Nehemiah 4:1-23

Fear is a powerful weapon that Satan will often use to discourage those who strive to serve to Lord.  We live in a sin cursed world with sinful people so it is only to be expected that we will face trials and outright attacks from the enemies of the Lord.  We must constantly remind ourselves that the Lord is greater than our fears and that He is stronger than our enemies.  The greatest weapon that we have to fight off the enemy of fear is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  His power is far greater than any who oppose His work.  As long as we are obeying and trusting Him we can be confident that He will empower us to be victorious.

ISRAEL’S ENEMIES USED RIDICULE AND VIOLENCE TO PROMOTE FEAR: When the people of the region saw that the wall was being rebuilt, they started off by making fun of their efforts.  They did not think that it was possible for them to be able to rebuild the wall.  The rubble from the old wall was so great that the job looked impossible to do.  They made fun of Nehemiah’s efforts and tried to discourage the people by saying that it was pointless to rebuild because the wall would just fall all over again.  When the people were not discouraged by their ridicule, they change tactics and began to threaten the people with violence.  They planned to attach the people before the wall was complete and show them that they could never be safe in this land.  When we are doing the work of the Lord, we can be certain that Satan will try to discourage us and cause us to live in fear.  We must not give in to his tactics no matter how fearful the circumstances become.


ISRAEL’S PEOPLE USED RESOLVE AND VIGILANCE TO PROMOTE FAITH: Nehemiah responded to the ridicule with a firm resolve to continue doing the work.  He would not allow the people to be ashamed of the great work that they were doing.  Instead, he motivated them to press on with the work that the Lord had called them to do.  The threats of violence were a little more serious, but they still had to be met with faith instead of fear.  Nehemiah equipped the people for battle by given every man a sword.  He then organized the people in a way that they could quickly unite in cast of attack.  Finally, he united the efforts of the people by assigning guards to watch over the workers and be ready to protect them in case of attack.  God continues to look for men and women with resolve to go on in the face of difficult or even dangerous circumstance.  He calls us to be vigilant against the attacks of the enemy and face our fears with faith in the power of our Lord.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more