Monday 11 December 2017

THE LITTLE THAT THE POOR MAN HAS SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY….II SAMUEL 12 VERSE 14



Image result for king david and nathan the prophet
INTRODUCTIONS
Mon people, it is that time of the month again. This is my 21st Blog and my first blog coming to you from the City of New York seated here in the beautiful New York Library - Schwarzman Building at 42nd and 5th Ave. A fantastic piece of architecture and another beautiful building here in Manhattan. This is how all libraries should look and feel.

The Nazis and the mafias are still after me.  Of course they use the Nigerians to do their dirty work. I have had to deal with two Nigerians in government thus far and it has not augured well for me.  The Bro. Anancy Nigerians have sold their birthright for a mess of pottage, resulting in their being used at will. The last gentleman who refused to give me his name denied me a benefit that is given to all refugees like myself in New York. My heart sinks every time I see a Nigerian. If they don’t leave me alone I will be calling out all Nigerians on social media especially those who advised the little Pastor in Canada foolishly, out of expediency instead of out of the word of God.

I will be doing a ‘Meteorite Feature’ on all the RCCG big boys and it will not be pretty. I have been avoiding this; for a long time but these guys are not only affecting me; my innocent daughter in Jamaica has suffered and is still suffering. It is going to be no holds barred. I have sent the two barrels and the people can’t clear them because of the corrupt politicians and businessmen who are denying these people, who are in need of these vital supplies. These people did not get any money to buy cars, clothes or build houses people should mess around with those who did! Persons have already gotten what they have paid for gossip and lies about me. I am sorry that they did not know much. As you can see from trying to destroy me I have no time to idle or for idle people.

I will give a little about my life to tell you why all your schemes are not going to work before I get to heaven. So Dr. Jekyll can have some more information to psycho-analyze: 

At fifteen years old (I will start there I won’t go into earlier years it would be too long).  I was in high school I had gotten a scholarship, the Hon. Michael Joshua Manley went on the podium in Jamaica and we had a lot of social changes. One of them was free education up to secondary level. Hon. Michael Joshua Manley is another politician I brook no criticism about, I am even more vehement about him than President Obama. You criticize him I remove myself from your presence immediately. That free education in high school is what launched me on my path of financial freedom and the political rhetoric of those days on my path of critical thinking. That is the reason I focus on the organ that is between my ears and not the one that is between my legs.

At this time we lived in Riverton City, no electricity and water from a communal tap. Every Saturday I had to go to my Father’s lumber yard and wait all day for one thousand dollars ($1,000) (my brothers of today are the same way). Then I would take that $1,000 and walk down Spanish Town Road and go to the Wholesale (grocery store). I would buy the essential grocery items rice, flour, sugar, coconut oil (can you believe it! in those days this used to be bad for our health, now it is sold in the specialty stores) codfish and condensed milk.  Then I would walk further down Spanish Town Road  and go to the meat shop across from Coronation Market where I would purchase two meat kind (can’t afford more than two per week). Then I would cross the road and go over to the market and get my green groceries green and ripe bananas, calaloo, cabbage, yam, coconut dry and green, orange, tangerine, mango any fruits that were in season, carrots and seasoning eskellion, thyme, tomatoes, pepper, onions.

I would then return home to my mother in the one room board house near the outhouse where I would dye the floor red with the ox dye and apply the Rexo red (I feel dated the internet don’t even have these brand names) and shine the floor with the coconut brush. All this would be done on my knees. My knees were black up to my twenties. After this we would light the Kerosene Oil Stove and cook our dinner. Our meats would be placed in Cousin Tren’s refrigerator because these luxuries we did not have. I would carry water and my mother would wash the clothes. My mother slept on two chairs because she gave up her space on the bed for my Cousin Tony who came from the country.

Image result for kitchen bitchOur light was a ‘kitchen bitch’ (lamp made of tin metal with kerosene oil and a cloth wick). 
Every morning I had to clean out my nose because of the black soot. This I studied with up to my Advanced Level Subjects. 

Every day I had to be killing croaking lizards. They came through the gap in the ceiling and they were very fat.  When we removed our clothes from the wardrobe we had to do so carefully and shake them out vigorously most time a big black scorpion would fall out. They were poisonous.
My question to you all who wants to give me orders now is where were you in all of this? When I was making my silly mistakes at fifteen years old where were all of you?

My father died in 1980 he was shot by gunmen in the deadliest elections in the history of Jamaica at this time I had to take over the sole care of my mother.
Where were you all?

Instead of going straight into university I went to work. I decided to continue with Natural Sciences but it was ‘difficult’ to be doing laboratory experiments late at nights so I switched to business. Luckily for me because I later discovered that I cannot stand the sight of blood. Now you pea brained Canadians and Bro. Anancy Nigerians see why I am ignoring you all. Big men behaving like boys!! I keep telling you that you are all lower than an amoeba. You don’t know a thing about me but you want to give me orders. While I worked, I paid for my tertiary education.
Where were you all?

