How to Handle the Distractions
Refocus Your Faith • Sermon • Submitted
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· 82 viewsHow to over Distraction with the Purpose of your Destiny
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How to Handle Distractions
How to Handle Distractions
How do I stay determined, when I have so many things trying to distract me from my destiny?
How do I stay committed, when my character is trying to be compromised?
How do I stay focus, when my faith is frustrated with futile things?
How do I stay on point with my purpose when the enemy has a plan to pull me to pieces?
How do I stay determined, when I have so many things trying to distract me from destiny?
There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playng in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."
The book of Nehemiah presents us with
A Problem, Plan, and A Plot
A Survey, A System, Synergy, A Strategy, and A Solution
A Discouragement, Distraction, and Defeat
Nehemiah hears of the Problem the walls are of Jersualem are torn down and the gates have been burned. Jersualem the home of Judah is turning into a The Jungle. There is no security, safety, stability, and there is no sanctuary. The walls are torn down and Praise has no Protection. His Plan is that he goes to the King who grants his material he needs to rebuild the wall. He then goes at night and inspects the walls. He shared his findings with his brothers.
Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.
So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.
Neh. 2:17
Plot- There are some people that are around you that can’t see you doing better that where you are right now!
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
Laughed at us לָעַג (lā·ʿǎḡ): v. mock, scoff, ridicule, i.e., speak words which disparage another, as an extension of stuttering or stammering sounds
(lā·ʿǎḡ): v. mock, scoff, ridicule, i.e., speak words which disparage another, as an extension of stuttering or stammering sounds
Str Strong’s Lexicon, TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
Str Strong’s Lexicon
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
qal Qal
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
They Despised Us - בָּזָ bâzâh, baw-zaw’; a prim. root; to disesteem:— despise, disdain, contemn think to scorn, vile person.
bâzâh, baw-zaw’; a prim. root; to disesteem:— despise, disdain, contemn think to scorn, vile person.
bâzâh, baw-zaw’; a prim. root; to disesteem:— despise, disdain, contemn think to scorn, vile person.
+ + (addition) denotes a rendering in the A.V. of one or more Hebrew or Aramaic words in common with the one under consideration. for example, in , No. 1697, דּבָרָ (dâbâr) is translated as “harm,” in connection with No. 7451. Literally, it is “bad thing.”
Strong, J. (1996). The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
They talking about them behind their back!
Let your haters talk about you behind your back
And Watch God Bless you in front of their face!
So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
Sometimes you just have Shut it Down!
Nehemiah was saying this is our HOUSE!
A survey -Nehemiah Checked it out He did an industrial survey of the wall already had supplies for the job. Proper Preparation Propel Praise during the Process! Stephen Covey in his book 7 Habits of Effective People Principle No. 2 States Begin with the End in Mind!
A system- Everybody is doing their part - Chapter 3 Everybody is Putting in Work!! Put in Work!
“When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
Deut. 24:19
He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.
For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low.
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
2 Thes. 3:10
2 Thes. 3:
Because they know they are in a win-win situation.
They are working, because they know they are in a win-win situation.
So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
4:
Synergy is the benefit that results when two or more agents work together to achieve something either one couldn’t have achieved on its own. It is the concept: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Greek is Synergos- Working Together
Synergy produces more efficiency, more effi/ca/cy and shared economy
They had a mind to Put in Work!!!
Halfway Done and all Hell Breaks loose!
When Enemy comes to Distract You,
You have to maintain your FOCUS!
Follow
Follow
One
Course
O
Until
Successful
Stay on Course!!!!
And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”
Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,
and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”
Neh. 4:11-12
And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”
Neh. 4:11-
Do Not Let Your Enemy or Frenemy stop you before it is Done!
Halfway Done
Lost Strength - those who work get tired
Lost Vision- So much rubbish / but you’ve built the wall
Lost Confidence- We are not able
Lost Security - The wall not done
How do I Handle Discouragement will help me handle my Distractions
A Survey, A System, Synergy, A Strategy-
Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
You got a new car but when you were halfway paying it off you wanted a new one.
Get in the Right Position
HE put the men in Position with their Family for Preservation.
They had been work all over Jersualem, but know they have to finish the project to protect the family. They move from self - pity to self preservation.
You can’t have a pity party when you trying persevere!
You can’t be pitiful and powerful at the same time ~Joyce Meyer
You will never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have left.
2. Get God in the Right Place
And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Neh. 4:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Remember God!! GOD IS GREAT AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISE
Remember God!! OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
3. WE GOING TO GET THROUGH TOGETHER
Neh. 4
Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall.
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
I was in the Marines when we would prepare our mission would have insertion points, we have extraction points, targets and objectives, then we would also have what is called Rally points.
A rally point was a point easy to find, it had Cover & Concealment, it away from natural lines of fire, and it was defendable.
Nehemiah says when ever you her the trumpet it is time for us to defend together. if we can work together then what we work for is also worth fighting for!!!
Please don’t try to the the Superman or Wonder Woman. Because you can say “I don’t need anybody else” That’s a lie from the pit! You need me and I need you.
Sound the trumpet!
How Can I pray for you!
How Can I intercede for you!
How Can I praise God for your purpose!
How Can I
How Can I stand in the GAP for your Provision, Prosperity, and Your Promotion!
In Chapter 5 Nehemiah is Elevated to Governor! He is Political figure, Public Man, High Ranking Public Official, he is making policy, but he does not lose sight of his purpose, He does not loose sight of his assignment, He does not loose sight of his destiny which is to build the Wall.
Finally
Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates),
that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Distraction destroys Actions!
If it is not moving you towards your purpose then leave it alone!
Don’t have Attractions for Distractions (Don’t Get Sidetracked by People who are not on track.
Don’t stoop Down to the Devil’s Level!
Planned Neglect- The willful turning away from everything which is not a part of your biggest goal. The desire to ignore anything which seems good but is really an obstacle. Locking your eyes on the target and not even noticing the distractions.
Never try to defame someone life with a lie when yours can be destroyed with the truth!
If you take care of your Character! God will take care of your Reputation!
Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates),
that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.
In it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king.
And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.
And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.
Neh. 6:
You can handle the Distraction when you do for his Glory!!!