It's amazing to see the contrast between verse 9 and verse 10. In verse 9 we see the people of Jerusalem seeking after God to be there shield and protector. Verse 10 is a different story. Discouragement begins to creep in and take control of their lives. Pressure that we face daily creates problems from within. It isn't easy to carry on your work when you are surrounded by danger and daily face the demands of a task that seems impossible. If the Jews discouragement continued to grow Sanballat and his allies wouldn't have to wage war the Jews would have defeated themselves. Discouragement is one weapon that Satan uses against us. It was discouragement that kept Israel from entering the promised land (Number 13). The ten unbelieving spies discouraged the hearts of the people of Israel and as a result the nation wandered in the wilderness for forty years until the next generation was ready to conquer the land. Nehemiah didn't pay much attention to these complainers but went right on with the work. That's the best thing to do. If you take time away from your work to listen to everybody who wants your attention, you will never get anything done. Nehemiah got his encouragement from prayer and the promises of God. For some reason, God likes choosing ordinary people to do His work. Remember Gideon? He was a farmer threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from the Midianites but God choose him to deliver Israel. How about David a little shepherd boy? God choose him to be King. Or Moses who had a stuttering problem but was called to lead his people out of captivity. Or Ruth an unknown widow from Moab. God choose her to be the great great great grandmother of Jesus. Or what about Jesus’ very own disciples like Peter, James, John, Andrew? They were plain old fishermen but God choose them to lay the foundation for His church. There our countless Biblical characters who weren't qualified for the task given to them. This causes me to ask if these men and women of faith let discouragement take control of their lives would they have been obedient to the task given to them? Don't let discouragement take control of your life!! Philippians 3:12-14, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Good stuff!
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