Then I got a full scholarship from the Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society as a member of the union and a Union Delegate with Freddy Evans as the Chief of the Joint Council. His second I have not met! I will never forget a placard carried by John Birch during one of the many strikes we had at mutual life. It read ‘WHITE SCAUL A TERRORIZE WEH MOUTH CORNER’. This guy was a Mathematician and he was dangerous.
I would study in the Jamaica Mutual life Audit room until the wee hours of the morning getting a hot beverage from the Computer Operators on the 7th Floor and then rush home and get a bath to go to the University Campus by 8 a.m. to write a three hours examination.
Where were you all?

I paid JAD $30,000 for the University of the West Indies - Mona Campus to facilitate my Masters.
Through it all I made my regular weekly trips to the Coronation Market. Now you see why i don't need your health plans.
Where were you all?

In 1990 my Cousin left her three month old daughter with me. That baby is now twenty seven years old. When I had to be washing nappies, buying baby things and looking after a baby;
Where were you all?

When this baby became ill and I had to place her on my shoulders and take the bus to the Children's Hospital and spend all night by her bedside. Then take her home by bus the following morning.
Where were you all?

When my brother carried my nephew and left him with one little paper bag of clothes. His mother was off to Europe.
Where were you all?

When I was buying the house that was stolen by the crooked Jamaican politicians, did any of you help me with the down payment?
Where were you all?

When my mother died in 1997 and I had to bury her!
Where were you all?

When I was assisting people and helping them with employment and contracts.
Where were you all?

Let me show you why certain persons have rejected the crooked proposals put to them:

Chrystal Francis and I did our Masters together. In fact I met her in the program. At that time she was not mobile and I was. Every night at the end of the class I dropped her home right at her door. I drove past my house my daughter sleeping in the back of the car. That was just one of the joint ventures we had. Micah 7 verse 8 my friend will rise again. She is one of the gentlest woman I have ever met.

Minister Alrick Francis, a young man with vast potential. Every year since he has been Youth President the youth had a camp. Let the Finance person at Agape Christian Fellowship check in the records of Faith and Deliverance Ministries records to see how much the church expended on these camps for the youth ministry, little or nothing. We fund raised and we ensured that any gap in the budget was filled and no one was left out because of financial challenges.

I would like to write about others but the people we are dealing with are very unscrupulous and we don’t want any more people hurt. My question is where were you all during the challenging periods in my life, during the exciting times, during the laughter and the tears. Who gives anybody the right to make a contract over my life? Everyone seems to know what is contained in this contract except me.  I have had a number of persons abused me telling me how I am selfish and wicked and attacking my Christianity. If this contract was wholesome instead of eliciting help from everyone else the progenitors of this contract would have come to me.  When I join a Church I give the Pastor authority to speak into my life. You abuse that authority if you do anything contrary to the scriptures. From 2008 I have to be running for my life with the amount of negatives that has been spouted at me from the pulpit. I am waiting for one of you Pastoral Gentlemen with your many titles to come to me with the proposal. I am anticipating the pleasure of saying like Jesus did to Peter 'Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men' St. Matthew 16 verses 22 -24
I want nothing from any of you. If Father Abraham could have refused the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and you pea brain Canadians and your Bro. Anancy Nigerian friends are worse than them. I want nothing from you as you can see the only flies in my ointment are you all. You have not been there all this time I certainly don’t need you now!!    

REFLECTIONS

There I was on one of my Wednesday reflections lying in my bed thinking about the fact that I owned nothing and the business I had started the corrupt Canadians and their Nigerian counterparts were trying to destroy.  Then I began to itemize my loss:

  • 1.      My house was stolen by some crooked Jamaican politicians and their equally crooked business partners.
  • 2.      The only money I have ever borrowed was my mortgage the house was stolen and i was told that I owed JAD$1M.
  • 3.      My money was stolen from Mayberry Investments with another set of crooked business people the Berrys.
  • 4.      The Nigerians stole all my clothes in 2011 to prevent me leaving Canada and returning to Jamaica.
  • 5.      The Bank of Nova Scotia went into my business account and stole my money under the guise of taking out service charges.  They even charged me for making deposits.
  • 6.      Raymond Aaron Group stole my CAD$53 for a seminar that I had registered for and decided not to attend.
  • 7.      The gentleman from NCR Inc. collections called and advised that the email address he had given me was his personal email address and I should not make any more payments to his email but I should send my payments to the company’s email address instead. Obviously, he had decided that defrauding me was not such a good idea.I agree with him. Thy word shall not come back unto you void but will accomplish that which it has been sent out to accomplish.  There are a lot of prayer points circulating.Isaiah 55 verse 11
  • 8.      FIDO/ROGERS constant run in to prevent them from stealing my money.
  • 9.      My piece of costume jewelry in my room is stolen.
  • 10.  My three telephones are stolen two out of my living rooms and one out of my bag.
As I went down the list the line of this song dropped in my Spirit ’The Little that the Poor Man has shall be taken Away etc.’ and I recalled the story of  King David and Bathsheba.  I did my research and found the story in II Samuel 12.
We are going to briefly go over the story starting in II Samuel 11, the commission of the sin and the events leading up to that.  We want to examine what took place in II Samuel 12, how the Man of God Nathan called out King David. The line that came to my mind actually came from an old Jamaican song by Junior Byles. I will share the words and the video with you all.  I am finding out that it is those pea brained Canadians are going into my blog and deleting the videos. Messeurs Brin and Page you might want to stop suppressing my statistics ’52 for the month indeed vraiment!!’ The amount of people that reads the Blog before it is published including yourselves far exceeds that number. Let us go to Fade Away.
FADE AWAY
He who seeks of only vanity
And no love for humanity
Shall fade away, fade away

