Keeping Your Focus (6 of 11)
Series: Nehemiah
Joe Alain
Nehemiah 6:1-9
Introduction: In life, you need to keep focus. When you lose focus, you feel as if you're not really accomplishing what you desire and/or what needs to occur. We especially need focus in the Christian life as there is much to distract us. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to keep our focus, to ''run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.'' The Living Bible paraphrase says, ''Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor.'' And the well-known verse, Philippians 3:14, ''I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus'' (see also 3:12-13).
But knowing we need focus and achieving it are two different things. How do we keep our focus? Sometimes it's not so much what we ''do,'' but as in Nehemiah's situation, it is what we do not do. Read Nehemiah 6:1-9.
1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates- 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ''Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.''
But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ''I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?'' 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:
''It is reported among the nations-and Geshem says it is true-that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this pro ...
Series: Nehemiah
Joe Alain
Nehemiah 6:1-9
Introduction: In life, you need to keep focus. When you lose focus, you feel as if you're not really accomplishing what you desire and/or what needs to occur. We especially need focus in the Christian life as there is much to distract us. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to keep our focus, to ''run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.'' The Living Bible paraphrase says, ''Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor.'' And the well-known verse, Philippians 3:14, ''I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus'' (see also 3:12-13).
But knowing we need focus and achieving it are two different things. How do we keep our focus? Sometimes it's not so much what we ''do,'' but as in Nehemiah's situation, it is what we do not do. Read Nehemiah 6:1-9.
1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates- 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ''Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.''
But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ''I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?'' 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:
''It is reported among the nations-and Geshem says it is true-that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this pro ...
There are 5626 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
