Work with the Sword of God in one hand and a trowel in the other.
Nehemiah 4 Shows the Best Approach for Success!
Have you looked at Nehemiah 4? Do you ever face opposition in the midst of a daunting task? How do you respond to insults or ridicule? In Nehemiah Chapter 4, the people face criticism, ridicule, name-calling, and insults as they try to repair the burned-down walls and broken gates. Opposition happens to all of us. Join the podcast today as Nehemiah shows us the best approach for success to overcome opposition and discouragement.
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Family by Family, Brick by Brick,
In our last episode, family-by-family and household-by-household and brick-by-brick the people started to repair the walls and rebuild the gates. The builders worked side-by-side, beyond their own giftedness or vocations to do God’s work and repair the walls and gates of their holy city. Of course, their enemies came to stop the progress. They face criticism, ridicule, name-calling, and a constant barrage of insults. This can happen to any of us. Today we cover these points as Nehemiah shows us the best approach to overcome opposition:
Anger Turns to Criticism (Nehemiah 4: 1-6)
- Sanballat and Tobiah mocked the people: “Will they sacrifice” or “finish in a day?” (They are asking, will they call upon their God or how could their God help build anything in a short time?)
- Criticism and ridicule only added to the discouragement. This sounds just like the devil, doesn’t it?
- The people were doing God’s work and they did not need the troubling criticism. See John 14: 27.
Nehemiah Responds to Insults with Prayer (Nehemiah 4: 1-6)
- Nehemiah did not return their insults with insults.
- He responded with a prayer, likely aloud, as he went into the midst of opposition.
- Based on Jeremiah 18:23, Nehemiah prayed aloud- they will face God and what they say will come back on them.
A Guard of Protection (Nehemiah 4: 7-9)
- The people responded to the opponent’s increased anger with prayer.
- Then, they set up a guard of protection around the clock to keep the enemy’s efforts from succeeding.
Nehemiah’s Three-Pronged Approach (Nehemiah 4: 9-20)
- Nehemiah models how to face the opposition: (1) Pray first, (2) Declare God’s truth, (3) Work heartily.
- Together with a sword in one hand and a tool in the other hand, they continued to build.
Join Together and Keep Working (Nehemiah 4: 21-23)
- For Christians, we must join together by praying together, declaring God’s truth to each other, and working together.
- God can use cracked, worn-out, old tools when we commit our work to Him.
Personal Reflection
Ask God where the broken gates are in your life—spiritual or otherwise. and what weapons you can use to rebuild the brokenness. You can follow Nehemiah’s model in overcoming the opposition. 1) pray, 2) declare the truth of God’s word instead of believing the lies and 3) work together with a sword of the spirit, the Word of God, in one hand and your work in the other hand. Use your prayer journal to record your action response:
- For example, pray Nehemiah 4: 14. Simply insert your name for the “I” and “my.” AND Insert the names of your friends and family members in the places of kin, sons, daughters, etc.
- For example, declare “God will fight for my family members, my community, my friends and my country.” Speak aloud with the truth of God’s Word (e.g., Romans 8:31. and Isaiah 41:10).
- Work together with other Christians. Ask a friend to pray for your needs and for MORE JOY, and you pray the same for them. Use the ACTS acronym to intercede for the needs. *End your prayer time by sitting in silence and receiving God’s love and joy for you.
Cup of JOY Women
Consider hosting a weekly one-hour Cup of Joy Women’s small group study on Nehemiah. It accompanies this podcast and you can begin anytime or choose another podcast (e.g. Finding More JOY).
- Pray about accepting this wonderful opportunity to engage others and gently evangelize by hosting a small group of friends over coffee or tea.
- For information or to contact me, go to Cup of Joy Women.
Links
- Download Bookmarks from this podcast series at my website: com
- Read more on hosting a Cup of Joy Women’s small group.
- Check out more podcasts here!
- Click HERE to find the book: Nehemiah: Rebuilding Hope and Joy in Your Life.
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