He who checks for only wealth
And not for his physical health
Shall fade away, fade away

Though some believe in diamonds and pearl
And feel like they're on top of the world
They shall fade away, yeah, hear what I say

The rich is getting richer every day
And the little that the poor man got
It shall be taken away
Do you hear what I say? Yeah, hear what I say

The man who worships silver and gold
Shall surely, surely, surely lose his own soul
Then fade away

One who's always acting smart
And don't carry no love in his heart
Shall fade away

God is here and there and everywhere
And He knows when you play the game unfair
So people beware, or else you fade away!
Hey, beware! Or dare you fade away?
You gotta fade, gotta fade, gotta fade now

The rich is getting richer every day
And the little that the poor man got
It shall be taken away
Do you hear what I say, hey? Hear what I say

One who's always acting smart
And forgetting to carry love in his heart
Shall fade away

God is here and there and everywhere
And His eyes, His eyes are watching you
You gon' fade away, yeah, yeah
You gon' fade, fade, fade, fade away
Fade away, yeah, yeah

Longer version:
Brother what you done
Can't you see you gonna fade away now, fade
Fade in the morning, fade in the evening
Surely you gonna fade
Yeah, you gonna fade every day now..
Note: This song is the original version first released in 1975.

Due to the breach of my Cloud Accounts I am waiting to find a secure system to change my passwords. To date I use public systems with very unscrupulous governments so it does not make any sense changing at this time. While I am writing I am communicating with persons who are spying with me on the computers.
However, the song is instructive in light of the new Tax proposal of the United States. If that is passed only 0.1% of the world will own 80% of the wealth. The other 99.9% of us will own only 20%. Don’t worry about it people as of January 2018 McDonald’s will have a US$1 value menu. Love it!! May God continue to bless McDonald’s? People Mr. Koch was a genius I mean everywhere I go in New York at every major intersection there is a McDonald's. Now I realize why people say McDonald's wealth is not in it's burgers but in its Real Estate Portfolio. They have some serious locations. The man was a visionary.

We will pick up our story in the book of II Samuel 11 to remind ourselves of what took place with King David and Bathsheba and what are some of the take away from this story. This Blog, however, will be focusing on II Samuel 12 verse 14 – The fact that King David’s actions gave God’s enemies an opportunity to blaspheme the Holy One, which highlights the fact that ultimately, it is not about us. It is about Jesus and He crucified.

CRITICAL DEFINITIONS

Poor Man: People remember that you are not defined by your circumstances. Poverty is a state of mind. If you think you are poor then you are poor. A temporary cash flow situation does not connote poverty. The pea brain Canadians and their Bro. Anancy Nigerian friends keep telling me that I am poor and trying to keep me that way by stealing everything I have on a constant basis. Now you see why they are not even a blip on my radar. The only ‘poor’ we are to be concerned with is that of ‘poor in Spirit’ this causes you to inherit the kingdom of heaven.  We dealt with this in an earlier Blog “The Attitude to Be”.

Things: speaks to your possessions, material and financial wealth.

KING DAVID AND BATHSHEBA - II SAMUEL 11

The Chapter opened with the fact that King David was out of his purpose.  He was supposed to be on the battle field. It was the season when Kings went to war. Joab was put in charge and everyone was fighting the Ammonites except the king. Then he saw Bathsheba taking her regular evening bath.  In the Leadership Quotient Solutions, Dr. Keith Johnson stated that King David indulged in pornography he suggested this was not the first time he was seeing this sight. There might be some truth to this because II Samuel 23 verse 39 states that Uriah was one of David’s mighty men.  There were thirty seven of them in total. Large but not too large! Pastor Lloyd Maxwell would say if anyone told him that it is the first time they have done something and got caught like fornicating and getting pregnant ‘I prefer to believe God, the Bible says that He is long suffering so I don’t think you are telling the truth.’ Irrespective of whether King David was familiar with Uriah and his wife or not, he was a Jew and knew the custom of the land.  The ladies took a bath on the roof at certain times of the evening. Reminds me of when I had to take those baths by the communal pipe with half my clothes on. It was exciting letting the rushing water beat all over your body. It takes some warped and twisted people and their Anancy friends to tell you that you are poor. You just enjoy life!!

King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and impregnated her, then forgot about her (sounds like the Jamaican men). He obviously wanted a one night stand. I tell you people the Bible is a book for all seasons and all people. The lady had to send and tell him that she was pregnant. The Jamaican man would have said ‘Ask har if shi sur’ sey a fi mi’ (ask her if she is sure that it is mine). Instead of coming clean he decided that he was going to try and cover up his sin. Proverbs 28 verse 13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. King David being the seasoned man of God that he is should have known that this would not work based on his own experiences with King Saul etc.

