Chase the Goose -The Cage of Responsibilities

8/9/2019 Chase the Goose -The Cage of Responsibilities

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The Cage of ResponsibilitiesBreaking out of the cage with

Nehemiah


2/12

We build our own cages

The Holy Spirit at times islike a wild goose in that itcan not be tracked ortamed. It brings the

purpose of God into us butwe can end up trying tocage that which cannot becaged.

We try to tame the Spirit ofGod. We get comfortable

and safe and no longerdesire to follow Godbecause its an unknown.

One cage we build is that ofresponsibilities. The cage ofall the stuff we have to do.


3/12

A time for everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for everyactivity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to

die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, NIV) As we go with life we gather responsibilities and are so

buried by them we can get to the point of fearing pain,disappointment or failure if we dont get to all of them.


4/12

I need to take care of this!

Lord, first let me go and bury my father.But Jesus told him, Follow Me, and let thedead bury their own dead (Matthew 8:21-

22, NIV) Jesus said this to the young man in this

story because this young man tried to turnhis legitimate responsibility into a way toavoid his greater responsibility andopportunity to follow him.


5/12

Nehemiah

100 years after Jerusalem was conquered

Nehemiah returned to the holy city to build the

wall of the city.


6/12

Paying attention to God given

Passions Nehemiah 1:2-4

Nehemiah was a servant

and adviser to king Artaxerxes

but still had his mindon the Jewish people.

God put in his heart a yearning for Jerusalem.

God puts into are hearts unique gifts, passions, and

opportunities and we should pay attention to them. But know that the pressure isnt on you to figure it

out by yourself. It is through seeking to glorify God,to praying to God, to singing songs and beingsensitive to the Spirit of God that this is revealed.


7/12

Pray and Prepare

Nehemiah 2 :1-16

We need compassion which is having others pain andconcerns in our hearts.

When we have a concern and passion in our heart and we

pray God sets the way. Nehemiah prayed and waited

and God provided him with

everything he needed.

And when Nehemiah

got to Jerusalem he

moved wisely and

quietly to prepare for the

work before he revealed

it to anyone else.


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Going into Action

Sometimes when we are thinking if we should or should notdo something we try to figure out every problem along theway.

But as it says in Romans 8:5 those who are in the Spirit do

the things of the Spirit. Other times like Nehemiah we have to be irresponsible to one

responsibility to take care of the greater one. When God putsa passion in our heart we sometimes need to be irresponsibleelsewhere.


9/12

Going into Action

Sometimes when we

have a passion in our

heart we become only

involved and notcommitted.

Because those whos

aim is to hit nothing

hits it every time!!!


10/12

Who will and will not help?

When you start living out the purposes of

God you will receive criticism, opposition

and obstacles. When Tobiah and Sanballat the critics wanteda meeting Nehemiah said, I am carrying on a

great project and cannot go down. Why

should the work stop while I leave it and godown to you? (Nehemiah 6:3, NIV)


11/12

Who will and will not help?

Then I told them of the hand of my God

which was good upon me; (Nehemiah

2:18, KJV) When we are doing the will of God we

know His hand is with us because as

Jesus said without me you can do

nothing.


12/12

Seeing Our Responsibilities done

with God In 52 days Nehemiah

let the people to finish

the wall.

And when the wall

was completed the

people worshiped.

Nehemiah 8:5-6

Documents

Chase the Goose -The Cage of Responsibilities