FRIDAY, 5 February, 2021 “Well Armed”

Scroll down to see and play Audio.

Good Friday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

As you listen to the news from around the world, regardless of your preferred news sources, do you sometimes feel all alone, like you are drowning in an ocean of liberal, immoral, corrupt, deceitful, wickedness? I want you to know hundreds of millions of people feel like that, all over our world.

Join me again in the story of Nehemiah, for I think we can find some hope and wisdom here! We’re in chapter 4, in the city of Jerusalem in 445bc. A frantic, major construction project is taking place… the rebuilding of the city wall, all around Jerusalem, from the rubble of its demolition 140 years before. Hundreds of the citizens of Jerusalem are working side by side to repair that portion of the wall closest to where they each live. It’s like an ant colony, and great progress is being made as they work together helping each other. But trouble makers have harassed them, and threatened them, even directly opposed them, trying to stop the work. To defend the work, Nehemiah, who is leading this remarkable project, has asked all workmen to have their swords strapped to their sides as they work, and asked others to lay down their tools, pick up their weapons and stand guard as their fellow Jewish residents of Jerusalem work. The people are getting weary, as the work is very hard, and the constant pressure of opposition is discouraging the workers.

As Nehemiah constantly walks around the entire work project trying to encourage the workers, he writes in his record of this project: “But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.” (Nehemiah 4:18) Just like in the army, the trumpet call was used to rally the people at a certain place to fight together in defending their project and city against the opposition forces. But there is more. Nehemiah wanted them to know God’s people never fight alone. Look at verse 20: “Our God will fight for us.” Now my friends, all around the world, especially those of you living in places where governments are making decisions which seem to oppose God and God’s people; and those of you living in places where oppression and persecution against Christians is increasing… take hope from this part of Nehemiah’s report. This has been God’s promise to His people in all generations, in every place. Listen to Psalm 91…

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust…

‘Because he loves ME’, says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges My name. He will call on ME and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him…” (Ps. 91:12,14,15)

Has God been a fortress for you, a refuge in your times of trouble, my friends? Do you record those experiences in a journal so the next time you face difficulty you can go back and read the record of your own personal past experience with God? I have found that very helpful because God Himself claims: “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6)

The people of Jerusalem frantically working on the wall project appreciated Nehemiah’s optimism and his practical leadership, but they were weary and they felt so vulnerable. Nehemiah didn’t ignore their reality. That’s important friends. It doesn’t help to ignore reality does it? When we are afraid, or worried, or anxious, or any emotion is affecting our state of mind and heart Jesus invites us to bring it to Him. He can help us face reality and deal with it! Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

So Nehemiah helps the people gain proper perspective of their very real feelings of vulnerability in their near exhaustion in their work. His record reads: “So, I said to the nobles, the officials and all the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other… Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet join us there. Our God will fight for us.” In your network of relationships, do you have a sense of comradery so that if you’re in trouble you know you have some friends you can call anytime, day or night, and they’ll rally around you to stand with you in your struggle, to help you bear your load of life? Are you on the short list of others who know they can count on you when they need help in facing the challenges of life?

Now watch this my friends. God’s design is community, family, togetherness, teamwork, mutual support. Satan’s strategy is isolation, independence, self-reliance.

For nearly 100 years Jews returning from exile in Babylon had been rebuilding their city of Jerusalem, but ignoring the broken down walls. The more established Jerusalem became as a vibrant city of business and life, the more vulnerable it was without a protective city wall. May I invite you to look at your life patterns. Are you busy building up your estate, your life enjoyments, your network of relationships, pursuing your life goals, but you’re not building your personal life defenses and nurturing your character? Because of that, are you increasingly vulnerable, as the society around you erodes further and further into anarchy and immorality?

Look at Nehemiah’s strategy: “So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. I said ‘have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve as guards by night and workers by day.” (Nehemiah 4:21,22) Those opposed to this wall project were scheming day and night, looking for any place of vulnerability. So let’s look closely at our lives my friends. I imagine you have locks on your doors and maybe your windows. Some of you may even have security alarm systems or watchdogs to protect you as you sleep. But what about your heart and mind? Inside the fortress of your well secured house, what vulnerability are you ignoring? What demons are you inviting in through your TV or social media, or Internet websites or Netflix or other online addictions?

Listen to this warning from the Apostle Peter: “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” (1 Peter 5:8) As the devil prowls around your house, what tactics is he devising to bypass your security systems and reach to your heart and your mind, your attitudes and your integrity. Watch this my friends. The devil knows you better than you know yourself, for he and his demons have been watching you since before you were born! So don’t pretend for a moment that you are invincible or you aren’t vulnerable. We all are, and we need to build strategies to shore up areas of our lives where we might be vulnerable.

May I give you some Jesus inspired strategies that have been helpful to me and I think may be helpful to you?

First… Do you have any idea how powerful God’s Word, the Bible is, in battling against the demonic forces attacking you and me?

Remember when Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, He only quoted Scripture in response to Satan’s attacks! (Matt. 4:1-11) Demonic forces must submit to the authority of God’s Word! That’s why it is so powerful when you fill & protect your mind & heart with God’s Word! Immerse yourself in it!! That’s what Hebrews 4:12 says! Here’s a challenge… balance an equal amount of intake of God’s Word into heart and mind, with the amount of time you spend watching movies or TV shows which are not helpful to your soul purity. When you’re feeling vulnerable, quote Scripture out loud to yourself and if needed directly to the demonic enemy!

Second… Live everyday protected by the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6:10-18. I urge you to read those verses today and spend time meditating on each piece of the armor and consider how effectively you have been using the armor in your life.

Do you remember what they are?

* God’s TRUTH (John 8:31,32)

* God’s Righteousness applied to your life by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:21)

* The power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16,17)

* The protecting power of FAITH in God (Hebrews 11)

* The power of the assurance of your SALVATION (Ephesians 2:8,9; John 5:24)

* The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15)

Third… WORSHIP! This is one of the best uses of modern technology. You’ve heard of Spotify right? Do you have some uplifting, soul refreshing worship ‘playlists’ that simply bring you into the throne room of God?

Have you discovered the power of filling your heart and mind with glorious worship, especially as you lay down to sleep, and again early in the morning when you get up and have special, private time with God? Have you discovered how uplifted you feel when you have praise songs in your mind all day long?

Finally in closing today, look at the extreme to which Nehemiah went to keep the people safe, encouraged and focused on their massive project: “Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.” (Nehemiah 4:23) It means these leaders acted like soldiers in battle. They slept in their clothes with their weapons close by. Then went down to the well or creek to get water with their hand on their weapon ready. They were constantly on the alert… they ASSUMED the enemy was active, was scheming, was working to discourage them, even defeat them.

So my final question for today… do we live life like that? Are we constantly on the alert, looking for evidence our enemy the devil is working all around us trying to oppose us? Do we live with our weapon, God’s Truth, always right there in our minds and hearts, ready to be applied to the twisted information, the lustful commercials, the outright lies coming at us all the time?

Men, do you remember those great Promise Keeper’s stadium gatherings? Here’s a song from one of those rallies… RISE UP O MEN OF GOD! That’s what Nehemiah was calling to the people of his day! Let’s do the same! Pick up the phone today, call a friend, and urge them ‘rise up and seize the moment’ as being a person of great faith in Jesus Christ, and stand firm against every tactic of the devil, wherever you live in the world!

Today’s Scripture is Nehemiah 4.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).

Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.