Act When No One Else Will Act

The Step You’re Missing

Giving Your Prayer the Defense It Needs – Part 3

What I’ve noticed is that we often bring God down to human standards. We assume that He thinks like we think. What I mean by this is, you might not say God thinks like you, but you might envision God thinking like your pastor, your leader, or some popular spokesperson. The problem with this typical thought pattern is that God is bigger and even out thinks those great individuals. Even when they have it all figured out, God has something bigger in mind for you than what even they or you can ever imagine.

Be prepared to act when no one else will.
While it would normally appear that someone else would be better qualified to go after your dream, goal, thirty-thousand-foot prayer, you’ve been given an opportunity to take action when no one else will. Sometimes, many times, it comes down to you because no one else will, desires to, nor are positioned to. I can assure you that because most people follow normal paths, there will come a day that you’ll have to do something, and most likely you’ll have to do it alone. You have to take action because no one else is; normal people don’t act. You won’t always have people in your corner and that’s okay. It also means that sometimes you must act when everyone else is afraid to.

Previously we concluded that a thirty-thousand-foot prayer will push one to leave “me” for “we”. The concerns of others will become more dominating and overtake the individual concerns of the one. Nehemiah heard and was angered by the complaints that came from the very people he was serving. What do you think he did? Let me state what he didn’t do. 

He didn’t get angry and say oh well.
He didn’t get angry and turn his back.
He didn’t get angry and do nothing.
He didn’t get angry and say the heck with them.
He didn’t get angry and quit.

After thinking it over…
– I spoke out…
– I called a public meeting…
– I pressed further…
– I called the priests…
– I made the nobles and officials swear…
– I shook out the folds of my robe…
And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah 

Instead, Nehemiah took a couple extraordinary actions to defend his thirty-thousand-foot prayer:
1) He spoke out against what was happening, to the people who could make a difference.
2) He called a meeting to deal with the problem.
3) He lent money himself.
4) He called the priest to be witnesses to the promises made, to stop the injustice.

Do The Next Step God Shows You
I don’t want you to miss this. When God speaks to us (whether in prayer or outside of prayer), the end result is a next action step for the one He speaks to. He gives only one answer and that answer is a step you must take. A step can be a set of instructions, a message to deliver, a turn to take, or a place to wait. At any rate, your prayer leads you to the very action God is impressing upon you to take.

The lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you [do this next step that I, God will show you].
– bible.com/bible/116/GEN.12.1.NLT

A “common” practice is for a person to pray for changes or actions to be made for another person. God can you change “so-and-so” or can you fix “so-and-so.” Can you make their pain or situation go away? God rarely answers such a prayer…without you seeing the action you must take. The question you must ask is this. Why am I inspired or asked to pray in this situation? Hear me when I say this; be careful when you pray because you must be ready for the response.
“Lord save my family” results in Him giving you a next set of actions.
“Lord I want to be debt free” results in you making the next action step.
“God heal me from cancer”, He’ll give you a next step of action.
“Lord restore my marriage” will require a next action step.

I suggest that if you don’t want an assignment to accomplish, then don’t open your mouth in prayer. This activity is for uncommon people, people who are willing to act. The takeaway is to never leave prayer until you know what next step you need to make. What is that action-step God’s asking me to do, but I’m ignoring? It’s that step that will lead me to the next words God has for me today to bring me yet another step that will lead me straight to the answered prayer I desire.

Why was it Nehemiah? Why did no one else act on behalf of the people? I’d like to pose a thought. Maybe it was because he prayed the thirty-thousand-foot prayer that led him to this place where he could be of more use by God. He could and would do more than just build a wall; he would rebuild a people. Now for a more important question, why you?

Question: Why have you been chosen for this thirty-thousand-foot prayer?

Thanks for giving your time to reading this release from NoLongerCommon.com. If you’ve found this message enlightening and inspiring, pass it along; I’d appreciate that.

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