

MacLaren makes a case that we have a duty as Christians to contemplate the affliction of those around us with sympathy and compassion.. He explains that “the first condition of [Christian] sympathy is knowledge; and the second is attending to what we do know.” 

Knowing

It’s my opinion that the largest driver of fear is ignorance. When people don’t know, they assume the worst, and dwell on their worst-case-scenario fears. Fear erodes faith. A mentor and boss once taught me, while coaching me through my paralysis over a massive backlog of administrative work, that it’s worth the time to inventory what lies in ruin. After all, he said “you still might not know what to do with the monster, but at least you’ll know what the monster looks like. Then you can make a plan.” 

You need to know what the monster looks like. You need to be informed about the motives, movements, alliances and agendas of the people who control our nation’s government and culture. Why? First, because precise prayers are effective (1 John 5:15). Our prayers need to be like the skillful cuts of a surgeon’s scalpel, not the blindly hacking swings of a distracted swordsman, and it’s hard to pull off an operation like that with your eyes closed.

Second, because many of us are ignorant of how our own government works and what our elected officials are enacting on our behalf. A government of, by and for the people requires the people to be engaged for the Republic to work properly. If we remain ignorant, corrupt leaders remain empowered to act without accountability.

And finally, we must be informed of the circumstances of those who are oppressed and hurting in our nation in order to genuinely sympathize with their plight. 

Attending to What We Know

Once we become informed,what do we do next? Nehemiah responded by weeping (feelings of grief) and mourning (actively processing the feeling of grief). 

Jesus said “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” You’ll be pleased to know that the word comfort here matches the verb for comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, which we learned about in last week’s Call to Rise. The active nature of mourning is akin to the active nature of patiently enduring affliction- both result in much strengthening, otherwise known as comfort.

Nehemiah didn’t begin processing his grief (mourning) by marching into the king’s presence and demanding a leave of absence. He didn’t begin by making an action plan for rebuilding the wall. He began by fasting, praying and repenting before the God of Heaven.

Our earnest endeavor to see America rebuilt in righteousness ought to begin in the same way.

Fasting, Praying and Repenting

Nehemiah’s prayer in 1:5-11 is humbling and powerful. As we pray for God to transform America through us, let’s follow Nehemiah’s lead in seeking first the face and favor of Heaven. Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain (Psalm 127:1). Unless obedience to Christ is the foundation of what we build, nothing we build will stand against the forces of hell (Matthew 7:24-27). And unless we humble ourselves, pray and turn from our own wicked ways just as Nehemiah did, we cannot expect to see our land healed (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This is a time to weep and mourn, to fast and pray, and to humbly repent. These actions will open us up to the realization that only a Church strengthened by the Comforter can rebuild America into a nation of righteousness, justice and liberty. We’re not wired to grieve as those who have no hope; instead, like Nehemiah, we’ll allow our hearts to be broken over the things that break God’s heart. This godly sorrow leads to repentance, and then to salvation without regret (2 Corinthians 7:10). 

Fellow Americans – the list of things for which we must repent is long. Repentance is not simply feeling sorry for what we’ve done – it also requires making a 180 degree turn away from our sin and going the opposite direction of the way we’ve been heading. God, forgive us for our apathy – help us turn the other way and choose to be engaged in the work of our government. Forgive us for allowing culture to shape our attitudes, habits and beliefs – help us turn the other way and influence the attitude, habits and beliefs of American culture as we abide in You. God – forgive us for neglecting the study of your word and quality time spent with You – help us to turn the other way and be people who invest their time and focus on knowing you; people who make building your Kingdom our highest priority. Forgive us for entertaining ourselves with things that break your heart – help us turn the other way and become people who revere and promote purity. God, forgive us for the bloodshed of innocent babies that stains our land – help us turn the other way and build a godly, caring culture that eliminates the demand for abortions rather than expecting a bureaucrat far away to legislate righteousness. 

You may feel that you don’t need to repent for some of these things because you haven’t participated in them. Nehemiah didn’t need to take responsibility to repent for the sins of his brethren hundreds of miles away whose conduct was beyond his control. 

And yet, he did. 

This is the heart of intercession. 

God is looking for someone with a heart like this, someone to stand in the gap between what America is and what she is destined to be.

May our hearts respond eagerly “Here I am, Lord. Send me!”

Prayer:

O Lord, God of Heaven, You are the great and awesome God who keeps covenant with those who love You and keep Your commandments. Please hear my petitions and see my trust in You. I come to You on behalf of America and I confess that we have sinned against You. I have sinned against You. My family has sinned against You. We have allowed good to be called evil and evil to be called good. We have entertained ourselves with things that break Your heart, and allowed ourselves to be so busy that we don’t have time or energy to center our lives around knowing You. Please forgive us, and empower us to turn from twisted ways back toward Your righteous ways. Remember the covenants You made with our forefathers and founders. Remember the promises You gave them. Remember Your intent and plans for America. Remember that You said You would save a city for just one righteous man. I stand now, with an entire remnant of believers who are clothed by grace in the righteousness of Jesus, and I ask that You save America for the sake of Your Name and Your testimony in the earth. Have mercy on us, Almighty God! Soften my heart and allow it to be broken by the things that break Your heart, and to be filled with joy by the things that give You joy, so I can become more like You. Please give me favor as I commit myself to establishing Your Kingdom, first in my own heart, and then in my home, neighborhood and nation. Here I am Lord – send me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Build Assignment:

  1. Fast, pray and repent.
  2. Contact all the members of your local School Board. 
    • Let them know you are praying for them. 
    • Ask any questions you may have.