Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:12-14 NIV).

Whenever you make a decision to be totally sold out for God, the enemy will try to thwart your rebuilding process. Having allocated each family a particular portion of the wall to rebuild and given them the necessary tools to do it, the enemy started to fight on all fronts. They mocked them and were very angry that they even attempted the reparation v.1. They taunted them and made all sorts of wise cracks v.2. And they ridiculed them and criticised the strength and fortitude of their building work, v.3.

But Nehemiah and people prayed and believed that God would bring them through it. Also Nehemiah reminded them that they would succeed if they worked together, focussed on the task ahead and allow God to confuse their enemies.

For us today there are certain principles we can take from this experience. We must realise that whenever we decide to work for the Lord we will face opposition and the opposition won’t just go away like that. For all the brokenness in our lives to be repaired we have to persevere.

Nehemiah told his people this; “don’t be afraid of them, remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your family, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your properties”, (v.14).

So today leave nothing to chance, let us do our part and ask God to do his as we fight the good fight of faith.

Read Nehemiah 4