However, this story indicates what can take place when one gets apathetic and comfortable in their walk with God. Apostle Paul states that it is a daily walking out. The scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 30 verses 8 - 9  Don’t make me too rich that I deny thee or too poor that I bring shame to Thy name. King David sent for Bathsheba’s husband Uriah from the battle front where he himself should have been in the first place. He sent Uriah to his house expecting that Uriah would have been so glad to be home that he would have enjoyed the pleasures of being in his wife arms. Uriah instead slept with the King’s guards. When he questioned Uriah, Uriah stated like the true conscientious soldier that he is, how can he be pleasuring his wife when the Ark of God, lord Joab and the whole army were out in the fields fighting’. A direct rebuke to King David. King David then tried to get Uriah inebriated and added a little sweetener a gift for Bathsheba. This did not work either. 

When King David saw that all his subterfuge would not work, he went to the ultimate that of plotting Uriah’s murder. Joab who was also a murder and King David knew it; he had killed the innocent Army General Abner to eliminate his successor. He now becomes a part of the plot because King David needed his assistance to carry through the plan. Then the messenger who had to bring the evil tidings from the front line because he must be wondering why I have to tell the King that Uriah had died specifically; men died in battle every day. What was a private sin has become very public.  Having murdered Bathsheba’s husband the coast was now clear for him to marry the lady. I really don’t think anybody in Israel was fooled by all of David’s shenanigans but he was King. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Let us highlight a few points from this story before we move to II Samuel 12:

1.      Can a Christian fall? Without a shadow of a doubt! King David was one of the most solid Man of God in the Bible. The Bible calls him a man after God’s heart but he became lax. Wealth has a way of causing this to happen. You find that in the midst challenges one does not have to be told to watchful and vigilant you are very motivated to do spiritual things. I Corinthians 10 verses 11 - 12.

2.      What depths can a Christian sink to? Anything is possible.  The Bible says we are to give no room to the devil Ephesians 4 verse 27.  King David started with adultery he ended up with murder.

3.      How quickly can we fall? King David sunk very quickly. Let us thank God for grace were it not for this unmerited favour, there goes I but for the grace of God John Bradford - Phrase Attribution.

4.      Sin Snowballs: In my part of the world (Jamaica)  they say give the devil a yard he takes a mile. Sin is ever increasing. Sin grows because to cover up one lie you have to tell another and another before you know it you are all twisted up.  This is what has happened to the pea brain Canadians and their Bro. Anancy Nigerian friends.  Illegal pictures, breaking into internet accounts, stealing mail, stealing money, stealing clothes, breaking into lockers, entering rooms, tapping into telephone lines, stolen journals and it goes on and on. All because of one lie. The Canadians from Nazi land Mississauga are extremely crooked. King David’s sin started when he ceases to act like a soldier and becomes a late sleeper. King David’s sin grows from adultery to murder.  A private sin became very public with an increasing number of participants.

THOU ART THE MAN – II SAMUEL 12 VERSE 7
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

King David is now married to Bathsheba and all seems to be going well. But God! (never leave out that factor as I have always said, to my knowledge Uriah never prayed one prayer about the situation openly, but God)  Who knows that there is a God in heaven who is all seeing, all knowing, everywhere present, all powerful and all wise (full of wisdom)? He is indeed wise I was wondering what would have happened if the Prophet Nathan had confronted David openly with his sin. He probably would have lost his head like John the Baptist for calling people 'generation of vipers and adulterers'. All I would have said is you petits minded criminally challenged Canadians and Bro. Anancy Nigerians Zoot!! Be that as it may the all wise God used the diplomatic approach. See why I stick close to God I need to learn a little diplomacy myself. King David ended up pronouncing his own judgement II Samuel 12 verses 5 -6.
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

Let us examine the story told by Prophet Nathan. It is a master piece.  The story was poignant and to the point no one had to tell King David how evil and wicked his actions were. The rich man had everything and the poor man had one little lamb that he had nurtured. Is there some symbolism here? Jesus the sacrificed Lamb, God’s only son who was crucified for our sins. The poor man was contented with what he had and took care of it.  The rich man had guest and took away the poor man’s only lamb and used it to feed his guest. Need I say anything else people about me and these evil and wicked Canadians and their Bro. Anancy Nigerian friends. I am contented with what i had. I came with no saucer. In fact I was introduced to Social Assistance by accident.  I really just think God is trying to deal with the systems every where I go. There is so much foolishness going on.  The systems don't need any more money they need honest people to manage them.  That is why God gave the mandate to the church. People it is no accident that Naomi sent Ruth to glean.  She knew the systems of her country. Anyway, this debate is for another Blog. Suffice it to say everything I have they have stolen. Now you see why I read every other book after I have read the Bible.

