"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt 10 (Nehemiah 4:13-23)

13 So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!" 15 When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. 16 But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The officers stationed themselves behind the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. The common laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. 18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. 19 Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, "The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!" 21 We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. 22 I also told everyone living outside the walls to move into Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could go on guard duty at night as well as work during the day. 23 During this time, none of us -- not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me -- ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.- Nehemiah 4:13-23 (NLT)


OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:

1)   What two things did Nehemiah do after his enemies threatened to kill his people? (v.13)
2)   What did Nehemiah tell the leaders and his people? (v.14)
3)   After what two occurrences did the people return to their work on the wall? (v.15)
4)   What defensive strategies did Nehemiah employ as they continued their work? (v.16-18)
5)   According to Nehemiah, when would the Lord fight for His people? (v.19-20)
6)   When did the people work on the wall? (v.21)
7)   What did Nehemiah tell the people living outside the walls to do? Why? (v.22)
8)   What two things did Nehemiah, his family, his servants and guards never do? (v.23)


APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1)   What do you do when you realize you're under spiritual attack?
2)   Why do you think that spiritual attacks intensify when you're attempting to rebuild your life?
3)   What is the believer's spiritual armor according to Ephesians 6:10-15?



LIFE LESSONS:
1)   When we are attempting to rebuild our lives, we can expect opposition.

2)   Our best offensive weapon when under attack is the word of God
3)   Our best defensive weapon when under attack is to live righteously.
3)   When under attack, we must have our weapons with us, at all times.

To read today's devotional, go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 9 (Nehemiah 4:1-12)

SCRIPTURE: Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, 2 saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices? Look at those charred stones they are pulling out of the rubbish and using again!" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, "That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!" 4 Then I prayed, "Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! 5 Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in the presence of the builders." 6 At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city, for the people had worked very hard. 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall were being repaired, they became furious. 8 They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and to bring about confusion there. 9 But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. 10 Then the people of Judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves. 11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, "Before they know what's happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work." 12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, "They will come from all directions and attack us!" - Nehemiah 4:1-12 (NLT)

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:
1)   What did Sanballat do when he learned that the Jews were rebuilding the wall? (v.1)
2)   What did Sanballat say to mock the Jews? (v.2)
3)   What did Tobiah say about the wall? (v.3)
4)   How did Nehemiah respond to their mockings? (v.4-5)
5)   What were the Jews able to do despite the taunts of the opposition? (v.6)
6)   How did the opposition react when the Jews continued to build, despite their taunts? (v.7)
7)   What did the opposition decide to do against the Jews? Why? (v.8)
8)   How did the Jews respond to their enemies plans? (v.9)
9)   Why did the Jews begin to complain? (v.10)
10) What were their enemies saying they would do to end the Jews work? (v.11)
11) How did the Jews respond to the enemies threats? (v. 12)


APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
1)   Have you ever faced opposition at the workplace or in your ministry?
2)   If so, describe what happened?
3)   What, if anything, did you pray about those who opposed you?


LIFE LESSONS:
1)   Great work for the Lord will always be opposed by the enemy!
2)   The best recourse that we have against our foes is prayer!
3)   The enemy will attempt to intimidate us through threats or actual attacks, but we must continue to do what the Lord has given us to do!

To read today's devotional, go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 8 (Nehemiah 3)

SCRIPTURE:  Nehemiah 3

OBSERVATION QUESTONS:

1) Who rebuilt the Sheep Gate? (v.1)
2) Who rebuilt the Fish Gate? (v.3)
3) Who rebuilt the Jeshanah (or Old) Gate? (v.6)
4) Who rebuilt the Valley Gate? (v.13)
5) Who rebuilt the Dung Gate? (v.14)
6) Who rebuilt the Fountain Gate? (v.15)
7) Who completed the repairs above the Horse Gate? (v.28)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1) Who might you prayerfully consider asking to assist you as you rebuild your life, if it has been broken?

LIFE LESSONS:

1) There is strength in numbers!
2) The larger the task the more people are necessary to complete it!
3) Our Lord is the God of order!
4) Wherever there is disorder and confusion, God is not a part of that effort!

