Turning intention into action

You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21 NLT)

You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do.

•Be patient- spend time in God's waiting room. 

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. (Nehemiah 2:1 NKJV)

God's waiting room = My training room. 

Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. (Psalms 37:34 NKJV)

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. (Psalms 130:5 NKJV)

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. (Isaiah 28:16 NKJV)

When you are in God's waiting room

1. Pray passionately 

2. Serve responsibly 

Be faithful in your current situation. 

•Be bold- let your fear feed your faith 

Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” (Nehemiah 2:2-3 NKJV)

•Be dependent- what God originates, he orchestrates.

 (Nehemiah 2:2-3 NKJV)

Nehemiah "walked with God because he talked with God"

“It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24 NKJV)

•Be prepared- God is in charge, make your plans big

And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. (Nehemiah 2:5-8 NKJV)

The presence of faith does not mean an absence of organisation.

•Be expectant- set your sails and wait for wind