Then Nathan reminded King David of the goodness of the Lord to him. He chronicled the blessings II Samuel 12 verses 7 - 9. This reminds us of the Lord’s Prayer St. Matthew 6 verses 9 - 13 that is why it begins with worship. If you are thankful then you can’t be ungrateful.
In verses 10 -12 he had some new additions to his household which simply indicates that there are consequences to sin.  God forgave King David immediately he confessed but  there are still consequences.
They are as follows:

In verse 13 King David confessed immediately. I suppose the fellow was just relieved. Carrying all this sin on your conscience is a very heavy load.  That is why the suicide rates amongst Roman Catholics are the lowest because they go to confession regularly. The problem amongst evangelicals is the trust factor. Who can you trust with your stuff? Too many novices in the vocation. We have Psalm 51 from this encounter with the prophet.

However, verse 14 is the crux of the matter – God told King David that it is not about him David. That, because of his actions he has given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Can you imagine all those people in the city who did not like King David, such as Shimei and the kings of the other nations? I mean Nomadic News Network (NNN) must have had a field day with the complicity in this situation. Did you hear what happened in Israel? The court jesters in the palaces had some serious new material.

CONCLUSION

In concluding, in this Christian walk at no time can you let down your guard especially if you have done some damage to the kingdom of darkness. With God there is no degree to sin. Sin is sin. There are consequences to sin and King David had a number of things added to his household. One can safely say this sort of arrogant behavior will continue to take place until the second coming because of greed and injustice.  Some people are never satisfied that is why it is one of the Ten Commandments ‘Thou shalt not covet’

Until next month may God’s continued protection be upon you!!

This is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to from the city that never sleeps New York, USA


à bientôt !


REFERENCES

David and Uriah

Friday 17 November 2017

BUILDING IN THE MIDST OF OPPOSITION - Nehemiah 4 - 6

Image result for nehemiah
INTRODUCTION

Nehemiah 4:14-20King James Version (KJV) 
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 
17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. 
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. 
20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. 
 
Well mon peuple it is that time of the month again.  The I AM GOD!! People I am wondering about the wisdom of this Blog.  I know it is the will of God for my life but every month as I start to research the whole hosts of hell lets loose.  Now do you see what has happened my telephone has been stolen I mean the third telephone suppose I was a woman of gab I would be devastated.  Fortunately for me the omniscient God the One who is all knowing knew what would be happening so He had me mine the important numbers.  So, if you are important to me I still have your number. 
 
Canada is good for me it has made me realized that I was a babe in the woods. I thought I was rapture ready. You know not that you don’t know until you realize that you don’t know. Get the logics people. Every day, I read this Bible I am saying 'wow' was that always there.    
 
REFLECTIONS 
 
Mon peuple, as I have already said I am wondering what I have been doing all these years when I was reading the Bible. I said to myself Raphleta, this is a very good book for you to learn in your present circumstances and immediately the title for the blog came "Building in the Midst of Opposition".  It is very easy to do things when there is peace on all sides.  In fact, when one is at ease in Zion that is usually the time that one gets into sin look to King David (that is my next Blog II Samuel 12) and King Solomon he had peace all around and he did all kinds of abominations the children of Israel are still repenting for all the things that he did. 
 
CRITICAL DEFINITIONS 
 
NehemiahMeans "comforted by YAHWEH" in Hebrew. One Pastor I listened to liken his work to that of the Holy Spirit - The comforter. According to the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament he was a leader of the Jews who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian captivity. 
 
WHO WAS NEHEMIAH? 
 
Nehemiah was a Godly Jew who lived during the 5th century B.C. in Susa, the capital of the Persian empire. He was the cup bearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes I. Nehemiah's major responsibility was ensuring that the king's drink was not poisoned. This meant that he was the king's right-hand man because in the ancient world this was a very important and prestigious position. One of the easiest ways for an assassin to remove a monarch was through poisoning his drink. Even in his very comfortable position Nehemiah was mindful of the happenings in his homeland. 
Nehemiah got wind of what was taking place back home in Jerusalem through travelers from Judah via the 'Star of David Newspaper'.  The walls of Jerusalem were in ruins.  The walls had been destroyed by the Babylonians about a century and a half before, when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took the Jews into captivity. The Jewish people who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon following the seventy-year exile had completed the rebuilding of their temple, but the walls of the Holy city remained as piles of rubble. 
After Nehemiah heard the bad news and did the weeping thing (nothing wrong with a good bout of weeping people, it cleanses the soul). His concern for his people lead him to fast and pray and seek the Lord for an answer Nehemiah 4 verses 1 - 11 . Please take note of all these prayers. These people prayed from a position of covenant. Daniel prayed in a similar manner in Daniel 9 verse 4. After prayer Nehemiah had favour with the king who provided all that he needed THE I AM THAT I AM GOD, you need to rebuild a wall I have a king Artaxerxes 1. Only a monarch would have that sort of resources.  Mon peuple we are under a new and better covenant you don’t need to be running all over the place to do the work of God. Hebrews 8 verse 6.  Jesus has already been crucified. 
 
