You Are Being Rebuilt By The Holy Spirit

Do you want to discover the life you were born to live – to know and to carry out your life assignment? Many of us share such desires. But when we’re in the middle of adversity, vulnerable and weak from the attacks of the enemy, it’s tempting to want to give up, and go with the flow of the world. You’re not the first person to feel this way. This is exactly how a group of Jews, who lived during the prophet Nehemiah’s time, felt. Their assignment of rebuilding Jerusalem was overwhelming. They were under attack from the enemy and they wanted to give up.

The book of Nehemiah opens with Nehemiah saying to the Persian king whom he served: “They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire'” (Nehemiah 1:3). The temple was being reconstructed but there was no wall to protect the city. And no one had taken charge of the situation. But God had raised up such a helper in Nehemiah.

The Holy Spirit – Our Helper

Last Sunday, as my pastor spoke about the condition of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah, I saw similarities to the state of so many Christians today: their walls are broken down. Many feel unqualified and unequipped for the assignments God has given them. And they find themselves weak and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy to the point of being without hope.

Just as Nehemiah was assigned to restore the walls and gates of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit is assigned to restore our lives. Nehemiah and the Holy Spirit share a name: Nehemiah means “Jehovah comforts” and the Holy Spirit is called “the Comforter.” Jesus told us, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, whose ministry is to restore our lives by transforming us into the very image of our heavenly Father.

When we find it difficult to deal with the challenges that will inevitably arise, we must strengthen ourselves by calling on the Holy Spirit’s help. He is always available to comfort and lead us in time of need.

Once we have been born again, we are a temple and dwelling place of the Most High God. But the walls of our soul may be broken down and our gates remain burned down, just as in the book of Nehemiah.

God has provided help. The Comforter was sent to help us build your life and transform us into God’s image of strength and stability. He has come to deliver us from our enemy and make us a beautiful city that is secure and safe. Security means to be free from worry and anxiety, free from the fear of lack, and free from sickness and disease.

Your Soul Is A Fortress

Your soul is designed to be a mighty fortress; it is the command center of your life. Your soul has three parts: your mind (intellect), your emotions (feelings) and your will (choices you make). The Holy Spirit is the only person who is able to rebuild the crushed and ruined areas of your soul. As your walls are rebuilt and your gates are set in place once more, you will find yourself less vulnerable to the attacks of Satan.

He is a defeated foe and can no longer afflict you with being vanquished by the same weakness over and over again. You are being built into a mighty city and fortress to bring glory to your King! There is much treasure to be found in the book of Nehemiah and I particularly like the metaphor it provides for the Christian life.

Nehemiah As A Metaphor

The book of Nehemiah, a true historical event, is also an apt metaphor for living the Christian life and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring restoration to those places that need to be healed and made whole. By applying the metaphor of the book of Nehemiah to our own spiritual lives we can emerge stronger and more secure in our Christian walk.

The Temple represents our hearts, where we worship and fellowship with the Father. The inner temple, our spirits, can be alive in the midst of brokenness, just as the temple stood amid the walls that had been broken from past attacks.

The city of Jerusalem represents our mind; the walls of the city represent our spiritual walls and the health of our relationship with Christ. And the gates of the city represent our eyes, ears and mouths. The walls and gates serve as protective boundaries and portals for our hearts and minds.

The inhabitants of the city represent our thoughts; our thoughts are often difficult to control, but thoughts contrary to God’s Word can be limited by guarding our gates (eyes, ears, mouths) and admitting only those things which reinforce God’s Word.

Nehemiah built the city walls and installed the gates to protect the city and the temple. We do the same by reading the Bible, praying and being doers of the Word by obeying what God tells us to do.

To Sum It Up

If you feel like it is too late for you or that your life is too messed up right now, let me tell you that God is not through with you yet. He will never give up on you. The moment you were born again, God moved into your life and made your heart His dwelling place. Your heart became His sanctuary, and He is preparing you to do great and mighty exploits. God desires us to come to a place of total wholeness in our life; this is an ongoing process which takes place through the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us. Allow Him to restore your walls and rebuild your gates. May your report be as Nehemiah’s:

When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God (Nehemiah 6:16).

Wise choices will watch over you. Pro 2:11 NLT
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Four Ways To Receive and Process Rebuke
Without Bitterness

Rebuke is a curious, yet serious, word. It’s not used much outside of church circles.

I have taken inspiration for this post from Sparkling Gems from the Greek, November 6 (www.renner.org). The author, Rick Renner, approaches this topic from the perspective of having the integrity to confront a person who has offended you. I will instead examine it from the outlook of the one who is being corrected.

