So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3 HCSB
We watch action shows because if we are honest with ourselves, we envision ourselves as being the hero in the show or the movie, right? We want to be a force to be dealt with. We want to be unstoppable. The great thing is that with God’s power and strength we can be. We are told in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Our scripture passage today is from the book of Nehemiah. God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. There were several men living there who did not want the wall to be rebuilt. They threatened Nehemiah and his crew. That didn’t stop them, they simply worked with weapons on their sides. Then Nehemiah’s enemies sent him an invitation to meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley (vs. 2). God was with Nehemiah, however, so Nehemiah had discernment and knew that they intended to cause him harm. He wasn’t going to fall for that one. He declined their invitation. But I love what he says in verse 3, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” Oh, if we could only have that kind of dedication to God. He then says why should I stop this great work and leave and go down to meet you? Remember the enemy wants to drag us down to his level.
The great thing about this is God had given Nehemiah a job to do. Nehemiah faced many opponents who wanted to do him harm. They did all they could to distract Nehemiah. They wanted the building to stop. But Nehemiah wasn’t building this wall to appease himself. He wasn’t building this wall to appease the residents of Jerusalem. He was doing this because God had paved the way for him to do this. In Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 8, Nehemiah says, “The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.” God had paved the way for Nehemiah to do this task that weighed heavy on his heart. Nehemiah had prayed to God. We are told in chapter 1, verse 4 that he mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
This weighed heavily on Nehemiah’s heart. He was burdened over the current conditions in his former hometown. He fasted and prayed to God. God heard his prayer and made it possible for him to go and complete this task. But, evil people were trying to distract him. They were trying to get him away from the job and do him harm. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and sober-minded for the devil prowls around seeking someone to devour.” He wants to stop us from the work God has called us to do.
The best way to stop someone is to distract them from what they are doing. The devil loves distraction techniques. There are so many distraction techniques in the world today. This election coming up is just one of many. The devil would love for you to focus on the candidates and their qualities or things you believe should disqualify them. Social media is a wonderful distraction technique, it draws one in like a moth to a flame. A friend recently reminded me of an old saying that dates back to 1973 attributed to Richard Serra which says, “If the product is free, you are the product.” Think about that one for a minute.
My friend now is the time that we must seek God with our whole heart. Now is the time we must dig in and refuse to be distracted. We must focus on God. We must focus on the work He has for us to do. We must not allow the enemy to distract us. We must remember, we are called to do a great work for the Lord. We must not let the devil drag us down into sin and destroy the work that we are doing.
My friend, now is the time to build that wall and shut the devil out of your life. Now is the time to become unstoppable through God’s strength and power. Now is the time to turn to Him and trust in Him to provide all you need to continue to push through and devote yourself to the task at hand. There are distractions everywhere we turn, but I beg of you not to fall prey to them. Don’t stop! Do the work that God is calling you to do. Matthew 6:33 tells us if we seek Him and His righteousness, He will provide all we need. The enemy is calling up to you, he wants you to step down and stop the work. You must choose to be unstoppable.
Have a great day!