“Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built . . . The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. ‘Our God will fight for us.’” (Nehemiah 4:20, NKJV)
The people of God were rebuilding the walls of their city. Their enemies mocked and intimidated them, threatened physical attack, tried to lure their leaders away, and made false charges against them. The task was difficult enough without this harassment, but Nehemiah remained focused and steadfast, refusing to let anything stop this work.
Battling sin and temptation is one thing, but when I am engaged in kingdom building, spiritual war intensifies. The more God blesses the classes that I teach and builds up the faith in those I disciple, the more I am harassed by negative thoughts, physical weaknesses and discouragement.
It often hits on a Monday — right after a great time with the women in my Sunday Bible study group. They are growing, responding to God, encouraged and sharing their faith. What is happening in their lives is the high point of my week. Yet the next day, I fight feelings of uselessness, being abandoned, no energy, wanting to run away and hide.
It took me a while to make the connection, but I’ve noticed the more God-blessed the class (and the worship service to follow), the more I need to be on guard the next day or two. Like Nehemiah, I’ve enemies that do not want me to build anything that will benefit God’s people.
The story of Nehemiah teaches me how to defend myself. Nehemiah never gave in, never gave up. He kept his mind on his task, quickly dealt with internal conflict, refused to rely on anything or anyone except the Lord, and asked his people to resist (in prayer) with him, trusting God to fight for them as they performed this important work.
My “section of the wall” is small, but just as a city wall cannot have any weak points, the little bit I do has value to God. I must focus and continue doing what He wants me to do. While I may not always see the importance of it, my spiritual enemies must see something — or they would not be so determined to make me quit.
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