There’s a deep human yearning to make a difference – “…to know that we’ve done something on this earth; that our life means something. “ Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be.” -Andy Stanley Nehemiah 1:1-3 … Some people are even able to communicate that vision and get other people on board, but there’s one problem. 6 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. Her coworker had remarked that she didn’t realize that Paul’s wife did voice-over work, and she said if I ever wanted to do any work to call her…, How flattering for this housewife who never ventures beyond the Christian elementary school where I substitute for little pay and work other hours as a volunteer with the kids I love. Thanks. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by events, organizations, hobbies, and activities that do nothing to further the vision that God gave you. Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? If you’re passionate about what could and should be, eventually somebody will question your motives or your enthusiasm. The next time you’re criticized, and you’re fed up and ready to quit, what if instead you realized that success will silence your critics, and instead of quitting on the job you prayed to God for strength and asked him for more resolve? What urgent thing robs you of time to focus on your most important thing? But what’s the one thing you need to do? No, I won’t do it!” I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. SANBALLAT PRACTISES AGAINST NEHEMIAH BY INSIDIOUS ATTEMPTS. I also write a column for The Gospel Coalition Canada. A few people end up somewhere on purpose!” (Andy Stanley) A vision begins as a concern (Nehemiah: broken walls = defenseless city of God!!) We want to know that there is a purpose to our existence” (James Kouzes and Barry Posner). When you write your company’s [your family’s, your children’s] history two years from now, which decisions will have really mattered? Thanks for encouraging the ladies who might have really struggled to say this. So right here, right now, I pray that somebody would pray, “Father, I want to join the adventure of serving and following you. Turn off the lights and go home.” And it was 4 – PM! Life is now. If you are going to live a life of purpose, and get to the end of your life having fulfilled God’s vision, you will need to learn how to handle distractions. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of … After he was done, he received an email from one of his leaders. You see, I know what my marriage could be and should be, but life is hard on vision. That would be the end of the vision. His goal was to spread false rumors about Nehemiah. We’ve been looking at how to discover and live out God’s purposes for our lives. As we close, I want you to look at the list on the back of your outline. Then, second, would you be willing to write that vision down on paper? The point is this: as you think about what your future should look like from God’s perspective – your family, your relationships, your career, your ministry – the options become fewer and the choices get easier. - Nehemiah took time to organize this service, and give attention to the details. God has called you to do these two or three things. When you begin to live a life of purpose, you need to live with this verse etched on your mind: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” We’re going to come back to this phrase in a moment. But I replied, “Should someone in my position run away from danger? He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Andy Stanley believes these questions are bread crumbs that lead to the discovery of personal vision. REBUILD Nehemiah 1 A Man With a Burden - Duration: ... Nehemiah 5-6 The Wall Is Finished - Duration: 54:10. I always insist that she make, rather than buy, a card for me because she makes these incredible cards. Nothing could be further than the truth, but it didn’t matter. In Nehemiah’s case, they were just days aw… You can live a life of vision. 6. Who do you know that can hold you accountable for following through on the goal you set? We all make resolutions. That couple developed a picture of what they wanted that marriage to look like, how it should feel. What criticisms? I want to do a great work with my life. I’ve come to realize that it’s possible to be busier than I already am, even doing good things, and still be accomplishing fewer things I know that God really wants me to do. Even worse, some people live their own visions instead of God’s visions. Would you be willing to at least begin praying that God would give you his vision in key areas of your life? archive.constantcontact.com/fs189/1104121055169/archive/1113043694425.html We’ve already read the invitation that Sanballat sent four times in a row for Nehemiah to meet him. - The emphasis in the text on music can't be missed. Visioneering, according to bestselling author Andy Stanley, is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be. It’s down to just three things. My overall life vision is very simple. Here’s the seventh building block on how to live a life of vision: Today I’d like to look at Nehemiah to find out how we can prevent our vision by being killed by distractions. Around this time, Andy preached a sermon series on Nehemiah. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”. The good can be the enemy of the best. What’s the one thing you dare not get distracted from? That’s not a good enough vision. Peace and joy should … What New Year’s resolutions have you made in the past? Passion is the catalyst which catapults you out of passive concern and into action. I sometimes even want to quit. Then as I dig down they say, which I love this, I take this as a compliment—they say, I love Buckhead Church, Brown’s Bridge Church, North Point Church and Watermark. Nehemiah 6:3b. When other opportunities come up, ignore them. One of the greatest examples of somebody who lived a life of vision was a man who lived about 2500 years ago. 1. We’ve been in the process of submitting our lives to God and asking him to show us what could and should be in our marriages, in our church, in our relationships, in our finances. But I have to be honest enough to admit that when I’m criticized – especially if I’m unfairly criticized – I get distracted. We get to spend it any way we like, but we only get to spend it once. 678.892.5000 Services Starting at 7:00 a.m. But we can be out six nights a week taking advantage of good opportunities. 6-60 These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the Exile, the ones Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried off captive; they came back to Jerusalem and Judah, each going to his own town. "Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies, that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach or break in the wall remained in it, although at that time, I had not set up the doors to the gates". I want to ask you a question. To help me stay focused, I posted this verse in strategic places around the house: I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. What’s the one thing that will make an extraordinary difference in your life? One of the greatest tragedies is that many of us know what we could be and should be doing from God’s perspective, but we’re not doing it, because life is getting in the way. If you’ve been with us these past few months, you’ve been on a journey of discovering the different building blocks of living a life of vision. Did you follow through on them? But this letter was different. 5. According to his reports, you plan to be their king. What would your revised resolution be? So now, thousands of years after shepherds watched their flocks and wise men followed a star, you may be asking, "Who needs Christmas? I had a God-given picture of what type of parent I could be and should be. It’s why our finances aren’t in order. We have had five forms of opposition — grief, laughter, wrath, mocking, and fighting; now we have subtlety without. With down-to-earth practicality, Andy extracts principles from the story of Nehemiah to help you discover your purpose in life. They knew that it’s not enough just to be married. When Nehemiah’s enemies couldn’t distract him through opportunities and criticism, they appealed to his fear. - Unfortunately, music has become such a source of contention these days that people don't enjoy it. 4. It’s why so many of us end up with relationships with our children that are different from what could be and should be. Monthly Staff Development E-mail, Click HERE to see our Christmas Shipping Schedule, Leading Through Cvid and Learning From It (An Interview With NPM Leadership) ➞, Are you in a season where you feel stuck spiritually? This is the pinball approach to life. Crises are now. Read hat happened the fifth time, in Nehemiah 6:5-7: The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand, and this is what it said: “Geshem tells me that everywhere he goes he hears that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. King in Judah! 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