Clean Slate A Burden for the Broken Message

A clean slate is not pretending the past didn’t happen; it’s believing God isn’t finished. Looking ahead to a new year, the call is to cultivate a passion for Christ—a burden that mirrors what breaks God’s heart. Nehemiah hears Jerusalem’s walls are down and the people live in shame, and he doesn’t just feel bad—he sits, weeps, fasts, and prays for days. That is where passion is born: when brokenness moves from the head to the gut, and God won’t let it go. Passion isn’t hype, volume, or personality. It’s an intense, compelling desire to join God in the work He already cares about—loving Him wholeheartedly and loving people sacrificially.

This passion grows in God’s presence. Nehemiah doesn’t rush into action; he slows down for prayer, fasting, and confession. He anchors himself in God’s promises rather than his emotions, and he surrounds himself with responsibility, service, and community that stokes holy fire. Community matters because coal away from the fire grows cold; proximity to people who burn for Jesus warms cold hearts and awakens sleepy faith.

Keeping passion requires guarding against “passion killers”: cynicism, chronic negativity, and the crab-bucket instinct that yanks others back into stuckness. Not everyone will support a God-given burden, and sometimes obedience won’t feel safe—but God is good, and He provides. Nehemiah’s burden becomes boldness: he asks a foreign king for time off, protection, supplies, and permission—and God opens every door. The same God equips ordinary people to live sent lives right where they already are—on job sites and ball fields, in kitchens and classrooms, in hunting blinds and neighborhood sidewalks. Ask: What breaks the heart right now? Who has God put within reach? Where is He asking for willingness, not volume?

A clean slate year is an invitation to be available. When God burdens hearts for what breaks His, He invites His people into restoration—of cities, families, classrooms, teams, and souls. He who began a good work will finish it. So don’t look away. Let the heart break, then let God use that ache to lead someone home.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Passion begins where hearts break When Nehemiah heard of Jerusalem’s ruin, he didn’t shrug; he wept, fasted, and prayed. True passion is born when God’s grief becomes ours, moving us from awareness to burden. If nothing breaks the heart, nothing moves the feet. Let compassion become a calling. [14:30]
• 2. Passion grows in God’s presence Nehemiah cultivated depth before activity: prayer, fasting, and confession formed his inner life before he lifted a stone. Pressure produces hurry; presence produces holy resolve. Seek God’s face before attempting God’s work, and the work will bear God’s weight. [26:55]
• 3. Choose community that fuels fire A coal away from the flame cools; near the blaze, it glows. Spiritual temperature is contagious—so is apathy. Draw near to people who take Jesus seriously and your courage will rise to the level of their hope. [33:39]
• 4. Guard against passion killers Cynicism, chronic negativity, and “we’ve never done it that way” drain spiritual resolve. Anchor in God’s promises, not public opinion, and limit the influence of crab-bucket voices that keep others stuck. Tender hearts need tough boundaries. [38:12]
• 5. God provides for courageous obedience Nehemiah’s burden became bold petitions—and God turned a hostile king into a surprising sponsor. Provision meets obedience on the road of faith, not on the couch of hesitation. Ask big when God has called; He delights to fund what He authors. [46:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:31] - Clean Slate vision for 2026
• [03:01] - The monk joke
• [08:45] - God’s heart for the broken
• [12:55] - A burden that won’t let go
• [14:30] - When passion is born
• [15:31] - What passion is—and isn’t
• [18:58] - “Break my heart” prayer
• [23:28] - Catching passion through community
• [26:29] - Fasting, confession, and dependence
• [33:39] - Stay near the fire
• [36:28] - Promises and passion killers
• [46:39] - A bold ask and God’s provision
• [49:23] - Everyday mission where you already are
• [55:14] - Closing prayer

Bible reading

- Nehemiah 1:1–11

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said:

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 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. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

“Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king.

Observation questions

1. In Nehemiah 1:2–3, what report does Hanani bring about Jerusalem, and what words describe the condition of the people and the city?
2. According to Nehemiah 1:4, what four responses did Nehemiah have when he heard the news, and for how long did this continue?
3. In Nehemiah 1:5–11, what specific promises from Moses does Nehemiah remember, and how does he use those promises in prayer?
4. “That moment is where passion is born” [14:30]. What “moment” is being described, and what made it significant?

Interpretation questions

1. “That moment is where passion is born” [14:30]. If passion begins when brokenness moves from the head to the gut, what does that suggest about how a believer should engage news of brokenness instead of looking away?
2. “Passion grows in God’s presence, not under pressure” [26:55]. Nehemiah slowed down to pray, fast, and confess before doing anything. What might this say about hurry, anxiety, and making plans when a need feels urgent?
3. “If you’re over there and you’re supposed to be over here, you’re gonna go cold” [33:39]. Using the coal-and-fire picture, what does this imply about the kind of community needed to sustain spiritual zeal over time?
4. “If you put crabs in a bucket… they grab that crab and pull it back down” [38:12]. What are some “crab-bucket” dynamics that keep believers stuck, and how might a Christian respond without becoming cynical or combative?

Application questions

1. Where is your heart tender right now? Name one situation that makes you ache. What would it look like to set aside real time this week to “weep, fast, and pray for days” in some form (even an hour or a meal)? “I continued fasting and praying… wept and mourned for days” [10:01].
2. Identify one passion-killer that hits you most—cynicism, chronic negativity, or “we’ve never done it that way.” What boundary or new habit could help guard your heart this month? “If you wanna be passionate for Christ, you’ve gotta stay… away from negative people” [38:47].
3. Who are your “fire people”—those who warm your faith? What’s one step this week to move closer to them (join a group, pray with a friend, serve together)? “If you wanna be passionate and on fire for God, be around people who are passionate on fire for God” [33:39].
4. Pick one promise from Nehemiah 1:8–9 and make it your prayer this week. How will you anchor in it when emotions dip? “Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses” [36:28].
5. Where do you need to make a “big ask” in faith—time, help, permission, resources? What keeps you from asking, and what step will you take before next week? “That’s a big ask” [46:21].
6. Everyday mission: choose one place you already are (job site, ball field, kitchen, classroom, hunting blind, sidewalk). Who is one person within reach you can invite alongside you? What is one natural next conversation? “You can be a missionary here while you go hunting… while you make peanut butter fudge” [48:07].
7. Neighbors: do you know your neighbors’ names? What is one simple step this week—swap numbers, check in, ask a question—that moves you from polite waves to real care? “If you wanna lead your neighbors to Christ, you gotta know your neighbors” [35:57].