M: 1/26/20: “20/20 GRIT (V. THE ENEMY)”

You are listening to:M: 1/26/20: “20/20 GRIT (V. THE ENEMY)”

Recap

Week 1: A VISION is a mental picture of what COULD be fueled with the Spirit-ordained conviction that it SHOULD be.

Week 2: A VISION is birthed from a HOLY DISCONTENT about something on Earth that does not reflect Heaven.

Week 3: The importance of UNITY to accomplish our God vision (God is originator and orchestrator and his plan is to help us be one Just as he is one with the Son; we are to be one with him and one with each other)

Today we will take a look at the fact that even though it is God who is doing the orchestrating that doesn’t mean we do not have an adversary (the enemy) that is constantly trying to come against our God thing!

To review our story line:

  1. Nehemiah downloads is informed of the condition of his people and the city of Jerusalem
  2. He is grieved and fasted and prayed for days about what should be
  3. God orchestrates everything he would need to rebuild the city walls and gives him divine favor with the king
  4. Nehemiah rallies the people and explains how God is moving and the people come in agreement to build the wall each do their part to build the wall right in front of their house.
  5. Everything is good…ever felt that way… everything is going great and then all of sudden things turn? What is that? Turn to your neighbor and say OPPOSITION

When God’s got you in the right position, you better believe there will be opposition. 

We pick up our story at Neh. 4:1-3

“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed [means enraged]. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones” (Nehemiah 4:1-3 NIV).

When you have a God vision know….

1. Opposition is inevitable.

Think back to the last thing you did when you knew it was a GOD thing:

  • how we chose to raise our kids alongside us not separated 
  • Worship was an outward expression being told I was just some glorified cheerleader
  • Choosing to be bi-vocational (Prescilla and Aquilla) and build a business even when many around us including those closest to us thought we were crazy but now being grateful the Lord led us in that direction and gave us vision to becoming Tent makers of Tent makers due to our current opposition
  • Oh and by the way in the midst of all that personal family challenges… mom has a stroke, Frieda and Cheryl family having strokes…two car accidents

Many people get so frazzled by all the trials, struggle and opposition. And I would say why? I was always taught that if everything in your life is always smooth sailing and you had no trials then maybe just maybe your not a threat to the adversary – the devil.

Lets look at 1 Peter 4:12 says

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12 NIV).

1 Peter 4:12-13 The Message (MSG): Glory Just Around the Corner

12-13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

2. God battles on your behalf.

“Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (Nehemiah 4:4-6 NIV).

“The Lord himself will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14 NIV).

When you are working God is waiting, when you are waiting God is working.

Although you know God is battling for you that doesn’t mean you sit around do nothing. 

AGGRESSIVE PATIENCE (you are aggressive in doing your part while you are waiting for God to do His)

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart

Finish Story:

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

13 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. 14 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 families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

19 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. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

Opposition continued for Nehemiah and the people rallying to rebuild the wall. And opposition will continue to come your way. Next week P. Mark will continue on the theme of opposition. Today we looked specifically at opposition that comes from the outside, but how many of you know that some of the greatest opposition comes from the inside. 

Regardless of whether its coming from outside or inside, I think we can all agree that God is going to fight our battles because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the evil and darkness of this fallen world.

People that are coming against you and the God thing being birthed through don’t even realize they are just pawns in the enemy’s game to try and stop God’s will to be done and for his kingdom to be established. 

So don’t take it personally. When you don’t take it personally you can do the last thing I would like to share with you. 

3. You must respond not react.

Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

” (Nehemiah 6:2-3 NIV)?

What do we do when we face opposition to God’s vision from an external force?


But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the peo- ple of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.

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