“But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability”.
2 Corinthians 8:11
Life is full of many opportunities but also with many distractions and oppositions. Our hearts often spring up with many good desires but we soon fall to discouragement and abandon the good deeds we set out to do because of opposition.
We must understand that few good things can be accomplished without opposition in this present world. In His wisdom God’s plan for His children in this age is that we become a battle axe and fit for good work through our numerous encounters with the enemy of our souls – Satan.
God calls this fight a “good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12). This often bitter fight and opposition is called good because it makes us refined and in good spiritual shape.
Unfortunately not many who set out with a purpose to press forward to win this fight end up victorious because Satan is an expert at using discouragement, distraction and opposition to defeat men.
If we will overcome the opposition the enemy puts in our way then we must learn how to fight this good fight.
When Nehemiah set out to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem it was a good desire but he soon met with a stiff opposition from certain officials named Sanballat and Tobiah who felt threatened by Nehemiah’s vision.
These enemies of good works used all the tactics of satan to stop Nehemiah from finishing the good work that God put in his mind to accomplish.
Nehemiah was threatened, ridiculed, and they sought for every opportunity to make him afraid so that he can abandon the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Like Nehemiah we should understand that we will face opposition as we set out to rebuild our lives or achieve something worthwhile.
Nehemiah and his team were able to see out the opposition of the wicked officials because they understood that God has called them to the task at hand and therefore their heart was focused on accomplishing the task.
Like Nehemiah we must understand that God has called us for a purpose and set us apart from the rest of the world as His children and we must understand and remind ourselves of that purpose on daily basis, and most importantly we must recognize that there will be opposition.
More than dwelling on the opposition we must also realize that God’s help is available to us always. In Philippians 1:6 the Bible assures that “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”.
Even though Nehemiah’s team were confident of God’s help they were not relaxed and careless but pressed on with the work in prayer. They combined preparations and planning with prayer and they were able to overcome the opposition of the enemy and finished the task.
Are you facing opposition and discouragement in any area of your life ? You must know that opposition and discouragement are necessary for spiritual growth. The Bible warns that “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.
Oftentimes our own Sanballat and Tobiah are the negative thoughts in our minds set up to discourage us as soon as we decide to embark on some good deeds that could lift our lives and souls.
Apostle Paul knew about the powers of negative thoughts and strongly advised that we cast down “imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”. (2 Cor. 10:5).
The good news however is that Jesus has won the victory ahead of the battle and it’s our responsibility to maintain the victory though perseverance and prayer.
We must must arm ourselves with the knowledge that through death the Lord Jesus destroyed the schemes of Satan, who opposes every good work, destroying his powers and bringing him to naught (Heb. 2:14; 1 Cor. 1:28).
This understanding must be our mainstay in prayer as we plan and work towards overcoming every discouraging experience the enemy might place in our part from achieving our goals.
Bible reading: Nehemiah chapter 6
