Dr Warren W Wiersbe - Be Determined ( Nehemiah ): Standing Firm in the Face of Opposition (Be Series Commentary)

BE DETERMINED

Published by David C Cook

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the

Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New

American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission; NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright

1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; and NIV

are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV . Copyright 1973,

1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All

rights reserved. Italics in Scripture have been added by the author for emphasis.

LCCN 2009923011

ISBN 978-1-4347-6745-5

eISBN 978-1-4347-0019-3

1992 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Determined by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Victor Books

in 1992 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 0-89693-071-8

The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Susan Vannaman

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: Veer Images

Second Edition 2009

To Birne Wiley
and the
Missionary Tech Team
Longview, Texas, choice servants of God, who, like Nehemiah,
are determined to build the walls to the glory of God.

CONTENTS

: An Introduction to Be Determined by Ken Baugh

1. (Nehemiah 1)

2. (Nehemiah 2)

3. (Nehemiah 3)

4. (Nehemiah 4)

5. (Nehemiah 5)

6. (Nehemiah 6)

7. (Nehemiah 7)

8. (Nehemiah 8)

9. (Nehemiah 9)

10. (Nehemiah 10)

11. (Nehemiah 1112)

12. (Nehemiah 13)

13. (Nehemiah the Leader)

T HE B IG I DEA

An Introduction to Be Determined
by Ken Baugh

Did you know that Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas and that he also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland? Did you know that Babe Ruth set the record for the most home runs in baseball but that he also holds the record for the most strikeouts? Did you know that in 1954, Jim Denny, the manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance, saying, You aint goin nowhere son. You ought to go back to drivin a truck?

Did you know that it took Thomas Edison two thousand experiments before he invented the right filament for the first light bulb? When a young reporter asked him what it felt like to fail so many times, Edison replied, I never failed once, inventing the light bulb just happened to be a two-thousand-step process.

Did you know that by the time Beethoven was forty-six years old he had become completely deaf and yet went on to compose his greatest works, including five symphonies, during his deaf years? And did you know that Jonas Salk, the man who invented the vaccine for polio, attempted two hundred unsuccessful vaccines before he came up with the one that worked? Someone asked Jonas how it felt to fail two hundred times trying to come up with the vaccine for polio, and he replied, I never failed two hundred times at anything in my life. My family taught me never to use that word. I simply found two hundred ways not to make a vaccine for polio.

Amazing, huh? What was it about these people that enabled them to endure adversity, failure, ridicule, and heartbreak? What gave them their inner resolve and determination to press on in spite of the difficulties and setbacks? I want to know, dont you? I mean, when things get tough in my life, my tendency is to become discouraged and depressed. Im tempted to just give up. How about you? Do you ever feel like just throwing in the towel?

Well, if youre feeling like that today as you open this commentary, you are in for a very pleasant surprise, because Nehemiah is going to show you how to keep going when you feel like giving up. In fact, determination is the Big Idea that runs throughout this book. And I believe that youyes, youcan develop the same degree of determination as Nehemiah if you answer three simple questions.

Question #1: Why? In order to develop a high degree of determination, you have to be able to answer the why question. Why did Nehemiah believe that he was the man to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall around the city? He wasnt a construction guy; he was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah knew about wine, not about architecture and masonry. What was he thinking? I believe that Nehemiah was thinking about the safety of Gods people as well as Gods reputation throughout the surrounding nations.

You see, with the walls being broken down and the gates burned, any enemy could just walk in and plunder the city anytime they wanted. Without walls, Gods people had little means of protection. In addition to that, Jerusalem was Gods city, and it was a mockery for this city that was once the shining city declaring Gods glory to the entire world to be in ruins. So Nehemiah had to do something. He was worried about Gods people and zealous for Gods glorythat was the source of his determination. I believe that the degree of determination to accomplish any significant task requires a clear answer to the why question: Why am I doing this?

There have been times when Ive asked myself why I am a pastor, because at times it can be so difficult. Every pastor deals with a certain amount of criticism, conflict, and chaos in their church no matter how healthy it may be, because every church is full of hurting, sinful people, and the one thing you can always count on is that hurt people hurt people. Ive experienced my fair share of hurt, but during these times of discouragement and doubt, I remind myself why I became a pastor in the first place. And the simple answer is that God has called me to shepherd His people and to serve them for His glory. So when Im having a bad day in ministry, I remember why I do what I do, and the answer strengthens my determination to keep going. Nehemiah did the same thing. He knew exactly why he was going to Jerusalem: to help Gods people and restore Gods reputation. And these reasons fueled his determination.

Question #2: How? Having a plan is another important element for developing and maintaining determination. And every plan that Nehemiah devised involved a critical component: prayer . After receiving the distressing news that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the city gates burned, Nehemiah prayed (1:411). During his conversation with the king when Nehemiah asked for leave, he asked God for the kings favor (2:4). After being taunted and ridiculed by his enemies Tobiah and Sanballat, Nehemiah asked God to deal with them as He saw fit (4:45). When the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod threatened to attack if Nehemiah didnt stop building the wall, Nehemiah asked God for protection (4:9). In fact, Nehemiah received many threats from various sources, but each time he prayed and showed his reliance on God (6:9; 13:29). Over and over again, Nehemiah bathed his plans and his motives in prayer (5:19; 13:14, 22, 31). If you want to develop determination, the kind of resolve that does not give up in the face of opposition, then follow the example of Nehemiah and take every situation to the Lord in prayer, asking Him how things should be done.

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