Rooted Principle - May 21, 2026

Transcript

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Welcome back to the Everyday Faith Podcast from East Side with today's Faith Rooted Principle.

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Good morning. Today's Thursday, May 21. This Pastor Finley Cutzhaw. Today's principle, prayer and preparation are the keys to success. Nehemiah chapter 1, verses 2 through 4 says that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah, and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity therein the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 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. Nehemiah's preparation began with this prayerful burden. We see clearly that Nehemiah had studied in detail the needs in the city of Jerusalem and what it would take to rectify the problem. This comes out when Nehemiah is questioned by the king concerning his sadness. Once the king had agreed to let Nehemiah rebuild the walls, he asked two important questions. First one, for what dost thou make request? The second one, for how long will thy journey be? Nehemiah had precise answers to both questions, which indicates that he had been preparing while praying. He was believing that God would open a door of opportunity, and he wanted to be ready to act when it came. This contributed greatly to Nehemiah's success. The result of this preparation can once again be seen in the king's response and in Nehemiah's progress. Nehemiah 2.8 says this, and the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God, upon me. He granted him all of his request. And then Nehemiah 6.15 says this. So the wall was finished in fifty and two days. It's amazing to think they accomplished all of that work in such a short amount of time. Many times we're guilty of confusing hard work and preparation for natural talent. I recently heard a quote by the professional golfer Gary Player that speaks to this matter of preparation versus natural talent. Gary Player was arguably one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. Player won nine regular major championships and nine senior major championships, making him the only golfer to complete the career grand slam on both the regular and senior tours. Player once said to a fan who can who commented on how lucky he was to make a certain shot. The more I practice, the luckier I get. Raw talent will never replace proper prayer and personal preparation. And let's apply that to something spiritual. How many times have you thought, boy, I would like to be able to lead someone to Christ? Or I would love to be able to see this happen for the Lord. And you maybe pray a little bit about it, but how often do you prepare? Do you have a plan of salvation? You've committed to memory? Are you asking God daily to open a door of opportunity so that you can share Christ with someone? The reality is these things never happen accidentally. God will work through the life of a prepared person to accomplish his will. Nehemiah is a great example of that. So today's principle, prayer and preparation are the keys to success.

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Thanks for joining us for today's Rooted Principle, right here on the Everyday Faith Podcast. If today's conversation has encouraged you, be sure to share it with someone who might need it. And don't forget to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode. We'll see you next time, right here on the Everyday Faith Podcast.