Ezra 5:1
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
Ezra found out that building something for God is not easy. As soon as he started rebuilding the temple, he found the same obstacles that anyone finds who attempts to build anything for God. These obstacles were adversaries, troubles, frustrations, accusations, and government interference. Unfortunately, you will face these obstacles as you try to build something for God. At times, these obstacles may actually stop you. Government interference stopped Ezra as we see in verse 24 when it says, Then ceased the work of the house of God. However, I find in Ezra’s story some actions you must take to overcome these obstacles.
First, be determined not to quit. Anyone can quit, but few choose to go forward, but those who go forward are those who find sweet success. Quitting has never accomplished one thing for God. You will face obstacles, and some of these obstacles will seem overwhelming, but you must choose not to quit if you want to build something for God.
Second, listening to preaching will motivate you to continue to build. There is something about preaching that stirs your heart to do great things for God. If you are a pastor, you must still listen to preaching, for you will face the biggest obstacles of all, and preaching will stir your heart to continue despite any obstacle you face. Preaching has a way of giving a glimmer of light in the darkest of times. Preaching has a way of giving hope when there seems to be no hope. Listen to the type of preaching that stirs your heart and motivates you to continue building.
Third, the best way to keep building is to take the next step. When everything seems to be falling apart, you may not know what to do, but you will always know what the next step to take. You may not know what two steps ahead need to be, but you know what the next step is that you need to take. When your obstacles are so great that you can't see a way to the end, take the next step and you will find that God will continue to show you how to take another step.
Fourth, spend much time in prayer as you build. The life of Nehemiah shows the importance of prayer. You must take time to pray as you are building. Never get too busy that you don't set time aside to get God’s wisdom to build. Prayer has a way of finding the next step to take. Prayer is where the power is found to help you overcome adversaries, troubles, frustrations, accusations, and government interference. We cannot control the obstacles that try to get us to stop building, but we can control our prayer life that gives us power and courage to take one more step.
My friend, building something great for God is not easy. One reason we don't see many people building something for God is because of the difficulty it takes to succeed at building a great work for God. The energy, determination, courage and faith it takes to build something for God is worth enduring when you see God’s favor on your life. Life is short, and at the end of life you will want to look back and say that God used you to build something for Him. True fulfillment of life is found in building something for God, but you must overcome the obstacles of building to succeed in building something great for God.
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