Ready to Work, Ready to Stand, Together
Nehemiah 4:13-23; Ephesians 6:10-13
So, God’s people heard God’s call to accomplish His purposes. They watched Him work as He opened doors, provided the resources, and protected them on their journey to the job site. He put it in their heart to revive what had been destroyed, and they set about to accomplish it. But then, they got blindsided. They didn’t expect the amount of opposition, nor the number and composition of the enemies that rose up against them and against God’s plan. They knew the work would be hard, but they didn’t expect all this. They found their backs against the wall, and the easy path out was to quit and exit stage right.
Ever been there? I have. The scenario takes on many forms, but it contains the same premise: blindsided by the unexpected. Where did that come from? Could it be from a source not seen by the human eye?
I remember as a young man, trying to walk with Jesus in my day-to-day, with all the challenges of young manhood. One day I was walking through the shop area at work when a man I barely knew flashed a pornographic picture right in front of my face as I walked by. What prompted that? Why me? Why now, as I’m trying to walk with Jesus?
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
I later heard this man was married to a Christian. Maybe I had mentioned Jesus to him at some point—I would do that now and then with people at work. I also found out he worked a second job showing X-rated movies at one of the local theaters. Was there a spiritual battle raging on more fronts than I could have imagined at that point? It sure seems like it.
So, continuing in Ephesians 6, what does God, through the apostle Paul, encourage us to do? “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (verse 13). The armor of God is not just some picture we colored in Sunday School and put on our bedroom wall. It’s literal spiritual armor, created by God, that fits us perfectly, that God asks us to put on daily.
I cannot take any credit for this. It was a spiritual-armor thing. I looked that man in the eye and said, “No thanks,” and kept walking. I was shocked at my own reaction, and that man never tempted me again.
Nehemiah knew this principle and had God’s people put their armor on before they went to work: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome” (verse 14). They took this wisdom so seriously that they didn’t even change their clothes during the whole conflict (verse 23).
But notice the result: these enemies who had been mocking and spewing hatred fell silent and backed off, and God’s people went back to work. “When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work” (verse 15).
Now I know things do not always go this way in every situation. But the question needs to be asked: do we regularly remember that many times the battle we are going through is not against flesh and blood? Do we remember God has made us spiritual armor that fits us perfectly, and all we have to do is put it on?
Question to Consider
Do we regularly remember that many times the battle we are going through is not against flesh and blood—and that God has made us spiritual armor that fits us perfectly, if we’ll only put it on?
Prayer Prompt
God, thank You for Your armor that You’ve provided. Would You help me put it on? As I meditate on each piece as I put it on, would You help me allow each piece to do its perfect work, so I can stand firm in this battle?
