And Nehemiah said, “I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever!  Why should my face look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”  (Nehemiah 2: 2b-3)
The story of Nehemiah is wonderful picture of how God uses an ordinary “regular” person to do something extraordinary.  Nehemiah was the “cup-bearer” to King Artaxerxes, meaning he tasted the king’s wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned.  Not a glamorous job by any means!  As the story goes Nehemiah confronted his fear of the king and told the king what he wanted i.e. to return to Jerusalem and help in the rebuilding of the city wall!  The word that comes to my mind when I read this story is --Leadership.  A friend of mine defines leadership as “influence”.  Through Nehemiah’s leadership he influenced a people and a nation and the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt!
If I was to ask you today—“What are you afraid of?”  What might you say?  Some of you might say spiders or snakes, etc.  No, deep down—“What are you afraid of?”  What is the thing you are afraid of that keeps you from influencing the people around you.  For so many years I lived in fear…oh, you would have never known!  I was an excellent poser.  But underneath the façade were performance fears i.e. “What if I fail”, “What if I don’t measure up”, “What if I can’t make it”.  In my life for many years the fears of the “What ifs” silenced the courage and confidence of the “What is”.  Behind my fears were other emotions like: sadness, hurt, and guilt.  In the psychological community we call these feelings secondary emotions which often fuel our primary or presenting emotion(s).  In the above narrative Nehemiah felt fear (primary), but underneath he was sad (secondary).   And when Artaxerxes asked him, “What do you want?”  the Scripture says that he, “prayed to the God of heaven” and then he answered the king.
What are you afraid of today?  Are the “What ifs” keeping you from the “What is?” Fear can grip you leaving your cup empty and wondering if you are influencing anyone.  Today, be reminded through the story of Nehemiah to “pray to the God of heaven.”   He is the only one who can calm your fears, and heal your past hurts.  Today allow him to change your “What ifs” of life with the “What is” of His Word.  Hear the following “What is” of Scripture:–“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world…Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4: 4, 9-12) 
May the “What is” of God’s truths break the chains freeing you from the deafening noise of the “What ifs” in your life.  Another way to say this is-- May you experience today what you already are in Christ Jesus to the point where your empty cup fills up and overflows influencing the people around you for the kingdom of God. 
May you lead and serve well this week!  To the Glory of God!

Blessings and Peace,
AP

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