Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:19-20 NIV).

The unholy trinity of hate in disguise (Sanballat), rain (Gesham) and God is good (Tobiah) used all their influence and contacts to halt the building and restoration process. The problem that Nehemiah faced was this; people who were supposed to be working with him were feeding information to his enemies. Not only did they want to stop what God was doing they even employed some people to prophecy to him about a plot to kill him so he would leave the job at hand (6:10). I loved how he responded: I am doing a great work and I cannot come down! (6:3)

We must recognise that our enemies are out to stop us being restored, to steal our Joy and to kill us. Jesus reminded us that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), so we need to be on our guard. Once you are on the right road people will come in to tell you what you should and should not do and that the Lord told them this.  Be very careful of what you go along with. Before you submit to what you are being told, apply a few biblical principles to it, Viz.

Is there a biblical precedent to this? Has God confirmed to you that this will happen? The biblical principle is this: Before God does anything he reveals it to his prophet (Amos 3:7), so Nehemiah recognised that he was being set up and dismissed them. We must also recognise that there are people who try to get close to us to leak information to the enemy (6:17).

Today realise that once you take the first step towards restoration the enemy will be mad and will send people to you who talk the talk but do not walk the walk. That is, they will tell you what to do but they themselves are doing the very opposite of what they say. It is like someone telling you the benefits of marriage but they are on their second or third one.

Ask the Lord to reveal to you the heart of those who come into your circle and don’t be deceived by flattery and fine chat!

Read Nehemiah 5&6 in a different version. Read online at www.biblegateway.com