Nehemiah 6:8-9 (NLT) I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.” They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem...scoundrels, tattletales, schemers, and dissenters. Their target? Nehemiah. Why? The walls of the city of Jerusalem were broken down and the city was defenseless. It was Nehemiah who not only saw the problem, but stepped forward to do something about it. The whole story can be found in the first six short chapters of Nehemiah, and if you have not read the story recently, I would encourage you to do so.
How ironic that Nehemiah had to deal with the “woke” culture of his day. There they were—the little handful of naysayers—chirping out their rumors and lies and doing their best to discredit Nehemiah. Their goal was a simple one of discouragement in the hopes of causing Nehemiah to lose confidence in his own ability to complete the task. [Sounds like it could be the front page of today’s news!] Here’s the bottom line and the lesson for us to contemplate: Nehemiah let intimidation generate determination.
Perhaps you feel the Lord is leading you to be more active in your prayer life, your church life, or community involvement. For me, it was getting back to writing devotionals and posting them publicly. I have a dear friend who faithfully posts daily scriptures to a small group of women; a cousin who plays piano and posts daily hymns and uplifting music; and another cousin who faithfully posts daily scripture verses—all these efforts bring hope and encouragement to more people than any of them will ever realize! There will always be woke naysayers of some type in every generation. In spite of this, I ask you to join me in keeping your resolve firmly fixed on serving the Lord in whatever capacity he leads you. Nehemiah’s task was a difficult one and mine is minuscule compared to his. You may think your task is trivial. Just remember this, NO task is too small when it is dedicated to serving God!
Gracious Heavenly Father,
You have called each of us to complete certain tasks according to the abilities you have given us. You also know when our hearts are discouraged by doubts or even the unkindness of others whether it is intentional or unintentional. Let the intimidation we sense create in us an even greater determination to serve you.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The devotional Let Intimidation Generate Determination appeared first on Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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