Don't Give Up the Fight

Gosh, I've cried over John Q on HBO.  I keep crying over a movie.  Sheesh.

Anyway, it's Monday once again and it's going to be my first post for Covenant Marriage. You might be asking why I keep posting devotionals about this issue.  Well, the truth is, I simply want to encourage other standers out there to stand firm in God's promises to them.  No matter what the enemy throws at them, God's Word stands true.  So fellow standers, stand strong and courageous!

Here's a devotional written by Anne, a fellow stander from Colorado.

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"When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews...'What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? ...Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" (Nehemiah 4:1-3)

A remnant of Jews had returned to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah had returned to oversee the rebuilding of the city walls. Sanballat, who is like the satan of our story, was in violent opposition! He was not a Jew, not a worshiper of God and he did NOT want that city rebuilt!

Isn't that so like our enemy, the devil, who hates our God and all that our God loves, including us and our marriages? He will oppose your stand for your marriage at every turn. He will ridicule your attempt to bring the dead stones of your marriage back to life, and he will accuse you of feebleness which, indeed, we often feel.

We often face discouragement as the world mocks what we're doing or puts all the obstacles before us and says, "What they are building--if even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!" (Nehemiah 4:3b)

But the people responded to their enemy with prayer: "Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads..." (Nehemiah 4:4)  Like them, we need to cry out to our God in prayer. "Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer." (Psalm 4:1)

It is so important for us to remember that when difficulties arise, when things seem dark and impossible, these events are not our cue to become discouraged; they are our cue to pray! Let's encourage each other so that the attacks of the enemy don't drive us away from our stand, but drive us to our knees.

"So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart." (Nehemiah 4:6)

Are we working wholeheartedly? It's hard, I know. We feel discouraged. Sometimes bad things seem to keep happening and sometimes nothing is happening at all! It's hard to persevere. We can't tell on this side of the mountain whether the wall has reached "half its height," but we can trust that as we persevere in prayer and obedience, God is working in many unseen ways. And the enemy doesn't like it!

"But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites...heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it." (Nehemiah 4:7-8)

Is the enemy trying to "stir up trouble" for you? Maybe he is making finances hard, or causing difficulty with your children or in-laws. Maybe he is trying to tempt you to despair or various other sins. What should you do? 

"But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat." (Nehemiah 4:9)

What did the Israelites do? They prayed to their God, and they set up additional defenses. We need to pray and we may need additional defenses. Is there a spiritually-minded friend who will pray with you for your marriage? Are you in the Word of God, setting aside specific times for prayer and listening to His Spirit? Are you defending yourself and your family from things that are not of Him, closing up those gaps in the wall?

Nehemiah 4:13 talks about Nehemiah putting people at some of "the exposed places" on the wall to further defend those weak areas. We can ask God to show us weaknesses in our faith, lifestyle, or family life where the enemy might try to enter in.

Most of all, we must remember who is fighting for us, and keep our eyes on Christ!

"...Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14)

This is our battle cry! We are to remember our Lord who is great and awesome and fight for our families. No looking to the right or to the left. No turning back. Eyes on our commander and King, our dear Savior and Lord, fighting for His kingdom and glory!