Quite honestly, just thinking about being rebuked makes me want to recoil. Isn’t that what Believers are always doing to Satan? Yet, I know that at times, I offend others both knowingly and unknowingly. It’s one thing to be called out from within my family, and quite another to be confronted by a friend or stranger.

Pastor Renner’s devotional, titled Confront, Forgive and Forget, inspired me to reflect back on the last time I was personally rebuked by someone outside of my family. The Holy Spirit taught me a lot from that experience which I want to share here. It is important that I clarify that this post is not about corrective actions that fall under the category of church discipline. We will discuss Believers rebuking fellow Believers. But, first things first, let’s define the biblical meaning of rebuke.

What Does Rebuke Mean?

Perhaps the thought of being rebuked is uncomfortable because I am thinking of the dictionary definition: “to express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions.” That implies a harshness that is intended to wound the person being rebuked. The biblical meaning is quite different.

Pastor Renner does a beautiful job explaining the meaning of the word rebuke found in Luke 17:3. He says, “The word “rebuke” is the Greek word epitimao, which in this case means to speak frankly, honestly, and politely as you tell a person how you feel that he has wronged you. This doesn’t mean you have to speak to him like he’s a devil; it just means you need to directly and honestly confront him.”

The underlying motivation of the first is to strike out at the person being rebuked and thus harm the relationship. The underlying motivation of the second is to clear the air, and to restore the relationship to wholeness.

This topic is controversial because of the potential for the abuse of rebuking and also because, by nature, we are defensive when confronted. It is our nature to strike out. When someone corrects us, even in the most loving way, it takes a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit to remain open and grounded. However, when we ask, God always provides a way for us to productively receive and process rebuke.

Productive Ways To Receive And Process Rebuke

The suggestions offered here have two overarching goals: to honor God and to guard against a root of bitterness. I can’t overemphasize the importance of immediately and routinely rooting out thoughts that would lead to bitterness. In my experience, it is extremely painful and difficult to eradicate bitterness, once left unchecked and deeply rooted.

• Center Yourself in the Holy Spirit

In any situation in which you are caught off-guard, or begin to feel emotional, train yourself to make your spirit aware of the Holy Spirit. This practice is so vital, yet under used. In essence you are praying, asking for His help in responding in the moment and beyond. What a comfort and encouragement it is to know the Helper and Comforter is right there with you, helping you to respond appropriately. Although it is done without speaking, it is powerful. The times I have, on the spot, asked God to help me to see the situation/person as He does, are the times I have been able to respond supernaturally, beginning with assuming the best about the person’s motives.

• Assume the Best

If you will take the position that the other person truly wants to make the relationship better, you can appreciate them for their candor in addressing the issue rather than letting it grow into a root of bitterness. It’s fairly natural to receive rebuke with defensiveness – especially if it’s delivered imperfectly. But we have the Holy Spirit as our helper to assess our part in causing the offense and to help us respond with the right attitude. And remember: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood…” (Ephesians 6:12).

• Join Forces Against Your Common Adversary – Not Each Other

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) and that includes relationships. Satan is the author of strife and loves to see Believers take offense. If you can be in agreement with the other person that you both want to restore wholeness to the relationship, it takes you out of a victim’s role. The person rebuking you is not your enemy. When both parties yield to God, relationships can be strengthened by dealing with the grievance instead of burying issues and pretending they don’t exist. Once the grievance has been aired and you are working together to resolve it, it’s time to seek and accept forgiveness and mercy.

• Seek and Receive Forgiveness and Mercy

Sometimes we are guilty of offense. Sometimes it’s a misunderstanding. And sometimes it’s just a matter of different personal styles of relating. At times, repentance and a change in attitude is called for. Other times, it’s appropriate to apologize in acknowledgement of what the other person is feeling. Sometimes, two people must agree to act in love toward each other despite personal style differences. Whichever the case, genuinely seek forgiveness and receive it. Follow your Heavenly Father’s example and then forgive yourself. Your heart is free. You have asked for forgiveness and received God’s mercy. Don’t mentally rehash it. Don’t continually talk about it. Consider the matter settled. Move on.

To Sum It Up

The meaning of rebuke implies a direct and honest confrontation. A rebuke can be personally and spiritually productive when we center ourselves in the Holy Spirit, assume the best of the other person, join forces against our common adversary, and seek and receive forgiveness. In doing so we honor God and guard against a root of bitterness.