A TIME TO FIGHT
Nehemiah 4:14 (NIV 1984) Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. (See also Ecc 3:8)
Nehemiah was on mission to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He had been commissioned by God and sent by the king. He was legit! Yet the work was significantly opposed by those in the area who would stand to lose some of their power with a fortified Jewish presence. Nehemiah’s response? Quit? Run? Negotiate? Compromise? No! He challenged the people of God to rise above their fear, pointed them to God, and commanded them to fight (Neh 4:14). The stakes were high, and everything was on the line.
Jesus makes crystal clear that His followers will have trouble (Jn 16:33). If you think otherwise, you will be highly disappointed with the Christian life. The enemies of God stand to lose something by your increase in righteousness and clarity of Divine mission. They will pressure you to stop your “intolerance” and “bigotry”, opposing your actions as well as your speech. And don’t think it stops there, your beliefs are their end game. They are enraged with the fact that you believe differently then they, for your beliefs condemn them, even if kept personal.
The enemies of God do not merely want complete unconditional surrender, they want total ideological conversion. They will marginalize, making you feel out of the mainstream, ridiculous, odd, narrow minded, and short on facts. If that doesn’t work they verbally abuse, calling you all kinds of slanderous names that aren’t true, tainting your reputation. If that doesn’t work they will come after your pocketbook, taking you to court or threatening those who do business with you. If that doesn’t work, they will influence the law against you, making the practice of your faith a crime. And finally, if that doesn’t work, they will go to more extremes, and don’t think it can’t happen, history proves otherwise. They will threaten your very life and the lives of those close to you.
What will you do as the pressure against your faith continues to increase? Will you quit? Run? Negotiate? Compromise? Or will you take Nehemiah’s advice to remember the Lord and fight? Beloved what will it take for you to start engaging the enemy? And I’m not referring to the devil, but people who do the devil’s work and oppose both the principles and the very people of God. We are in a war now, and it is time to fight, not with guns and knives, these are carnal (2 Cor 10:4), but with prayer and proclamation. If you can’t get the spiritual clarification to fight for your own life, then take Nehemiah’s advice and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes. Do you care that the enemy is confusing and corrupting our sons and daughters in unprecedented ways? Is it Godly to remain “nice” and not “rock the boat” in this hour? Nehemiah wouldn’t think so.
