Today we move to Nehemiah’s second step for transformation of his community.
Step 2 – Nehemiah developed a vision of restoration that symbolically connect to those hurting today
After praying and fasting he moved to creating the desired future state. He didn’t just launch out and start doing things; he thought through – were do we need to be? Where are we trying to take people? What does the end game look like?
As we watch the news each day and live out our lives, we see significant moral breakdown in communities across the country. Issues may not be the same in every neighborhood, but every neighborhood has issues. We as leaders have to be the light for our community and provide the moral compass for our young people to follow. We have to teach them what the Bible says about the conditions of this world (You must know the times . . .).
To rebuild our communities we need the Word of God, continuous prayer, faith in God’s ability and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have to be willing to step up and say there is a better way. The church has to show the hope and purpose that can be available to and for people. In the process of bringing hope to our young people we must understand their discouragements and how it affects them. And help them understand that any improvement effort will face challenge. We must realize, as Nehemiah did, how we can be productive in the positions we occupy within our community. What is your vision to bring change to the lives of the young people under your care? We can’t be scared or shy about stepping up, speaking up and bringing truth to power. For I believe we have been placed in our positions to affect those who have power to make change. We must stand strong no matter what others think.
To be successful we must know our purpose. The devil is clear, his purpose is to kill, steal and destroy our lives, our hope and our future. We must be focused in our approach to ensure success. The church, not political leaders must lead the change. Without God all efforts will go astray. As leaders, you will need to reach back and lift someone up. We have to re-teach young people the values of respect for self, property and life. We must as the church, live a life of caring for people believing our communities will rise again.
Again; our young people are depending on us to step up and equip them to be able to discern and make Godly decisions. Stay encouraged. Stay engaged. Stay upon the Wall. Our young peoples DESTINY demand our diligence.