“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).
God is at work.
Wherever God is at work, you can bet that the devil is at work to destroy everything God is doing.
The devil has already lost the war. The end is already decided. God wins. The devil loses. But for now, the devil will do everything he can to take down with him as many others as possible.
That’s where you and I come in. Don’t let the devil win. There are two things that God teaches us about living God’s best.
- Identify the “them” in your life?
- Remember the Lord and remember why you fight this fight
First, as God was using Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, those who benefitted from a weak and broken Israel were fighting tooth and nail against Nehemiah and those who were rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. Their livelihood and their positions depended upon a weak Jerusalem and a weak people of Israel. There are always those who benefit from our weakness and our suffering.
These enemies of Jerusalem were the “them” in reference in the opening phrase, “Don’t be afraid of them.”
Who are the “them” in your life right now? Who is working against you to prevent God’s work in your life? “Them” can be physical enemies but almost always they are spiritual enemies. The first step in winning is identifying the enemies in your life. Who are the “them” who are preventing you from living God’s best life? Name them. Identify them.
Second, remember the Lord and remember why you fight this fight.
Take your focus off “them” and remember the Lord. The Lord is great and awesome.
J. C. Ryle wrote: “The fear of man is strong, the opposition of this evil world is mighty, the lusts of the flesh rage horribly, the fear of death is terrible, the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; but Jesus is stronger than them all.“
Remember the Lord, and remember why you fight this fight. What is at stake is not only your welfare, but the eternal destinies of your families, your sons and daughters, and your wives. There is no battle more important to fight than to fight for living God’s best will for your life.
As you face the battles for today, what are you looking at? You focused on “them” or on the Lord? Remember the Lord and remember why you are in this fight.
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).
Praxis: Faith in Action 