Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

"I CAN'T COME DOWN" Satan will do everything possible to stop the work of God. The book of Nehemiah exposes some of the subtle tricks the devil uses to stop or slow down the progress of the Kingdom. Called to rebuild the crumbled wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced the almost impossible task of inspiring a defeated people. They had been living under the threats of their enemies for so long that they had resigned themselves to the prospect of never being any better off. Nehemiah changed all that. Riding into the city with a kind king's decree, Nehemiah challenged the people to rebuild the walls. Immediately Sanballat and Tobiah, longtime enemies of the Jews, launched a campaign to stop the work. By threat, innuendo, and ridicule, they tried to get the Israelites to stop building the wall. Finally, when none of these worked, they sent a servant who said, "At least, can't we talk about it?" Nehemiah recognized the trick for what it was and curtly replied that he was involved in a great work for God and could not come down. His determination paid off, and the people finished the wall in a record fifty-two days. Their city was again safe. As we work for God, Satan will do everything he can to discourage us. He has not changed his tactics and still uses threats, innuendos, ridicule, and compromise. Often, we get so caught up defending our position that we cannot get the work done on our wall of faith. Nehemiah's book shows us we do not have to be victimized by the devil. We can rise above all of his onslaughts. We are involved in the greatest work in the world and we "cannot come down."