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?
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?”
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.