Thursday, 25 April, 2021
Exhortation: Sister Adeline Ijang
Topic: A vessel of Honor
The book of Nehemia is a book that has a lot of principles.
While reading this, I want you to ask yourself: what kind of vessel are you?
The Characteristics of a Vessel of Honor
1) Vision:
You should have a vision.
Ask yourself what you can do for your community.
If you are just living for your nuclear family, then you are not fulfilling purpose.
Nehemiah was living a good life, but when news of his country came to him, he stepped out of his comfort zone to go give them a helping hand.
I believe every virtuous woman has a vision; we take care of widows, most of whom we don’t even know.
Nehemiah shared his vision with the king.
Look for people who can share your vision with you and support you.
2) Prayers:
A vessel of honor has prayer as his watch word.
Nehemiah prayed about his vision before going to share his petition with the king. When he later gathered the children of God to rebuild Jerusalem, he asked everyone of them to build their own area of jurisdiction.
3) Discernment:
Nehemiah had and used his knowledge and understanding of the word to know what and who to believe.
Some people came as secret informants to ruin him of his plans, and his discernment helped him sort them out.
4) Leadership:
He led by example. Nehemiah 2. There was also a lot of teamwork, and restoration in these days of Nehemiah.
People were not exploited by the rich anymore.
You need to be a problem solver, courageous enough to face resistance.
A vessel of honor needs to be able to solve problems and resist any Sanballat and Tobiah.
You have to resist such people who come to discourage you. Those who win don’t listen to distractions but focus only on those who clap for them.
Repentance is another interesting thing in this book of Nehemiah. Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the Governor came together to preach to the Israelites about the Law, which brought about repentance and revival.
Celebration is another element. In Nehemiah 12, at the end of their work, they celebrated. We should learn to celebrate each other at every milestone. When you celebrate others you take away jealousy.
It’s also good to dedicate to God. They did a dedication of the wall after they had finished building it.
2 Timothy 2:20: There are different kinds of vessels in the same house. It is up to you to choose what kind of vessel you want to be.
Sometimes we say we want to be a vessel of honor; the book of Nehemiah lets us know what a vessel of honor does.
A vessel of honor is also a gatekeeper, one who intercedes. Who sacrifices just like Nehemiah and the team sacrificed 52 days to build the wall.
PRAYER POINTS:
1) Make us vessels of honor
2) Make us gate keepers
3) Make us women of prayer and discernment
4) Help us be builders
5) Father, revive us
