When it gets personal (Nehemiah 6; Acts 16)

“Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.  But they intended to do me harm.” Nehemiah 6:2

As long as you go about your Christian walk with a middle of the road attitude, you will be safe from the enemy.

Question:  How do you feel about the previous sentence?  For me, I do not want to be known as a middle of the road follower of Christ.  I want to be a sold-out follower of Christ!!!  I want to live my life with a genuine purpose because I love the one who has given me all that I have.  I believe without a doubt this was the heart of Nehemiah.

In chapter six we see his heart, “And I sent messengers to them saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.  Why should the work stop while I leave it, and come down to you.”

Think it through:

The context of Nehemiah six is this:  “The work of repairing the walls is almost complete.  All that is left is the hanging of the gates.”  We notice the enemies escalated efforts to stop the work:

• The enemy tries to allure Nehemiah into a trap, Vs: 1
• The enemy attempts to slander Nehemiah, Vs: 2-4
• The enemy seeks to have Nehemiah killed, Vs: 16-19

To be honest, just one of these efforts usually stops most of us!!!  But Nehemiah stays the course.  Why does he stay the course:  “Nehemiah knows the finish is was worth the fight!!!”

When it gets personal, only a right understanding of the finish will keep us in the fight.  Our New Testament reading, Acts 16, teaches us this same truth.

Our takeaway:

1. Do we believe the Kingdom of God is worth the fight?  Check out Philippians 3:20-21
2. Do we understand the purpose of tribulation in our lives?  Check out Acts 14:27
3. Do we understand we cannot be victorious in the fight unless we get personal?  Check out Acts 18:9

Today, I am praying and believing that God’s work is worth the fight.  Today I am believing that God is placing people in my path that are worth the fight.