Give It Back

Do you want to have a little fun today?!  Let's do a GIVEAWAY!  I have a copy of Nora King's book  
30 Days to a Better Prayer Life to give away.  

In the past couple of posts, we have looked at the book of Nehemiah and in those posts, prayer has been mentioned as a vital part of rebuilding.  You can click below to read the last two posts if you missed them. 

Build with a Sword by Your Side 

Sound Your Trumpet 

In Nora King's book, she outlines key principles of prayer.  It is an amazing book every believer should have in their book library.  To enter to win, you just have to "like"  the "Living Free in Him" fan page on facebook, leave a comment, or share this post.  You have until midnight Friday night to enter to win!

Now we will continue with Nehemiah...Chapter 5

For about seventy years, the Israelites were held in captivity by the Babylonians who invaded Jerusalem in 597 BC.   They were held in bondage by their foreign enemy.

Now, let's fast forward to Nehemiah's time (444 BC).  The Isrealites had been freed from the bondage of the Babylonians since 536 BC, which means they had been free from foreign captivity for about 90 years.

Can you imagine the outrage when Nehemiah (who was still a servant in the King of Persia's home) discovered there were Jews being enslaved by fellow Jews, their own brethren?  In Chapter 5, that is exactly what Nehemiah discovers. 

Before Nehemiah had arrived to Judah, an economic crisis had struck their land.  A famine coupled with the need to pay high taxes forced many of the Israelites to sell everything they owned including land, homes, and even members of their own family to be slaves.

They told Nehemiah:

"We are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."  Neh 5:5

We are like the Israelites.  We have already been made free by the blood of Jesus.  We were once captive and a slave to sin, but as children of God, we are free!  Yet, many of us are in bondage for a variety of reasons.

Why are we enslaved?  Sin may be coerced us back into bondage.  Lies of unworthiness often keep chains on God's precious daughters.

Two things are certain...YOU ARE  FREE and IT IS NOT IN YOUR POWER TO REDEEM YOURSELF.    Only Jesus can redeem us and He already has.  We need only to receive Him.

Just as Nehemiah was offended at the oppression of His fellow brethren, Jesus is grieved and righteously indignant by the oppression of His people.  

Nehemiah pleaded with his brethren to "Please stop this usury!"

"Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine,and the oil, that you have charged them. "  Nehemiah 5:8-11

As the Israelites had to restore to their brethren that which was rightfully theirs, our enemy has to give us back everything he has stolen from us!  He has no right to keep you in bondage or take what is yours.
Demand him to give it back to you (In Jesus' Name).  You belong to God.  He paid for you with the precious blood of Jesus.  The enemy has no right to anything that is yours.   You are God's daughter.

 No, it is not in our power to redeem ourselves.  But, thankfully we don't have to repay.  We never could.  The Lord says, "Restore! Give it back!"  And His Word is final.

"You are free!  If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed."  John 8:36