So, you are starting out on a new venture that you feel God has impressed upon your heart. Even as Nehemiah was touched when he learned that the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down.
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” Zechariah 4:10 NLT
We are all invited to build and to invest the talents we have in ventures with God. It is encouraging to see that within the book of Nehemiah we find a list of all those who made repairs to the walls of Jerusalem. It’s like a roll of honour, all these men and women who contributed to the rebuilding are recorded. In heaven it will be the same, all those things we build with God and all those things we do to honour God and love on Him and His people and purposes are recorded.
These men and women did not just agree with Nehemiah but they put themselves into action. Words are great but it is the people’s actions that are recorded here. Not all were qualified builders by trade, but they counted themselves in to the good work. So too none of us should feel disqualified, from offering a helping hand. Nehemiah 3:8 mentions a perfumer getting involved in the building, we all have a part to play.
Invited into the battle
Whenever we seek to build anything with God we will encounter resistance.
Of course, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) so we can read about Nehemiah and learn from his journey. Nehemiah, was prepared to both build and battle. But always our eyes are to be on the Lord ‘God will fight for us’ (Nehemiah 4:20).
The truth is that venturing out is much bigger than you and me, we are on the King’s business. It is worth pushing past the resistance we may encounter, because whatever we build with God and for his glory produces fruit that lasts. The enemy will tell you that you and your good work is small and insignificant and not worth the fight. He was saying the same thing to Nehemiah, the message does not change. But we must look beyond ourselves and see the bigger picture (1 Corinthians 3:12).
Stand your ground and guard your walls
Not all opposition will be obvious. In medieval England when attackers could not breach castle walls they could try to undermine them instead. A mine would be dug underneath a castle wall with the aim to either bring the wall down or enable attackers a hidden entrance into a more quiet area of the castle. Attackers would not want to be caught in the action of undermining and so the entrance to the mine would be concealed.
So we too must be on our guard. Always remember that we do not fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12) this is a classic case of misdirection.
You need to stand your ground against the attacks of ‘did God really say’ and ‘you are not able’. Or you may start feeling discouraged about some other area of your life that needs a bit of work. It may seem completely unrelated, but the enemy may be mining undercover, the ultimate aim is still to get discouragement to breach your resolve.
But, enemies have to flee from these areas when we resist them (James 4:7). The greatest defence against the undermining of castle walls was a body of water, such as a moat. Medieval miners could not dig their mines under water. The Holy Spirit can act like a moat around our walls. If we allow Him to encircle every area of our lives, He will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Do not allow anything that does not agree with what God says about you near your walls!
Retaining our freedom
Ever heard the saying “as free as a bird” well, the kingdom of darkness is not a fan of freedom, particularly not our freedom. After all, our freedom is dangerous to the devil’s kingdom. We might use our freedom to free others or build something wonderful with God. We must be stopped.
When Poachers know their prey will be walking a certain way, they put a hidden snare in their path to trip them up and hold them fast. The animal often panics in fear, trying to get away, and yet this only serves to pull the wire tighter.
Have you ever found yourself saying or doing something stupid? Making an error that you could have and should have avoided? I know I have, and the feelings of regret and fear can be debilitating.
Jesus has broken every snare
Whilst our enemy may rub his hands in glee as our foot springs the trap, our Lord Jesus has broken every snare. If the defeated fowler got you in the snare our unmatchable Lord Jesus can most certainly get you out. Don’t ascribe more power to the fowler than to our Lord Jesus.
Jesus came to give us complete freedom (Galatians 5:1) and yes, of course God is willing to deliver us from the snare (Psalm 91:3). We have permission to cast aside the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1) we do not have to carry its weight. God is cheering us on to complete the race He has marked out for us, to complete the good work He has given us, He is on our side.
It’s all been done before nothing new under the sun Ecclesiastes 1:9. The art of war to the book of Nehemiah and know that the same tactics will be used to attempt to stop us building with God.
Encouraging lessons from Nehemiah
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- It may well be a case of 50% of your resources being focused on building and 50% of your resources being on on guard against discouragement. Nehemiah placed equal emphasis on both.
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- The enemy will always try to get you to focus on yourself and your own inadequacies. There may be an inner or outer mocking and despising of your plans.
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- But don’t give up! The key word to respond here is ‘Irrelevant’. It’s all irrelevant. It is God Himself who will prosper you. So, arise and build.
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- You may encounter people who misjudge your intentions, you may even be doubtful of your own intentions, but it is God alone who weighs the motives of the heart. but remember it is God Himself who has given you both the desire and favour to do this ‘good’ work.
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- Some will despise what you have done so far and scorn your future ability saying it is impossible for you, and you may feel that there is no point in trying. But, if you hold firm, God will resource you, sustain you, and unite you with others. He will renew your strength as you wait on Him and give you a single mind to continue His good work.
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- Attacks of confusion and fears of the unknown may come. Be prepared for this. It’s okay, God has got your back and He knows all about it. Sometimes when these attacks come, i have found it good to say aloud “God knows all about it”
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- Prioritise prayer to God pour out your heart to Him and keep on guard day and night against the enemies scheming. Don’t give him an inch on your building, ban his opinions on the project.
Dont be afraid to try something new
Maybe you want to step out but don’t feel qualified or knowledgeable enough. But if you never try how will you ever learn?
Just think, you may have started off just knowing how to mix perfume, like Hananiah who helped with the rebuilding (Nehemiah 3:8) but like Hananiah you could learn something new.
Hananiah ended up learning much more by helping out, he did not disqualify himself. You too may end up also learning something new, like knowing how to both build and a fight. There is always opportunity for us to learn new things and to give things a go. And, there is always freedom to do so when our aim is to glorify God.