Nehemiah 10

Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding—these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:

(Neh 10:28-29)

This is the fruit of the time of prayer, worship, and the study of the Word that this group of people had just experienced. It wasn’t just a “feel good” time and then back to normal life; these people encountered God and as a result made some major life changes.

They were going to WALK in God’s law, not just know it. Today we talk about being a DOER of God’s Word and not a HEARER only. In order for us to be doers of God’s Word, we need two things to be happening.

1. We need to have the Holy Spirit active in our lives. If we are not born again, we will never be able to truly live for Jesus. It is impossible for the flesh to live in a way that truly glorifies God.
2. As people who have the Holy Spirit, we need to make the choice that we are going to live for Jesus. Having the Holy Spirit doesn’t make holiness automatic. We still are locked in a battle between the flesh and the Spirit and we must decide who we will serve. It isn’t a fun choice, and it isn’t an easy choice. Living the Christian life is impossible on our own. With the Holy Spirit, we can choose to honor the Lord by faith, knowing that the Holy Spirit will give us the strength that we lack.

What is the fruit of the time you are spending with God? If there isn’t any, which of the 2 parts above are missing? What are you going to do to confront this problem?