Study Guide:
Discussion Prompts
Nehemiah, a man who went from cupbearer to governor. This is quite a career, but it all started with genuine brokenness over the fate of God’s people. Pastor Bryce took us in on Nehemiah’s conversation with the king. And one thing that we can learn from this interaction is that …
- Our Brokenness yielded to God, is like a plowed field ready to plant.
In Prayer, Nehemiah submitted his brokenness to God. Then he waited on God’s timing. In your first step, ponder this: What situation has God put on your heart? What are you broken over? Is it the mental health crisis of so many people? Anxiety? Fear? Or is it the people of your surrounding who are struggling under financial burdens? Is it the persecution of the Christians?
Write down what God has placed on your heart. – Now, bring it to God. Right now, stop and pray. Lay before God what burdens you, and ask him to show you how you can make a difference.
Using Nehemiah’s story Pastor Bryce also pointed out that …
- When we bow to The King we can stand before any king.
Nehemiah’s reverence for God gave way to a King’s blessing, but Nehemiah had to step up and have an answer. The king just opened the door for the conversation, Nehemiah had to go through that door. – Look at your life. Is there a door that is open? A door that God has opened for you to walk through to make a difference. Maybe the door is just open just a little bit, maybe it is wide open. Where has God already given an opportunity to make that difference? All it takes is to walk through it. In your group, share your thought. Now hold each other accountable.
Lastly, we learned from Nehemiah that …
- Leaders make believers when they humbly listen and learn.
Nehemiah took the time to listened and learned from the people involved in the project. How often are we inclined to present our own ideas and vision without listening to the people and taking their concerns into consideration?
That open door, the one we talked about earlier, do you need to check in with the people in the room? Who needs to be listened to? Who needs to be taken along on the journey? Nehemiah had a clear vision but he still made time to listen to the people who would be most affected by the change. Make a list of people you need to take into account. Now go and LISTEN. Take notes and then see how you can integrate them into the vision God has impressed on you. This might be your spouse or kids. It might be your boss or colleagues, or it might be friends and new partners.
Pastor Daniel
BibleApp
Through the Bible in one Year
Join us in reading through the entire Bible in one year. Each day of this plan guides you through passages from both the Old and New Testaments, allowing you to see connections between the history of our faith, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Readings average four chapters in length, so it is posible to do. When you use the YouVersion Bible App, you can even have the app read the Bible text to you – very useful when you are in the car or otherwise occupied with your hand.
All you need to do is click the link to the Bible Plan, which should lead you straight to the Bible app. Your two options are now (1) to read the plan on your own, one day at the time. Or (2) you can make it more fun and rewarding, by sharing the plan with one or more friends, and then even “Talk about it”.
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