Kristi Burchfiel

Prayer in Action, Day 29 The importance of teaching. Read Nehemiah 8:7-12. As we continue through this chapter, we see the people being taught the scriptures. The leaders and the Levites were taking this opportunity to remind the people of the law of the Lord and to teach and explain those teachings to the people. As teachers, we have a profound responsibility to share God’s word, and to do it in a way that other people understand and makes sense. True teachers who have been gifted by God have this ability. They can take the most complex scripture and the most difficult reading and they can not only understand it…

Prayer in Action, Day 28 Worship and repentance. Read Nehemiah 8:1-6. The wall is built, the sins are addressed, and now the opportunity has come to study the Word of God. The people stay and listen and seek to learn through the reading of God’s Word. Do we study God’s Word? Do we seek to make it our own and apply it to our life? The people were spending time in worship and repentance. How do we spend our time?

Prayer in Action, Day 27 Lineage. Read Nehemiah 7:4-73. As we finish out this chapter, this ends with a long list of names and numbers. It can be interesting to figure out why these might be important and what they mean. What we have found is that many people had not moved back exactly where they were supposed to based on their inheritance. He’s also trying to find those people who should be helping in the temple. Lineage is important. In this day and time it established relationship. For us, we need to understand the lineage that we have in Jesus Christ. Who shared with us the message of Jesus…

Prayer in Action, Day 26 A man of integrity. As Nehemiah is continuing to move forward, we see him choose leaders, men with integrity. Read Nehemiah 7:1-3. Who do we choose to be leaders? Do we automatically put ourselves in leadership positions thinking we are the best? I find it interesting that Nehemiah didn’t choose himself for a position of leadership. He chose another person and that person was someone that he deemed as having integrity. Do we have integrity? Do we understand what it takes to lead and do we recognize those qualities and other people around us? We must be willing to recognize that we may not always…

Prayer in Action, Day 25 The work was finished, but the intimidation continued. Read Nehemiah 6:16-19. Sometimes we think that just because we have finished the work that God has us to do, the problems will end. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. Satan loves nothing more than to discredit someone who has been successfully used by God in the past. Even our past successes can continue to make us targets for the evil one. Nehemiah was no different. He had been successful, but the attacks and the intimidation continued. We must continually remain on our guard. We must continue to look to God in every situation and to be faithful…

Prayer in Action, Day 24 Mission complete. Read Nehemiah 6:15. Nehemiah has been praying for this since he first learned of the issues in Jerusalem. Now, the mission is complete. The project that he has been working on with his people has been completed. The wall has been built. Do we recognize God when we experience completion of goals? Do we praise God and thank him for the action that he’s taken during these times when we needed him to move? Nehemiah expected God to move and he expected God to fulfill his promises. God did both. No matter what we are going through, God will take care of everything…

Prayer in Action, Day 23 Sneak attack. Since the other attacks were unsuccessful, the enemy decided to try a sneak attack. Read Nehemiah 6:10-14. With all the distractions and attacks Nehemiah had been facing, it’s no wonder that the enemy decided to throw in a sneak attack. What started out as seemingly understandable advice quickly unraveled to show it as the malicious plan that it was. We must always be on our guard against sneak attacks. Stay focused on Christ and everything else will work out.

Prayer in Action, Day 22 React in prayer. As we see the continued challenges that Nehemiah faced, we realize that he made a conscious decision to react to these challenges in prayer. Read Nehemiah 6:5-9. Now, the people that are against Nehemiah are spreading rumors by carrying an open letter through the land accusing Nehemiah of betraying the king. Still, Nehemiah refuses to back down and refuses to play along with them and their wishes. He answers them, briefly, and then gets back to work. He prayed to God through this all that God would strengthen his hands and allow the workers to continue to do the work. We are…

Prayer in Action, Day 21 More distractions. Read Nehemiah 6:1-4. The workers continued and the people are being successful. The wall is being rebuilt and there are lots of people excited about everything that God is doing. However, not everyone is excited. Those people who have been trying before to distract and disrupt the work of Nehemiah are back at it. It’s basically their last ditch effort to try to stop what God is doing. They start by trying to distract Nehemiah again. Nehemiah recognizes this for what it is, and he refuses to be distracted. How focused are we on the work God has for us? Everything is going…