WEEK 3, DAY 15: CONFRONT
Confront by Ruth Fraser, Crossland Community Church
Scripture Reference: Nehemiah 5
Rebuilding is not easy! Whether it is in our own personal lives or the rebuilding of our families or communities, restoration comes at a cost. It not only takes recognizing that damage has been done but also takes believing that renewal is needed and possible. This process of acknowledging brokenness and then changing the course of our actions to bring wholeness is called repentance. For spiritual growth to occur, we must recognize these areas that are marred by sin and realign ourselves to God’s original design. This same principle can be applied to the rebuilding of our families and communities.
CONFRONT
Successful and sustainable change to occur in our lives may sometimes require confrontation. During the rebuilding of the wall in the Book of Nehemiah there was an outcry from the people because they were being put in bondage through extortion by those above them. Nehemiah stops this great oppression of the people. The process he uses gives insight into how to tackle an internal problem. He first listens, then he contemplates, he prepares a plan and executes it. He is not afraid to do the hard job of confrontation. We see that he does it in a such a way that not only are the people set free, but the ones confronted see their error and repent. There is no division and no new denominations are formed. Nehemiah led by example and his generosity towards the people lightened their burden. As God’s people we need to be connected to God’s heart to bring a redemptive answer to every broken situation.
PRAYER
God of all creation, we love You and adore You. Forgive us for not treating others better than ourselves. Lord I pray that in every situation that we face, we are able to bring kingdom solutions. I pray for the Church. I acknowledge that in many areas we are broken and need repairs. In bringing these repairs, I pray that we are constantly connected to Your heart for every person. That we are able to boldly confront the problems at hand, without creating further problems. God we need Your wisdom and Your solutions in order to do that. I pray that we will spend time with You. I pray that we will hear Your voice constantly and consistently. I know that if we walk in love we will not stumble. Help us to remember that. Create in us a clean heart, O God.
