It’s been a tough week. There is a spiritual battle raging. Until I fully recognize its presence, I fail to arm myself properly. My foes are not human but are the forces of darkness that invade the mind. Discouragement, hopelessness and complacency knock at the door of my heart. Now is the time to take up the sword of the Spirit to stand strong against these enemies. If I bar them access, then I disarm them of their power.
In the Book of Nehemiah, the Israelites battled both physical and spiritual enemies. After 70 long years of exile, King Cyrus of Persia allowed the people to return to their land. However, the temple had been destroyed and the city of Jerusalem was in shambles. God called 2 men to lead the people to rebuild: Ezra and Nehemiah.
Even though they were allowed access back to Israel, the work was not easy and fear threatened to halt any progress. Nehemiah writes of the struggle. “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble, that we cannot rebuild the wall.” Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”1
However, Nehemiah did not let discouragement or fear deter the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Each of the builders wore a sword at his side as he worked. Nehemiah said to the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your families, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.”2
How many times do we let the magnitude of the task before us deter our work? Like the returning exiles, we fear outside forces that threatened to destroy us. But how much more will the Lord fight for us as we fasten the sword of the Spirit by our side? We feel overwhelmed in our weakness, but His strength holds us up.
Even though each of us struggles against different foes, the battle is real. Physical forces like old age and cancer threaten to knock us down. Internal struggles such as depression and PTSD attempt to destroy us from within. Nevertheless, we are more than conquerors when we take up the sword of the Spirit. Don’t give up the fight. Keep standing in His strength even when your strength is failing.
1Nehemiah 4:10-12 2Nehemiah 4:14