To read today's devotional, please go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 7 (Nehemiah 2:11-20)

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 2:11-20

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:

1)  What were the first two things that Nehemiah did after arriving in Jerusalem? (v.12)
2)  Who did Nehemiah tell about his plans? (v.12)
3)  How many pack animals did Nehemiah take with him? (v.12)
4)  What did Nehemiah do at the Dung gate? (v.13)
5)  What did Nehemiah do at the Fountain gate and the King's Pool? Why? (v.14)
6)  What did Nehemiah do at the Kidron Valley? (v.15)
7)  What did Nehemiah propose to the city officials and religious & political leaders? (v.16-17)
8)  What had Nehemiah revealed to the officials and leaders that convinced them to rebuild the walls? (v.18)
9)  After hearing about Nehemiah's plans, how did his opponents react? (v.19)
10) How did Nehemiah respond to his Sanballat,Tobiah and Gesham? (v.20)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1) Recall a time when you had to make a life altering decision. Who did you tell about your plans initially?
2) What did you do to confirm that your decision was the best decision that you could make?
3) When did you make your plans known to everyone involved?
4) What, if any, opposition did you face after revealing your plans?

LIFE LESSONS:

1)  Our plans are futile if they have been made apart from the wisdom and direction of the Lord!
2)  It is never wise to tell everyone about your plans until one receives the Lord's confirmation!
3)  We can expect opposition whenever we make a decision that honors God!

To read today's devotional, please go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 6 (Nehemiah 2:1-10)

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 2:1-10

OBSERVATION QUESTONS:

1)  Why was Nehemiah "deeply frightened"? (v.1-2)
2)  What did Nehemiah tell the king? (v3)
3)  How did the king respond? (v.4)
4)  What was Nehemiah's petition to the king? (v.5)
5)  What did Nehemiah let the king know next? (v. 6)
6)  What did Nehemiah need from the governors? (v.7)
7)  What did Nehemiah need from the manager of the forest? (v.8)
8)  What three things was Nehemiah going to construct with what the manager of the forest gave him? (v.8)
9)  Why did the king agree to Nehemiah's requests? (v.8)
10) In addition to writing the letters, what did the king do to protect Nehemiah? (v.9)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1) Have you ever allowed an unbeliever to see you distressed or troubled? If so, why?
2) Have you ever shared your troubles with unbelievers? If so, why?
3) Has the Lord ever given you favor to receive what you needed from an unbeliever? If so, what happened?

 LIFE LESSONS:

1) Because we are children of God, we are entitled to all that the Father controls!
2) There are times when the Lord will bless us through the people of the world!
3) The favor of God can open doors for us that no man can shut!

To read today's devotional, please go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 5 (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 1:5-11

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:

1) How does Nehemiah describe the Lord, in his prayer? (v.5)
2) What does Nehemiah tell the Lord about how He treats those who love and obey him? (v.5)
3) What does Nehemiah ask the Lord to listen to and see him doing? (v.6) 

4) Whose sins does Nehemiah confess? (v.6)
5) How had the people of God sinned against Him, according to Nehemiah? (v.7)
6) What had the Lord told Moses He would do if His people sinned against Him? (v.8)
7) What had the Lord told Moses He would do if His people repented of their sin? (v.9)
8) What two things did Nehemiah remind God of concerning His people? (v.10)
9) What did Nehemiah ask the Lord to do for him, as the king's cup-bearer? (v.11)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

In your prayers:
1) Do you praise God for who He is?
2) Do you remind God of His promises (His Word)?
3) Do you "stand in the gap" for others who have sinned against the Lord?
4) Do you ask the Lord to grant you favor with specific people?

LIFE LESSONS:
1) The best way to begin a prayer of petition to the Lord is to acknowledge His greatness!
2) Be specific when confessing your sins, as well as the sins of others that you intercede for.
3) The word of God is God's promise to His people.
4) Don't hesitate to pray God's word (promises) back to Him!

To read the devotional on today's Scripture go to Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.

"Begin Again" Bible Study - Pt. 4 (Nehemiah 1)

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 1:1-4

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS:
1)   Who came to visit Nehemiah in Susa? (v. 2)
2)   What two things did Nehemiah ask? (v. 2)
3)   What four things did Nehemiah hear? (v. 3)
4)   How did Nehemiah respond? (v. 4)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
1)   Have you received distressing news recently?
2)   If so, how did you respond?


LIFE LESSONS:
1)   It is human nature to want what is best for those we love!
2)   The Lord allows us to face troubling circumstances so that we will recognize our need for Him!
3)   The wisest thing that we can do after receiving distressing news is to pray and wait upon God for direction.

To read the devotional for this Scripture please visit Writer Roxanne Rogiers' blog.