{"id":736,"date":"2014-05-05T22:19:34","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T14:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zionfellowship.org.au\/?page_id=736"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:18:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T09:18:18","slug":"pastors-heart","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/?page_id=736","title":{"rendered":"Pastor’s Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2026 Mar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finishing Strong<\/u><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nehemiah 6 reminds us that it\u2019s not only how we start that matters\u2014 it\u2019s how we finish<\/strong>. Nehemiah wasn\u2019t a prophet or a priest. He was a civil servant burdened with the reproach of Jerusalem\u2019s broken walls and gates. God placed a holy assignment on his heart, and Nehemiah obeyed. He gathered a team, cast a vision, and worked tirelessly. After six long weeks, the finish line was finally in sight. Yet right before the victory, he faced his fiercest temptation\u2014 to quit. His question still echoes across the centuries: \u201cShould such a man as I flee?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last lap is always the hardest. Many start well; far fewer finish well. In Nehemiah 6, the enemy launches one final assault, hoping to derail him before completion. But Nehemiah held onto two convictions that kept him steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First: Don\u2019t be distracted into a detour. Stay focused.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanballat tried to distract Nehemiah and invited him to a place called Ono\u2014 a detour disguised as diplomacy. But Nehemiah refused: \u201cI am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.\u201d<\/em> Detours still call to us today\u2014distractions, lesser priorities, some things that pull us from the best things. Focus is a spiritual discipline. When God has given you a task, don\u2019t sidetrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second: Don\u2019t retreat under the enemy\u2019s intimidation. Stay faithful.<\/strong>
Intimidation sought to frighten Nehemiah into hiding. Again he answered with courage: \u201cShould such a man as I flee?\u201d<\/em> Faithfulness means staying on course when quitting feels easier. Our generation knows escapism well, but discipleship is not escape\u2014it is endurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture and life both teach us this truth: winners are decided in the final stretch.<\/strong> The last holes of the tournament, the final minutes of the match, the final argument in the courtroom\u2014 finishing strong makes all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And no one finished stronger than Jesus<\/strong>. With the cross before Him, He declared, \u201cI have finished the work.\u201d And with His dying breath: \u201cIt is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay focused. Stay faithful. Finish strong.<\/strong> Your Lord stands at the finish line, arms open. Keep running toward Him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2026 Mar Finishing Strong. Nehemiah 6 reminds us that it\u2019s not only how we start that matters\u2014 it\u2019s how we finish. Nehemiah wasn\u2019t a prophet or a priest. He was a civil servant burdened with the reproach of Jerusalem\u2019s broken walls and gates. God placed a holy assignment on his heart, and Nehemiah obeyed. He … Continue reading Pastor’s Heart<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-736","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/Phk1gq-bS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=736"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3127,"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/736\/revisions\/3127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test5.zionfellowship.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}