THE PROCESS OF BUILDING AND REBUILDING 
 
There were a number of things that took place during this process and will take place in our lives and in our physical building projects. Mon peuple, if you are not facing any opposition in your life it means the devil already has you or you are not building anything.  The evil dignitary opposed the son of God himself, who are you? The words of the Bible: 
We will look at the types of oppositions that came at Nehemiah and the leadership strategies that he used to nullify them. The book of Nehemiah is a great book on Biblical leadership like that of one of my favourite guys in the Bible, Daniel. People I keep saying the church is asleep. 
 
TYPES OF OPPOSITIONS 
  1. Scorn 
Nehemiah 2 verse 19 even in the project scoping phase before the rebuilding process had begun Nehemiah's rivals scorned him.  Hence, the importance of not revealing your ideas and dreams before they have manifested people will scorn you especially if you pose a threat to them, as Nehemiah was to these guys. Sanballat was the Governor of Samaria, Tobiah in charge of the Ammonites to the east and Geshem the Arabs to the south.  Before Nehemiah came along these guys had things 'sown up' as the saying goes. A Jerusalem without wall favoured the economics of their country. 
  1. Anger and Antagonism Against You 
The scorn and laughter having not worked in the evaluation stage of the project, the enemy up the ante. Nehemiah 4 verses 1 - 7 Sanballat was wroth and filled with indignation. You can't get any angrier than that. The Hebrew word used means 'hot'.  To say the fellow got hot under the collar is an understatement. 
Verse 7 in anger over what Nehemiah was doing he and his brethren the Ammonite Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the Philistines all came together, threatening to stop the work by violence if necessary. The rebuilding of the wall threatened their lifestyle, so they got angry. The life of a politician. What is in it for me? There is nothing new under the sun. 
Reminds me of an incident in 2011 when I lived in Nazi/Mafia land Mississauga. I was in the Dundas/Winston Churchill Area, I was walking home and noticed a white SUV with a Caucasian gentleman who looked like a cross between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise (very handsome) following me. I paid him no mind. As it was then, so it is now. A bundle of people following me especially the Region of Peel police. They had those guys like a yo-yo. To cut a long story short the movie star looking fellow attempted to ride the side walk to run me over. I was most shock and wondered what I could have done to engender such anger from a stranger. I just looked at him and went on my way.  Those that are with me are more than those who are against me. 
  1.  Mockery and Sarcasm 
Well people the devices of the enemy have not changed. It is the same strategy from the garden of Eden.  He will speak to the very core of who you are and your relationship with God. Just keep focus and remember who you are in God.  
Nehemiah 4 verse 2 – Sanballat and his buddies decided to ask a couple of questions. Be very careful of who are asking you questions. What are these feeble Jews doing? 
The answer – I can do all things through Christ.….Philippians 4 verse 13
It is not by might nor power.... Zechariah 4 verse 6
Will they be fortifying themselves? 
The answer – Like the mountains are around Jerusalem....Psalm 125 verse 2
Will they sacrifice? The devil is always afraid of true God centred worship. 
Jesus: Thou shalt worship the Lord only.... St. Matthew 4 verse 10
Will they make an end in a day? Meaning are they capable of completing the work. Just keep focus and continue building. 
The answer: I am fruitful in every good work.... Colossians 1 verse 10
Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? 
God who is the pro in the vision had already provided building materials. Nehemiah 2 verse 8 He had letter to get building material from the king's forest for the wall. 
Then Tobiah the sidekick threw in his sarcastic barb; 'If a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.' 
The answer: My strength is made perfect in times of weakness... 2 Corinthians 2 verse 19 
 
