Devotional by Symone Thompson, Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate, 2020

In today’s reading in the One Year Bible, Nehemiah has a great victory in dedicating the walls of Jerusalem! Nehemiah had two praise choirs to give thanks to the Lord for what He had done in Jerusalem! But after Nehemiah did a great work in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the nobles and priests sinned by not keeping the Sabbath, defiling the priesthood by marrying pagan women and preparing a room for Tobiah (an enemy of Israel) in the house of the Lord!

Just like the walls of Jerusalem, God is rebuilding our emotional walls as we heal. After God rebuilds our walls, if we are not on guard against the enemy, he will try to throw distractions at us like he did in today’s passage.

The enemy will try to make room in your heart for things and people who aren’t supposed to be there. Just like Tobiah was in the courts of the house of God. Or he’ll try to get you to be in connection with people who would cause you to sin like how the priests sinned and married pagan women. Let us be like Nehemiah and make no room for the enemy and kick out of our lives that which should not be!

Nehemiah was such an amazing man of God because he saw that what was being done around him was not pleasing to the Lord and he did everything in his power to put an end to it. I pray that all of us at TOHM would be like Nehemiah and put an end to the things in our lives that do not please God.

Just as Nehemiah did, we should honor God’s Name and make more room for Him and put aside anything that pleases the flesh. After putting a stop to the sin that was all around him, Nehemiah asked God to remember him for the good. I pray that God will remember us for good as well.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to remove what does not please You from my life. Lord, let me praise and dedicate my life to You for rebuilding my walls forever. Help me tear down and overthrow any evil that would cause me to sin. Remember me, for good in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!