Can we do the things that God wants in a way that doesn't put him first? Yes, we can. This is exactly what 2 Chronicles tells us King Amaziah did. On the outside, he was doing all the right things, but his heart wasn't in it. His heart was on his own agenda, his own desires.

A heart turned towards God, and towards serving others, is one that is wide open to God's blessings. Our motives for doing things are, so often, mixed. How often have we thought, 'This will make me look good. I wonder how many people saw me do that?' The challenge for us, then, is this: 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God' (Matthew 5:8 NIV). In our service, if we strip back our self-focus, we clear the way to see him more clearly and let his blessings in. It's always good to consider where our heart is when we give.

The truth of the matter is that we're not giving to a God with a ticklist. 'God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV). He really does. The giving of our money, time and energy should originate from gratitude for his love for us. That's a win-win for everyone involved - we don't need to impress anyone, and our lives become bigger.

So what now? Consider this thing called generosity. Assess your giving (this can be money, time or skills) and your motives. Pray, asking God to set you heart right where he needs to.

Nehemiah took on God's mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. What a privilege to be called to do that! But he faced tough opposition: heavy criticism and even threats to his life. The reality is, when we follow a call God has for our lives (no matter how big or small), there may be opposition. We may find we're struggling to carry out that call. Nehemiah's workers were ready for the struggle; they were building with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.

When we've a deep sense of God's approval and conviction for a call, it's important to get ourselves grounded in it. Keeping a record of the times we've prayed, and the ways we've found God responds, is a good way of doing this (we mentioned getting a journal yesterday), as well as listing some helpful Bible verses. Then, when we find ourselves facing opposition, even from our own doubts, those words will become our defence - our 'sword.'

Let's take 'following God's call' seriously. We'll find we come alive when God gives us our mission. It's so, so worth catching hold of God's short- and long-term plans for our life.

So what now? Write a Bible verse about God's protection down (let's call it your sword-verse). Write one about how to build your life around him on another piece of paper (your trowel-verse). Hold one in each hand and pray for him to direct you in his plan. Keep them close for frequent use.

We may have 'a million and one' ideas for the future: excitement, back-up plans, 'when I've got enough money' plans... If so, God will help us narrow down the options, but we need to listen to him. Or, perhaps, the 'What are you doing next year?' question is one that freaks us out, because we have not even one idea.

Wherever we find ourselves, it's likely we'll all benefit from a reminder: 'Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them' (Isaiah 42:16 NIV). Whether the 'darkness' is a sea of choices, uncertainty about committing to our calling, or a sense of blankness about the future, God is there.

Whether we have a clear-cut plan for the future or not, it's always best to bring whatever we have to God in prayer. We'll be taking a last look at Nehemiah's wall-building capers tomorrow, but for now, just know that he put in a serious amount of prayer before he carried out God's plan. Let's be encouraged: it's not an overnight process. Let's just bring what we have before him and leave the process to him.

So what now? What do you have to start with? Get yourself a journal and write your ideas, dreams or plans - however formulated or not - down. Ask God to help you form a clear-cut call. He's waiting for you to recognise and work on his call for your life.

Yesterday, we looked at sharing our call from God with others. After that, the best advice we'll get is to simply 'make a start.' Taking the plunge is what stops our call from hitting a dead-end.

So why don't we 'make a start'? We tell ourselves we don't have the right things in place. 'I'm not qualified.' Well, Kingdom work usually involves 'called' (not 'qualified') people doing things they never dreamt of. 'People aren't agreeing with me.' Know this: God's people nearly always get opposition. David's own brother took pot-shots at him before the Goliath fight, even calling him 'evil' (1 Samuel 17:28). And what about 'the timing isn't right just yet.' Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, 'Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.' If we're looking for a sign that the time is right, we may end up missing it. Whatever we need, let's not be afraid to ask.

After getting the king's go-ahead, Nehemiah went for it - he shared his plan with friends, got them to commit, and they began rebuilding Jerusalem's wall. In fact, the whole of Nehemiah Chapter 3 is a list of the people who helped Nehemiah in different ways. He was humble enough to ask for help, and bold enough to confidently share his plan, knowing it was worthwhile.

So what now? Is there an organisation, charity, church group or individual that you feel called to support? How can 'unqualified you' be of help? Find out. Prayer is always needed, for a start.

If a situation or person has been on our heart lately, maybe it's time to respond. Nehemiah had a tough situation to deal with. He asked for help, and not just from anyone. He went to the highest human authority - the king - to appeal on behalf of his people. Let's not be ashamed or too proud to ask for help from those with power to help us. Most tasks in God's Kingdom need more than a one-man-band approach.

Nehemiah knew he was doing the work of God, but he also knew that there were power structures in place that he had to work with to bring about godly change. What's more, the king he approached wasn't a follower of God. The connections God will give us when we say 'yes' to his plan may not be ones we expect. Let's be open to his surprises. When God makes a plan, he makes the way.

So then...what or who is on our heart? Who could we go to for help as we let God work in the situation through us? Is there someone in authority - a boss, a relative, a politician - who we could ask? What support could they offer us? Are we brave enough to get on to it? And of course, let's ask God to open the way.

So what now? Share your concern for this place or person with at least one authority figure, and ask them for advice and support. You may be surprised by what they can do, and what support they offer you.

When we get an unshakeable sense deep inside of 'I want to see change,' we must take notice. We may not feel like that about a particular issue right now, but let's keep praying that we will.

Let's see what Nehemiah did when he heard God call him. The call to Nehemiah came as terrible news. God's people in his holy city were suffering and being destroyed. Nehemiah's response was to sit down and weep. And this is instinctive, natural and right. We talk a lot about being joyful in church, but the Bible is also full of people weeping in response to the suffering they see and experience. Their tears reflect God's pain. When we see pain and suffering, it should hurt us, because we know it goes against the grain of God's will for the world.

But, before Nehemiah could respond in sorrow, he had to hear the news. We have to hear before we can respond. And to hear, we have to listen. We have to open our ears and hearts to news of those in need. We have to allow ourselves to be stirred, to feel discomfort. But, crucially, we then have to follow it with action. Compassion is not just a feeling, it's a response.

So what now? Is there a situation around you or a story in the news that you think needs to change? Investigate it further. When you're drawn to certain people or events, take it as you being led by God to respond. Start with praying and see what happens!