Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Sunday June 7, 2009 and we are continuing our studies on the book of Nehemiah. Please read chapters 4-6 in your Bible or Click Here to read them.
https://www.allonlinebible.com/Nehemiah/4,1-6,last/4.html

For those of you who are regular readers of these messages, I want to note a bit of a change in how I write them. The Holy Spirit is leading me to be a little more interactive with the verses so please bare with me for a few days as I adjust to this new format myself.

Today's Message: A Dedicated Christian
Do not expect a lot of people to be happy that you are a dedicated Christian, but the opposition and testing will make your faith more precious than gold.

You can be sure once you set out to do something for God the devil will try numerous times to discourage, distract, or disqualify you from fulfilling His will. There are examples all through the Bible proving this fact, even Jesus Himself was constantly subject to the devil's opposition. We'll discuss that a little later in the message, but right now let's take a look at the opposition Nehemiah faced as he was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was determined to rebuild the walls, yet there were many determined to get him to stop. "But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall." (Nehemiah 4:1-3). Do you see how Sanballat's anger caused him to gossip and speak badly about the Israelites? And to make matters worse he got others involved. The devil was trying to get Nehemiah and the Israelites to feel inadequate, as if they were not qualified enough to do God's work. You will rarely see a bitter person stay to themselves, they will always get other bitter people to join in with them. That's why it is very important that we stay faithful to God and His Word, this often happens to Christians as well. He will teach us to recognize gossip and give us the strength to ignore it and keep moving forward.

Nehemiah counteracted Sanballat's attempt to stop them, "And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work." (4:14-15). Nehemiah encouraged the Israelites to keep going by reassuring them that God was with them and would protect them and their families as well. From that day forward they continued on with faith knowing that God was with them. "And God had brought their counsel to nought", means that God showed the Israelite's that the enemies mockery and opinions were meaningless to them. We will always be subject to unwanted, sometimes critical advice, even from other Christians, but always remember that their mockery and opinions are meaningless as well. What is important is completing God's Work, of course, we are going to make mistakes along the way, but that's how we learn and grow. God knows our hearts and He will guide us and show us exactly how He wants things done regardless of how many enemies we face.

Do you think that the opposition stopped there? Of course not. Sanballat again attempted to stop their work, this time by trying to convince Nehemiah to meet with him. After Sanballat made five attempts to meet with Nehemiah, he then accused him of rebelling against the king of Persia. When this failed, he hired a prophet to foretell Nehemiah's death. However, none of his attempts were successful and the wall was completed in fifty two days. "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God." (Nehemiah 6:15-16). Do you see how the enemy knew perfectly well that God was the one who made the rebuilding of the wall complete? All they could do was hang their heads in shame knowing that they were defeated by the Almighty God who was in complete control the whole time.

As I said earlier, Jesus Himself faced opposition from the devil. He tried to tempt Jesus several times, but failed because Jesus held true to His faith in God's Word.
"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:1-4). We will constantly face temptation, which is a form of opposition, if the devil can distract us and get us to focus on the things we desire from our flesh then he has defeated us. However, if we keep our focus on God and His Word than nothing can stop us from being defeated.

Incedently, we are not the ones at battle, God is, and when we realize that He is the One who allows the opposition, we need not panic. It's not us that the enemy opposes, it's God and we just happen to be the fuel that adds to their hatred. However, God gives us the strength to overcome the enemy and that strength comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. His spirit indwells in us and allows us to continue and conquer the battle until victory is won.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
We give thanks to You that we can walk in victory because of Your Son Jesus Christ. Once we were held captive by sin and its enslavement, but we have been set free through the redemptive work of Jesus and His glorious resurrection. Each day brings new battles, but we overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. Help us to stand firm in our faith and Your truths, as we daily serve You. We are encouraged to know that nothing we do for You is in vain though we may not see immediate results. Keep us obedient and trusting. In Jesus' Name.......Amen.

Have a wonderful and blessed week.
God Bless,
Christina

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