Last time we covered what is the Burden of the Lord. If you didn’t read it go back so you have a foundation to launch into part 2. In this writing we will see how burdens from the Lord come. For the most part they are not our ideas or extensions of ideas of ministry we have. Many times, they are contrary to our plans and maybe even our desires. They will take us off our typical course into a course of Gods ultimate plan unfolding. We will look at Nehimiah, an apostolic builder and restorer. A mobilizer of workers and one who sets things in order.

Nehemiah 1:3 (KJV 1900) — 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

The first thing is he heard. He heard a report. But it was not just idle talk but factual and not with speculation or assumption. Something in this report pricked his heart having a profound effect upon him. Many times, we hear things, and the hardness of our heart keeps us from really hearing. Sometimes something catches our spirit, and we react. This was what occurred to him.

Nehemiah 1:4 (KJV 1900) — 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

The words were heard by others but no one else responded. The words were actually reserved to have an effect upon one person and that was Nehemiah. The others had become accustomed to hearing reports. But probably because of hardness of heart and loss of faith and hope accepted the state of things. But the words caused Nehemiah to take time to process as he sat. the more he processed the more he wept. A burden doesn’t accept the current situation but has come to change the situation. His weeping went to mourning and mourning turned into fasting and prayer to find the solution.

Nehimiah 2: 11-16   The burden will cause you to evaluate the true conditions firsthand. Burdens take us from secondhand knowledge to first-hand experience. He went by night to examine the assignment. What he saw was different from what others saw. He saw through promise not circumstances. He did not deny what he saw but looked beyond and saw the ramifications. He sees how it affected Gods glory and Gods people. He was seeing with his spirit.

He then is burdened with reality. The reality the burden has within it is holy. It bears the weight of Gods glory and the work that must be accomplished. He sees beyond the natural. Part of this reality is the personal responsibility that comes with burden. Those with a burden see not only the problem, but the role they play in the solution. The only solution or answers that work is from God and you must hear clearly. Because very burden for God will have those who are critical coming from your own camp. Nehemiah 4:10–11. He is able to share the reason for the burden.

Nehemiah 4:14.  (KJV 1900) — 14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Every burden form God is also connected to Legacy.Moses was burdened for the people of Israel. Others had burdens as well like David, Paul, Samuel, all the ones we talk about doing exploits, but seldom do we talk of their burden. Without Gods burden our faith is in vain. Our prayers are lacking, and our impact is greatly diminished. A true burden form God cannot be stopped. It is fulfilling a plan that is required. To me the burden is the key to active faith that produces results. We really only see spiritual changes when we tap into the burden of God, or we get burdened for people where we finally fully engage ourselves. Burden is about transferring. Transferring people from the power of darkness into the kingdom of His son Jesus.

Every burden will create your apostolic vision. Without a true burden then vision is hard to define, and mission is even harder to operate. We see Ezra in chapter 10:1-4 having a burden before he had vision. We see Nehimiah as well in Chapter 1:3-4. Daniel prayed and fasted for 3 full weeks. What God is looking for is not anointing, which is borrowed from him, or giftedness, which is birthed by him, but the greatest need is who will carry His burden. What is your burden today?

Those who carry a God given burden are the ones who will do exploits. There may be suffering but the suffering will bring greater glory. Paul was driven by apostolic burden. Building is also coming from burden. Burden touches almost all things we do and reforms values. The burden just has to be from God to be effective. Jeremiah 20.8 says it was like fire in his bones and he had no choice but to respond. Burden brings you into service. Burden makes you go.

In Galatians 6:1 it says we carry each other’s burdens which the word means heavy crushing loads. But in verse 4 it says each man is to carry his own burden. This burden is “phorton” and is used to designate the pack a marching soldier carries. It also means carrying the ships cargo, which has connotations of being connected apostolically. Paul says you must prove your work, or it must be authenticated to see if it is genuine. He was speaking if your burden is from god or just a good idea.

Then as we look at spiritual fathering, we also see Sons and Daughters are to carry the burden of the Lord spiritual fathers carry. Many times, we seek spiritual fathering, and we only pick and choose what that fathering is carrying and offering. But we neglect that there is more than the positive fun side of spiritual fathering. In Phil. 3:10 Paul speaks of the “manner of Life”. Paul was saying what Timothy received encompassed how Paul carried and exercised his burden as well. The activation of Paul’s burden in Timothy’s life brought him into his own apostolic journey. Timothy as a son was not disjointed from Paul’s burden but embraced it with the assignments given to him.
Paul said he was like-minded in Phil. 2:20. That like-minded was also concerning how  the burden would be completed.

Burden will create a message in you. It will take you on a mission as well. It will give others a vision, so they qualify to have their own. Burden will take you from a second hand knowledge to a first-hand experience. Burden summons us into the destiny we are longing for. Burden has a sense of urgency. It has a sense of responsibility. The size of your burden will also determine your impact on the earth. But because you have a burden doesn’t mean everything is automatic. It requires your response and others as well.

In the book I wrote “Awakened Heart” has a prophetic word coming from Habakkuk. It encompasses an entire chapter. As I was researching for this blog, I found the word burden spoken 45 times in this prophetic word. It seems it must be important to God.

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Blessings