Prayer is the Difference

Nehemiah 6:11-12 (NIV)
  But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"
  I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 

Nehemiah was trying to do the right thing as he prayed and moved forward. The right thing for Nehemiah was to rebuild the walls of the city. He understood God's calling upon his life. He wanted to rebuild the walls of the land of his ancestors. The very idea that Jerusalem was unfortified, and prime for picking did not set right with this man of God.

When any of us are on mission for the Kingdom, there will be opposition, serious opposition. When we discover something that needs to be fixed, a wrong that needs to be made right - we should expect difficulty. Consider the roadblocks as a blessing, confirmation from God that you are on the right track.

Because Nehemiah was a man of prayer, he was able to recognize deceit when it approached. He saw the message of Shemaiah as it truly was, an attempt to discredit him and cause the people to doubt their purpose and turn away from their job.

We face similar situations when we are doing God's work; when we are on mission further the Gospel.  We will face temptation; there will be pain and heartache.  We will want to quit. It is during times like this we would do well to remember Nehemiah. He understood his enemy. He expected attacks of every kind. He knew the last thing the enemy wanted is for him to be successful.

The goal of the evil one is to stop our witness; to discredit our motives and cast doubt on our work. When we are doing good, practicing our faith, we best have our canopy of prayer in place.

Nehemiah 6:10-14