Overcoming The “Enemies” Of Great Work

Do you want to do a great work for God? To use your time on Earth to make an impact for the kingdom? Then you’d better be prepared to overcome obstacles.

There are many things that can interfere with kingdom work. Some interferences can be healthy in the sense that they slow us down, force us to pause and reflect on what we are doing, and allow us to change course if needed. But others are not healthy and can cause us to question ourselves, our motives, or even the work itself. All of these represent “sideways energy”: time and energy that moves you sideways rather than forward in accomplishing your goals.

Nehemiah, one of the most famous and productive leaders in the Bible, knew these dangers well and gave us a formula to combat them. Nehemiah was involved in a “great work” for God, leading the effort to rebuild Jerusalem in 445 BC. Nehemiah 6 is a laundry list of the powerful enemies who came against him and the work God had called him to. What are these enemies and how did he overcome them?

1. Distractions

It’s a maxim that many times “good can be the enemy of great.” In an effort to slow Nehemiah down, his enemies requested a meeting. What’s the harm of a meeting? In this case, Nehemiah knew that taking the time to travel and meet with his opponents would slow the work tremendously. Nehemiah didn’t just say “No” to this distraction once. He refused them 4 times! (Nehemiah 6:1-4)

Meetings, while helpful and in many cases essential, can be a distraction for ministry leaders. Sometimes we can feel the need to say “Yes” to every meeting request. After all, we are in the people business! There are opportunities to meet with folks inside the church or outside the church; people who want to share ideas, need counsel, connect relationally, or serve. However, it is easy to get to Friday and realize that that you’ve accomplished very little. Instead, try and focus on the “big rocks,” and ask, “Will this opportunity help advance the goals that our leadership have set out?”

2. Personal Attacks

Next, after realizing they couldn’t distract Nehemiah, his opponents turned to highly public personal attacks. As described in Nehemiah 6:5-7, they wrote an “open letter,” or what was essentially an op-ed in that culture, laying out for all a series of rumors and falsehoods hoping to deride his character and derail his work:

• “It is reported…” – Even in biblical times, detractors conjured up fake reports with no direct source that could be questioned.
• “You and the Jews intend to rebel…” – Nehemiah’s opponents ascribed seditious motives, which was a crime punishable by death. This kind of accusation would certainly get the king’s attention.
• “You wish to become their king…” – If sedition doesn’t work, accusations of personal ambition might. In the ministry world, this is the kind of gossip that people love to share in order to discredit leaders and their work.

Nehemiah knew that the real purpose of all of this was to “frighten” them and so stop their work (Nehemiah 6:9).

If you are effective, impactful, or innovative in ministry, Satan loves to place a bullseye on your back. There will be those who do not want the church to succeed, the kingdom to advance, or even people to be served in a way that brings glory to Christ. It is likely that, at some point, you have been accused of having ulterior motives, seeking financial gain, making a real estate play, giving preference, or desiring to make your own name great instead of God’s name. It is true that, since Christ has not yet restored all things and we still have a sin nature, our motives may not always be 100 percent pure. It is easy to allow pride or fear of man to drive our actions in weak moments. But, when setting about to accomplish a God-given mission, we have to ruthlessly discern what is helpful and true versus what is distracting.

Nehemiah gave us a roadmap for responding to personal attacks:

1. He denied them. He didn’t defend, explain, threaten suit, or take his cause to social media. He simply denied their truth. “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” (Nehemiah 6:8)
2. He prayed. Most importantly, he entrusted the situation to his heavenly Father. “But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” (Nehemiah 6:9)
3. He got back to work!

3. Conspiracy by Corrupt Spiritual Leaders

Since these tactics were not working, Nehemiah’s detractors took things to the next level. They bribed Shemaiah, a Jewish religious leader, to communicate a threat veiled as a “prophecy” (Nehemiah 6:12). He told Nehemiah his enemies were coming that night to kill him and told him he should seek shelter inside the temple (Nehemiah 6:10).

But here again, Nehemiah knew who he was and what he should do. His response in Nehemiah 6:11 shows us three things about him:

• He was a leader, not a runner. “Should such a man as I run away?” He knew that to react in fear would discredit the ministry and his leadership.
• He followed God’s law. Nehemiah was not a priest, and therefore was not allowed to enter the temple (2 Chronicles 23:6). “What man such as I could go into the temple and live?” Others had done this and died or contracted leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).
• He would make the right decision, even in the face of threats on his life. “I will not go in.”

After choosing to do what was right, God showed him that it was all a conspiracy and revealed who was behind it. “For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid” (Nehemiah 6:13). Nehemiah then (again) prayed to God (Nehemiah 6:14).

In our ministry today, we might not face death threats, but there are threats all the same. We are constantly tempted to avoid conflict, cut corners, lead from positional authority rather than influence, or rely on our own competence rather than seeking the Lord’s direction and timing.

4. Opposition from People in Power

Nehemiah went back to work on the wall. But Tobiah, who was very powerful and well-connected to other power brokers, flexed his power and influence muscles to try and discourage Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:17-19).

And yet, despite this massive scare campaign, Nehemiah was undeterred. He completed the wall…and did it in a shockingly fast 52 days! (Nehemiah 6:15) Most importantly, God received the glory, “for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:16).

So, if you are doing important, kingdom-advancing work, know that Satan has an arsenal of enemies and strategies to use against you.

• He will try to distract you. But you must be relentless in your focus. Good is the enemy of great.
• He will spread rumors and make personal attacks on your character. Deny, pray, trust God to defend and soften hearts, and then get back to work!
• He might even use seemingly “spiritual” people and counsel to knock you off mission. ALWAYS check the counsel you receive against the truth of God’s Word. Here, it was inconsistent with what Nehemiah knew about God and His rules, AND he knew that following their counsel would discredit the work and shipwreck his leadership.
• He could cause powerful people to strongarm and threaten. No matter who might be opposed to the work, remember that Jesus + you = a majority!

Don’t be surprised by these attacks, and don’t be afraid. If you persist, maintain relentless focus, and are diligent in completing the work God has given you, He will be glorified and the community will be blessed.