Nehemiah Chapter 4. Don't give up.
When the enemies of the Israelites heard that they were re-building the wall, they became angry and greatly incensed. As a result:
1. They tried to discourage them by ridiculing them.
2. They would threaten them.
But the Israelites continued to pray to God even though they became very discouraged and worn out and overwhelmed.
Plus Ezra encouraged them and took a stance to make sure they were ready to fight if need be.
In ministry, when God calls you to do something, there will always be obstacles.
1. People will attack verbally and will try and discourage you. Some attackers will come from non-believers and some will come from well-meaning believers who have not captured God's Vision in their hearts. So they shoot down what you're doing.
2. Those who strongly oppose, will gossip to others trying to increase the opposition. Some organizations may rise up to shoot your ministry down. Don't give in. They will spread lies and make you look bad and discourage you. Don't quit and don't give up.
– Many Christian athletes that took a stance for Jesus, once they were bombarded with ridicule and lies, have given in and accepted ungodly cultural practices so as not to be looked down upon for their Christian beliefs.
1. Prayer must be our strength.
2. Coming together as the body of Christ must be our goal. We have to stand together and support and encourage one another.
3. We must continue to stand on God's word and his truth and trust him regardless of who accepts us or hates us because of our faith.
4. We must trust God as our leader and remember that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians 4:13.
We also must remember that through Christ we are more than conquerors and overcomers. Romans 8:37. John 16:33. 1st John 4:4. 1st John 5:5.
Amen, Pastor Blair! And just as Nehemiah and his brethren remained dressed day & night while they worked on the wall, we must also remain clothed in His righteousness and shielded by the armor provided for us (Revelation 19:8; Ephesians 6:11). Thank you, Jesus!
There is great encouragement in this chapter for us to not give up whatever it is that we are doing for the Lord. We read in verse 6 that the people had a mind to work. They would not give in to any distractions or any opposition. They were prepared for any attacks, organized in what they did, unified as a team, and ready to complete their mission. May we be like that as the body of Christ.