Satan frequently uses ridicule against those who take a stand for the Lord. If you decide to live for the kingdom you will be challenged not only by unbelievers but by persons who say they are Christians but are living a double life. You are always under a microscope. That is why cameras were placed in my apartment illegally to see if I was the real deal. I keep falling on my knees and thanking God for His protection over the years. 
  1. Threats and Intimidation 
If anger and ridicule don't work, the enemy gets more aggressive.  In my own life it started with eavesdropping on my conversation physically, then it moved to reading my journals on a daily basis, then my emails, then ended up bugging my telephone and it continues.   
In Nehemiah 4 verse 8, 11 – Sanballat and Tobiah threatened to use violence, which they circulated among the Jews living near enemy territory. The Commission was from King Artaxerxes so the attack could not have been overt or they would be fighting directly against the Persian Empire. But small bands of terrorists could sneak in and pick off a few of the people working on the wall. Sanballat would just advise the king that it was a renegade band that he did not have control over. Fast forward to today, like the militant Muslims, the threat of terrorist activity put the Jews under immense psychological pressure. In World War II the French resistance was a nightmare to the Germans. 
Satan still uses subtle or overt threats and intimidation to oppose Christians. If you don’t keep quiet about the boss's corruption, you'll get fired.  I did not so I was fired. 'If you discipline your children as scripture directs, the authorities will take them away from you.' If you write a paper in defense of the Christian faith, the Professor will fail you. If you pray and fast on a regular basis you are called a fanatic or mad.   
I love this example given in the article by Pastor Steven Cole. The example emphasizes the point that church should not be run by boards but by the Biblical order. The author states that: "Years ago an evangelical Church in phoenix had a powerful attorney on the elder board who was having an affair.  When they confronted him, and told him to step down from the board, he threatened them with a law suit that would bankrupt the church with legal fees, even if they won. He finally agreed to step down if all the elders resigned along with him. Sadly, the church capitulated to his threats! I had to read St. Luke 11 verses 46 - 52 - Jesus' woe to the lawyers. Most of them pervert more laws than they uphold. 
  1. Discouragement and Exhaustion 
Nehemiah 4 verse 10- The people seem to be getting discouraged.  The strength of the people was fading and they were thinking that the pile of rubbish was not decreasing doubt had started to creep in. They had lost their earlier heart for the work that had resulted in the wall rapidly being built to the half way mark Nehemiah 4 verse 6. 
Any venture that one embarks on in life will require commitment, focus and enthusiasm to see it through. In our Christian life the same thing is true. That is why the Bible says we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2 verse 12. When we just became saved everything is new and fresh but as we walk out the Christian journey we will have to be able to develop strategies to get over the bumps.  Jesus had to pray himself through in the Garden of Gethsemane.   
  1. Negativism 
There are internal as well as external enemies.  The internal enemies can be two-fold your inner voice, self-doubt regarding your abilities or correct calling.  Then there are also the internal enemies such as persons who are close to you friends, family and relatives. The external opposition is challenging but the internal one is deadly. The anger, criticism and mockery in Nehemiah 4 verses 2 - 3 came from the external enemies. The negativism came from the Jews who lived in close proximity to the enemy Nehemiah 4 verse 12. 
These people were not involved in the work of rebuilding the wall. That is significant! They lived near the enemy and thus were constantly being bombarded by the negative attacks on the work.  They were not involved personally in the work.  They were hearing negative reports and threats and they didn't know first-hand what God was doing in Jerusalem.  They came repeatedly ('ten times' is an Hebrew expression meaning 'over and over') to warn Nehemiah and those working on the wall.  
Invariably, negativism in the Church comes from professing Christians who lives closer to the enemy rather than God. They are not kingdom builders. They are also not interested in the truth about what is taking place. Such negativism is the enemy of faith.  
In the book of  Numbers 13 verses 28-29, 31 - 33The two spies confessed 'There are giants in the land.' There is a proper place for realism Nehemiah didn't ignore the very real danger that existed. However, if he had listened to these prophets of doom, he would not have finished the wall. 
  1. Fear 
Numbers 4 verse 14 Fear is the cumulative effect of all the above factors. The people had been exposed to the enemy's anger and had heard their mockery and threats. They were wearing down through exhaustion. Then they repeatedly heard doom and gloom from their fellow Jews who lived in enemy territory. Nehemiah saw their fear and exhorted them not to be afraid. 
Fear is one of the major weapons of Satan against the people of God. The Bible states "God has not given us a spirit of fear'. Unfortunately, when God says only be courageous as with Joshua you know the process is not going to be easy. 
  1. Division Amongst the People
Based on my training with Lady Marva Kerr in the area of Team Building, this would be the Storming Stage. When everyone is getting to know each other the intermingling of the different personality types, and becoming familiar with their different roles on the team. The stages of Team Building are outside the scope of this Blog you will have to do that research on your own. There were some fantastic CDs at Mississauga Central Library on leadership.
Just to make you aware of the fact that when we started Church in Jamaica we were high class in a classroom which was around 14' by 8'. We had a cable channel and people referred to us as the rich Church. We had our regular leadership training with Lady Marva Kerr, lovely woman of God never heard her say 'boo' to anyone.
 
Moving right along let us look at some of the things that were being done by the people. 
Nehemiah 5 – Usury 
Verse 2 - They were exchanging their children for food. 
Verse 3 -  Mortgaged their property to buy food. 
Verse 4  - Used their land as collateral to borrow money to pay taxes. 
Verse 5 - Have to use their children to repay their debts. Some were not in a position to redeem their children who were already servants because of their financial situation. 
There will always be people who are willing to exploit people in challenging times. 
Verse 7 - Thank God for Godly leadership like that of Nehemiah's. He rebuked those in charge.  The Bible states that 'When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice.'. 
Verse 15 - Nehemiah mentioned the exploitative and selfish behaviour of previous Governors versus the way he operated. A parallel to this would be the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 8 when he advised that he did not seek gain for himself from the churches that he oversaw but worked with his own hands.   
  1. Conspiracy 
Nehemiah 6 verse 1 - 14 His arch enemies sought to get him off his game by luring him into a secret meeting behind closed doors in order to kill him. Of course, one of the people they used were the prophets. People be careful of those prophets out there most of them have not been sent as Prophet Jeremiah has said. This speaks to the length to which your enemy will go to try and destroy you. With Satan murder is always an option  St. John 10 verse 10
 
