Increase Your Influence
The Book of Nehemiah

Note that Acts 1:8 tells us that when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit we will have power. If you look at the punctuation we see that we have power, and we will also be witnesses. Sometimes we read it so fast we only see “power for witnessing.” 

Influential people make a difference in difficult situations.

The United States is a powerful nation because through the years many men and women have accepted the challenge to make our nation a better place.   These individuals were able to identify specific needs and solve them individually or gather together a team that could do so.

            Our church is full of dynamic, influential people. Our individual and collective prayers have blessed many people. Some of us are leaders in our vocations and professions. Some have served as leaders in the K-O (Kansas-Oklahoma) Conference. Four of our members are heading to Illinois this week to a convention.  Nancy Teders is the current president of the K-O Conference Women’s Fellowship.

The purpose of this message is to inspire us to continue to grow – to continue to lead. If you or I were a general in the army and thought we only had to win one battle we would be in sad shape. Winning a war is the result of winning many battles!

Our scripture from Psalms reminds us that God loves us and wants us to be so happy and joyful in Him that we are singing when we go to bed! Verse 6 says, “May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands.”

Why? So we can do the work of God! When the Israelites entered the Promised Land they had to put to death many, many people. They were carrying out God’s punishment for evil done in the past.

However, the principle still applies in part.  Someday we will judge the world and judge angels.  We will certainly need Holy Spirit power at that time, so we may as well get it now!

1 Corinthians 6:1-3  “If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?  Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!”

Fortunately, we do not have to be putting people to death as the scripture in Psalms describes! We are here to wreck Satan’s kingdom by leading people to Christ.

I believe that when God established the Garden of Eden, His Plan A was to expand it as the human population grew. Unfortunately Adam and Eve sold out to Satan’s dumb scheme and messed things up. However, God still intends to meet our needs. He still has many blessings for us.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will is to bless us, but we have to walk in faith and obedience to receive those blessings.

Ways to Increase our Influence:

I.                 Acknowledge the problem you feel like you should confront. There are many, many problems that demand our attention. None of us can solve them all. However, there may be an issue God wants you or me to deal with.

II.               Pray specifically about the problem. Pray in faith and ask for instructions. Get specific with God. Let Him show you the way.

III.             Make it a major focus in your life to solve the problem.

IV.            Talk only to the people who can help you – and then only if they have the faith to give the help. Many great ideas have died on the vine because they were shared with a negative person.

V.              Set a time frame.

VI.            Continue to pray and assess the situation. If God called you to the problem, He has a successful plan in mind to solve it. However, He will solve it through us, not in spite of us!

VII.          Expect problems and opposition to develop.

VIII.        Pray specifically and boldly about those problems as they arise.

IX.            NEVER take the credit. Give God the glory and your helpers the credit for their hard work. Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.”

X.              Celebrate with Joy and Enthusiasm! Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.

THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM

    Let’s see how this played out in the life of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was an honored cupbearer to the King. Although he was in captivity, he had risen to a very high position because of his integrity and his faithfulness to God.

            Nehemiah had power, he had prestige, and he had wealth. He had what most of us can only dream of.

             However, God had another plan for his life. The Israelites had been in bondage in Persia for over 70 years. This story actually takes place near the end of Old Testament times.

             Many of the captivities had returned to Jerusalem but things were tough. The walls of Jerusalem had not been rebuilt and the enemies were harassing them.

I. Nehemiah accepted the problem as his responsibility.            

            When Nehemiah heard of the problem he was deeply grieved, so he accepted the problem as his responsibility.

II. He prayed about it.

            It is obvious from the text that as Nehemiah prayed he received specific instructions. When the king noticed his sorrow and heard the explanation he simply asked, “What do you want me to do?”

            Nehemiah quickly prayed for wisdom, then told the king what he needed!

III. Nehemiah was focused.

The king knew there was a problem because Nehemiah was so focused that it was obvious to the king.

IV. Nehemiah was careful who he shared his dream with.

            He only talked to the king and the people who could supply his needs. When he got to Jerusalem he blended in for 3 days before he made a night-time assessment by himself.

V. He set a time frame.

            The king had asked how long it would take. He gave a date and actually completed the work in 52 days.

VI. Nehemiah kept praying

            He made it his responsibility to work and organize and supervise, but he always took the problems to the Lord. This allowed him to be trusting and confident. Because of his humility he did not need credit – he honored others.

VII. He expected problems.

            When opposition presented itself Nehemiah did not panic. He took the problems to the Lord and took action. You will frequently notice the word “intimidated.” However all they did was make threats. No armed opposition actually took place.

            God protected them.

VIII. Nehemiah prayed specific prayers.

            He told God about the threats. We do best if we confront problems, not just hope they will go away.

IX. Nehemiah made appropriate assignments.

            As you read his record you will notice that people did work near their home, so it was always meaningful to them. People of influence meet the needs of others.

X. They celebrated.

After the work was done the scriptures were read. But God instructed them to celebrate! They were told not to weep, but to rejoice, “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

As New Testament Christians we have some obvious challenges. Christianity is not growing in proportion to the population growth. Not enough men and women are entering the ministry. Drugs, alcoholism, and venereal diseases are destroying many of our youth – just to name a few problems.

We need men, women and youth to “step up to the plate” of personal leadership and make a difference in our nation!

Think of the needs that concern you, pick one and begin to pray earnestly for godly wisdom so you can make a difference!  I have, and I’m beginning to get excited again!