Day 6

Scripture to Read: Nehemiah 2:19

Wherever God is at work, we must remember that the spiritual forces of darkness will also be at work (Ephesians 6:12). We read in Nehemiah 2:19 that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem began to mock and despise Nehemiah and the Israelites who were part of the rebuilding project. Remember back in Nehemiah 2:10 that Sanballat and Tobiah were very displeased that Nehemiah had come to help the people of Israel. In Nehemiah 2:19, we find that another official appointed by the king, Geshem, joined Sanballat and Tobiah in ridiculing the work being done. We must also remember that the king had provided Nehemiah with letters to be given to the governors of the provinces to allow Nehemiah to do what God had called him to do. No doubt, Nehemiah had shared these letters with Sanballat and Tobiah, but obviously, Sanballat and Tobiah did not pay any attention to the letters Nehemiah presented to them. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were not interested in the truth. They were only interested in their own agenda, and the spiritual forces of wickedness were using these three men to hurl insults at Nehemiah and the rest of the Israelites working on rebuilding the wall. The same is true today. When God calls us to do His work according to His will, we can count on a spiritual battle. We must prepare for that battle by abiding in God and His truth (Ephesians 6:10-18). When we walk in His strength and trust Him, we can overcome (1 John 5:4).

Challenge & Application

1. What did God teach you today about the battles you face when you walk in obedience to Him? 2. How are you abiding in Christ and His Word to overcome the battles you face each day?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

God works in miraculous ways in our lives every day. Sometimes, as believers, we begin to think that we should not have to face struggles, tests, or trials if we are in God’s will. If we are walking through a trial, we think we must have done something wrong or that we are doing something wrong. But, as God has taught us throughout His Word, ...

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Day 2

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem along with the military escort the king provided and all of the lumber and materials needed to rebuild the wall. There is no doubt people would be wondering why they were there in Jerusalem. We read in Nehemiah 2:11 that Nehemiah and everyone with him had been in Jerusalem for three days. We also read in Nehemiah...

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Day 3

When God lays a burden on our hearts, we need to seek His direction and discernment. We know that during the four months that Nehemiah prayed about the burden God had given him to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, God also gave Nehemiah a clear vision of how to do it. We read in Nehemiah 2:13-15 that Nehemiah went out at night to examine the wal...

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Day 4

After surveying the wall of Jerusalem and the gates, we read that Nehemiah had kept his surveying expedition pretty secret. No one knew where Nehemiah had gone or what he had been doing. We know Nehemiah had been checking on the extent of the damage to the wall and the gates. The word used in Nehemiah 2:13 and Nehemiah 2:15 is the word “inspe...

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Day 5

We read in Nehemiah 2:17 that Nehemiah told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who would do the work the huge job that lay before them. Nehemiah was honest and told these people the bad news, that the situation they were in was grim, that Jerusalem was desolate, and that the gates had all been burned by fire. Now, ...

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Day 6

Wherever God is at work, we must remember that the spiritual forces of darkness will also be at work (Ephesians 6:12). We read in Nehemiah 2:19 that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem began to mock and despise Nehemiah and the Israelites who were part of the rebuilding project. Remember back in Nehemiah 2:10 that Sanballat and Tobiah were very dis...

Read

Day 7

When faced with the spiritual battles of this life each day, we must be sure of our foundation in Christ and His Word. As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were mocking and looking down upon Nehemiah and the others who were rebuilding the wall and the gates around Jerusalem. Interestingly, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Ge...

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