The Armor of God
Nehemiah 4:11-14, 16-17 (ESV)
And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.
Reflection
Can you imagine leading the efforts of rebuilding a wall, a wall built to protect an entire city? The transportation of materials without modern-day technology, gathering of people, communicating the game plan, overseeing quality, and troubleshooting when issues arise would only be some of the tasks needing attention. On top of that, imagine constant threats to your life and the lives of others. How would you respond?
In today’s reading, we see Nehemiah encountering these types of threats while trying to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. He didn’t get distracted but instead stayed on course by fixing his eyes on finishing the good work God placed in front of him. How exactly did Nehemiah do this? By establishing safeguards in preparation for attacks and trusting God. Nehemiah stationed people with weapons in strategic areas across the wall. He then reminded all the people not to fear but to remember God’s greatness. Without the provisions of security, the attempt to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem most likely would have been compromised.
Like Nehemiah, each one of us has a good work to do for God’s kingdom. However, the enemy does not want us to continue and finish this work. The enemy plots, threatens, and attacks in attempts to distract and get us off course. Isolation, deception, distraction, discouragement, and doubt are only some of the enemy’s tactics. Friends, we must establish safeguards in every aspect of our life in preparation for the enemy’s threats and attacks. If we fail to do so, we risk compromising our calling, the work God has placed in front of us to complete.
Let’s continue the good work by establishing safeguards and trusting God.
Action Steps
1. Start every day by putting on the full armor of God. Read Ephesians 6:10-18.
2. Ensure your weapons are ready to go! Take inventory of your protection – the safeguards you’ve established – and assess. You may find you need to add, update, and/or adjust your inventory.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and placing a calling on my life for Your glory. God, help me to recognize threats and attacks from the enemy. Help me to remember not to fear because You are great. Please reveal to me what safeguards I need to put in place in all areas of my life, God. In Your mighty name, amen.
And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.
Reflection
Can you imagine leading the efforts of rebuilding a wall, a wall built to protect an entire city? The transportation of materials without modern-day technology, gathering of people, communicating the game plan, overseeing quality, and troubleshooting when issues arise would only be some of the tasks needing attention. On top of that, imagine constant threats to your life and the lives of others. How would you respond?
In today’s reading, we see Nehemiah encountering these types of threats while trying to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. He didn’t get distracted but instead stayed on course by fixing his eyes on finishing the good work God placed in front of him. How exactly did Nehemiah do this? By establishing safeguards in preparation for attacks and trusting God. Nehemiah stationed people with weapons in strategic areas across the wall. He then reminded all the people not to fear but to remember God’s greatness. Without the provisions of security, the attempt to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem most likely would have been compromised.
Like Nehemiah, each one of us has a good work to do for God’s kingdom. However, the enemy does not want us to continue and finish this work. The enemy plots, threatens, and attacks in attempts to distract and get us off course. Isolation, deception, distraction, discouragement, and doubt are only some of the enemy’s tactics. Friends, we must establish safeguards in every aspect of our life in preparation for the enemy’s threats and attacks. If we fail to do so, we risk compromising our calling, the work God has placed in front of us to complete.
Let’s continue the good work by establishing safeguards and trusting God.
Action Steps
1. Start every day by putting on the full armor of God. Read Ephesians 6:10-18.
2. Ensure your weapons are ready to go! Take inventory of your protection – the safeguards you’ve established – and assess. You may find you need to add, update, and/or adjust your inventory.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and placing a calling on my life for Your glory. God, help me to recognize threats and attacks from the enemy. Help me to remember not to fear because You are great. Please reveal to me what safeguards I need to put in place in all areas of my life, God. In Your mighty name, amen.
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