GODLY LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH OPPOSITION 
 
Opposition will come and like all things in life there are many ways to overcome these challenges. 
  • You can flee like the Prophet Elijah 
  • You can try and dodge it or go around it like Jonah.
  • You can work out a compromise like King Solomon and marry many women. 
  • You can meet it head on and work through it. Apostles Paul and Peter controversy in the Church at Galatia. Jesus Christ the cross. 
 The last approach is usually the only Biblical way. We will not go through the Sermon on the Mount again. Please remember to get your monthly Sermon on the Mount check. Nehemiah's leadership characteristics came to the fore. He used four leadership strategies to mitigate against opposition. They are:
  • Prayer 
  • Unity 
  • Vigilance
  • Focus 
Prayer 
Having heard the news about the destruction of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah did not run ahead of himself and make plans. He sought God in prayer and fasting (an outdated terminology in North America). This is the hall mark of Nehemiah's life. When the opposition to the Jewish rebuilding project started the first thing he did was prayed especially when the numerical and brutish advantages are not on your side. Examples of this in the Bible would be David and Goliath I Samuel 17  and Jehoshaphat and the Children of Israel in  II Chronicles 20. Prayer puts things in perspective it lets us remember that God is sovereign even against the Goliaths in our lives. Tests and trials are for a purpose, all a part of the process of character formation. 
 
In terms of Nehemiah's prayer in Nehemiah 4 verses 4 -5. It is certainly not a gentle Jesus prayer.  People, God is a God of mercy but He is also a God of judgment. Two sides of the same coin. The Children of Israel walked on dry land through the Red Sea but the same sea drowned Pharaoh and his army.  
  • This is not a prayer for personal vengeance, but rather a prayer that God would judge the sinners.  
  • This was not a project conceived by man but directly by God. You oppose God's work you oppose God Proverbs 11 verse 31
  • To pray for God's kingdom to come is a command of the Lord's Prayer. In addition, Revelation 11 verse 15 'The kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and His Christ and He shall reign forever.' We should always be mindful of the importance of as soul (Christ died for all of us) and pray for the conversion of sinners but forever Oh Lord is thy word settled in heaven. 

If our hearts are right, we can pray that God would subdue the enemies of the cross, either by conversion, or by His justice Isaiah 37 verse 29. Prayer should always be our first response in the situations of life. 
 
Unity 
 
Nehemiah 4 verse 6 – The people had a heart to work.  They didn't allow the enemy's threat to get their focus unto other issues. They kept building the wall, and pretty soon the enemy was outside looking up, instead of looking straight across at them over the wall. Keep looking up people. Psalm 121 look to the hills where your help comes from. Being aware of the devices of the enemy one has to have the ability to shut out distractions.  
 
They Were Vigilant 
 
Nehemiah 4 verses 16 - 23 - People if anything bears out the scripture 'Faith without works is dead.' This strategy more than all does. Nehemiah prayed first then he set up a guard. I love this 'Trust God and keep your powder dry!' By Pastor Steven. It is also of note that Nehemiah's prayer did not make the enemy go away. Instead the enemy increased the level of intimidation. One has to understand that there has to be a level of perseverance in prayer when you realize that you are in God's will. Jesus prayed all night.  The Prophet Elijah prayed seven times before there was a cloud the size of a fist. As Dr. Moses Aransiola would say there is a prophetic number. Even though you have prayed you have to be mindful of the enemy's threats. You can't pretend they don’t exist. Nehemiah was vigilant to arm the workers and post guards around the clock. He put in place a warning system, so that whenever the trumpet was blown, the workers would quickly rally there to defend their families and the city. The workers didn't take off their clothes at night being prepared at all times to defend the city. Vigilance!! 
Likewise, as Christians we have to be vigilant where our spiritual lives are concerned. You have to filter what you hear, see and say based on the word of God. Have a daily devotional and associate with people who can enhance your spiritual walk. 
 
Keep Focus 
 
Nehemiah 4 verse 14The people were discouraged because they had gotten their focus unto the enemy's threat, the piles of rubble, and all the work left to do. Nehemiah rightly directed their focus back to the Lord who is great and awesome and to the things that were at stake if they yielded to the enemy, mainly, their families. The intention of opposition is to get your focus off the Lord and unto your challenges Colossians 3 verse 2
 
CONCLUSION 
 
In concluding, this topic was chosen several months ago the first thing that happened when I started my research was my Google went, then my phone was stolen, the government held on to my money, then I had to flee Canada for my life. I started writing on the 6th and completed on the 8th November. I won't be using anymore videos. I will be using images I have to go through and insert some images.  
 
I don’t know about you people but I enjoy writing these Blogs immensely. The Bible contains a wealth of knowledge. So, 
If they scorn you............................................................... Keep building 
If they mock you............................................................... Keep building 
If they ridicule you............................................................ Keep building 
If they lie about you.......................................................... Keep building 
If they prophesy falsely..................................................... Keep building 
If they try to take you off your assignment....................... Keep building 
If they gossip about you.................................................... Keep building 
If they try to intimidate you.............................................. Keep building 
If they get jealous and hate you........................................ Keep building 
If they conspire against you.............................................. Keep building 
 
No weapons formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you, you shall condemn. Isaiah 54 verse 17
 
Once again, this is me Lillene’s baby girl coming to you from up here in the true south of the true north.