But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it they mocked and ridiculed us.
‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the King?’
I answered them by saying, ‘the God of heaven will give us success.’
Facing Opposition
by Jill Southern
Nehemiah 2:19-20, NIV
Lessons from Nehemiah - Day 2
With the blessing of the king, Nehemiah was given leave of absence from his job. He was also given timber from the king’s forest so he could return to Jerusalem and start building the beams needed for the gates and the walls of Jerusalem and his house.
Enemies soon arrive when we start building something for God! Often they start with mocking and ridicule. This happened to Nehemiah. But he was confident that God would continue to give him success with his vision - to see the walls rebuilt.
God-given vision will always be opposed by the enemy. Satan often uses people who feel threatened by servants of God. This was the case here. How do we respond to mocking and ridicule? We need to know that there’s enemy activity behind this, especially if it’s aimed at getting us to give up!
‘If even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!’ they sneered. Mockery and ridicule can make us feel inadequate for the task ahead and, as our work for God is slandered, something in us wants to agree that someone else could do it better!
However, the point is that God has called us! We have to answer like Nehemiah - ‘the God of heaven will give us success.’ This is about God’s work in us; He alone will empower us and sustain us. ‘I can do all this through Christ who strengthens me!’
Prayer: Dear Lord, Please help me to know that You will always give me the strength to do Your will in my life. Help me not to agree with the powers of darkness or with the lies of the enemy but help me to ask for Your help today in the difficult tasks I need to undertake. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Jill Southern is the founder of Ellel Ministries Pierrepont and directed the work for 21 years. She has recently stood down from that role but still teaches on the NETS programme and has the passion to train and equip God`s people to fully walk in their destiny and calling. She is the Regional Director for Ellel Ministries International in South East Asia and China and is also on the Executive Leadership of the ministry.
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