The prophet Nehemiah (440’s BC) understood revival better than most do today, and he modeled the heartfelt confession that God can use to initiate it. Consider:
“let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.” NIV
Let’s apply Nehemiah’s confession (1:6-7) to how we have significantly dismissed the Lordship claims of Christ upon those who declare themselves to be His disciples. And along with confessing our own sin it is appropriate for us to confess (acknowledge) the sins of our community because of the culture and the standards it sets for us, which many perpetuate today.
For us it certainly includes confessing that the Church in America has largely pursued the opportunities of the American Dream and found our identity there more than in “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” as Jesus instructed in Matthew 6:33. We simply have not obeyed the commands and decrees that God gave us through Jesus and the Apostles – which are foundational to the life of Spirit-Empowered holiness and mission that includes our embracing the Great Commission.
We can then move from that broad sweep to our denomination and/or local fellowship, and zero in on our own walk with Jesus.
Nehemiah’s confession was the beginning of a mighty work of God in Israel. It was part of the longer Nehemiah 1:4-11 prayer of calling upon God and was the first step in the process of returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the city. What happened here is instructive for us.
More to come!
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
May 28, 2026
See: www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26-21-ad.pdf
PDF of this post: www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Biblical-Revival-1.pdf