Rebuilding Our Broken Walls (Part 4)

Dr. Michael you said as I drove across as my mommy won't discourage people who come to me as if you know what's the use people ready to quit. Please, please, learn from Nehemiah and his team.

If you are tempted to give in to discouragement. What led the choice to persevere. God is a unique blessing with your name on it after you stand. We all know that things are going great in life. Discouragement has a way of sneaking in the back door making life miserable for seen miserable today and leading the way. Lessons from Nehemiah about tools that Satan uses to keep you from standing firm in your faith, discouragement and distraction.

Please do remember, leading the way as a listener supported ministry relying on God's provision through your prayers and cats. Learn more@ltw.org or when you call us 866-626-4356 lesson along with me now as Dr. Michael Yousef begins look at verse one of Nehemiah for when somebody heard that we were rebuilding the wall he become angry and he was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews remember when we met some ball up when you his trouble with a T. He was mentally about symbolic was a Samaritan from the town of horror on he and the Amorites and the ammonites, and all the mosquito bites were hired by the occupying force. First, the Babylonians and then the Persians go occupying Israel in order to humiliate Israel. They brought these guys who hated Israel and made them give them official titles. The magma charge now being a Samaritan. Innumerable in the New Testament the Samaritans and the Jews.

That's why the story of the good Samaritan such a powerful illustration. Being a Samaritan.

He wanted all of the pork that's coming out of Washington DC together some bugs in the governor called Washington DC the called social and I want to do that will come to Samaria symbolic assembled a motley crew. You got a now when are you got an Arab leader, a real interesting group of people here for purpose.

Why did he assemble this motley crew for one purpose only, and that is to jeer and salt to mark the ridicule and to intimidate the people of God, that simple right now in America there is an unholy alliance between all of the haters of the Christian faith unholy aligned against those who love the Lord Jesus. The attack is so relentless that it swept the sum of so-called evangelical pastors off their feet and really has. Here's how it goes.

They say there is a need to erase the distinction between the church and culture the child should not be at enmity with culture. We need the church to be accepted and well viewed by culture and therefore the church should be just like another institution. In other words, they have fallen into the trap of thinking that they can convince the some ballots of this world. Marking intimidating engineering. The church, my beloved friends.

Please listen to me. There we erase the distinction between the world and the church. We have arranged everything that makes the church to be the church of Jesus Christ. We need to take a stand, regardless of the cost.

Listen carefully place what will I say to my Savior on the day of the white throne judgment. The day of accountability were going to count not just for where we start.

But for every idle word that come out of my mouth. Please think long and hard about this today.

We have so many some ballots. In fact, we have an army of some ballots that are going and calling every corporation and company in America and finding out anybody who ever took a stand. Even the CEOs and they get fired in the news we have an army of some ballots in every professional sports arena. They looking anyone who takes a stand for Christ reported that the poor open people. We have an army of some ballots within the military.

What they do to a chaplain who dares to name the name of Jesus we have some ballots on every university campus.

There's an army of them. There are some ballots in every school campus in the natural thing I notice I said that natural thing because there is a world of difference between the natural thing in the supernatural thing. The natural thing is to be discouraged and give up because that's exactly what the enemy wants you to do, can't do this I can stand Allah ago. What did Nehemiah do in the face of discouragement. Look at verse nine he said what Freitag God and count how many times is it really got into trouble with Freitag. We pray… An awesome God we pray and then posted God's in the night and the day to meet the threat, the Bible said beloved, listen to me that we ought to watch and try prayer is never an excuse for doing nothing. Where to watch and reply. We are to guard and petition God at the same time we are to be vigilant, but on these. We are to stand up, stand out and kneel down all at the same time look at Satan's weapons of discouragement versus 10 all the way to 14 follow with me is that the strength of the laborers is giving out as much trouble we can't rebuild the wall they got halfway through halfway point of building the wall halfway halfway remember that halfway and they got discouraged.

There were discouraged because of the debris's are just too much of the enormity of the task they got discouraged because of the jeering of the enemy and to top it all, they began to lose heart to tell you something about myself. I don't like to talk about myself, but I'll tell you something I have experienced severe discouragements and on the register and some disappointments.

I'm talking about severe discouragements from an expert on the subject. Whatever stays you ran I can help I know what discouragement severe discouragement is like, and discouragement comes in many shapes and forms. What discourages you might not discourage me and what discourages me might not discourage you at all, but discouragement is Satan's most effective tool against the believers because that's how he gets you to surrender, particularly those who have just had a high spiritual experience, particularly those who have just come from a mountaintop experience. Watch out, that's the time that's the time you remembered first King chapter 18 or 19. Amen Elijah was literally had a mountaintop experience in their own mind, he called upon the Lord and the Lord supernaturally sent fire from heaven left everything in sight destroyed all of the profits of bail mountaintop experience spiritual high and then you read few verses the roses. He had his head between his knees and says God kill me if I going to live anymore. Something happened were Jonah God had to deal with him finally settle cowgirl under God sends them to. None of us and he conducts of God uses them to conduct one of the greatest revivals in all of history and in chapter 4 verse three he prays all Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. Be careful with the mountaintop experience in the spiritual high. Now here's a fact we all face discouragement at some point or another.

But if you surrender to the spirit of discouragement. You rob yourself of hope.

If you surrender to Satan's will in your life you will miss out on the blessings that come only come after you take your stand as I travel across Islam you love the Scottish people who come to me as if you know what's the use I can go on. It is just the pressure is so severe I hear it all the time people ready to quit. Please, please, learn from Nehemiah and his team. If you are tempted to demand to discouragement but made a choice to persevere. God has a unique blessing with your name on it after you stand, see, God gave them the courage that they needed, and God was to give you the courage that you need no matter what you going through. No matter how you might feel right now. No matter how dejected you might be right now. No matter where you are. He wants to encourage you, but I wanted to listen very carefully. I don't believe for a moment of the Lord wants you to put on a happy face and mask your discouragement that is not in the Scripture.

I am not even suggesting that you try to ignore your discouragement because ignoring discouragement in your life can be no more ignored than the gauge of the gasoline in your car no matter how much you ignore the sinuses empty tank is not going to give you more gas. If you keep on accelerating and pushing hard to put gas in your tank. God does not say to us all, even though your tank is empty pretend that is full. Now God wants to feel your spiritual tank with encouragement. We see it right here in the Scripture.

And that's what God did Nehemiah.

He did this to the team to Nehemiah himself and to the others look at this example. First of all Nehemiah recognized that the folks were stretched to the limit to the breaking point.

There were discouraged.

Nehemiah realize that the folks have lost sight of the vision they took their eyes of the awesome God and placed them on the Robles and on some violent. They have taken their eyes off the vision of rebuilding the wall. All they could focus on is that rubble and the taunting of the enemy heavier than the you ever taken your eyes of the vision that God has given you for your life vision that he placed in your heart the day you came to Jesus and gave your life to Christ in the place of vision in your heart of reaching the lost.

Equipping the saints, and you begin to focus on the problems. Here's a fact.

Problems will always be with us. Every one of us will face them, but if you get sidetracked into what program who's doing what and who's doing where and who is doing that and who's doing the other thing you going to get discouraged, but focus on how heaven rejoices every time you're an instrument for bringing someone to the Lord focus on that focus on the joy of heaven.

When you do not come to church alone, but bring somebody with you near the hear the gospel focus on how pleased the Lord is every time you restore the fallen focus on how God is honored when you lift up the week and discipled the willing and help the needy.

As soon as you do that the problems going appear to be nothing but smoke screen. The something else here affect the two things that I want to share them with you. The first thing he is in verse 10. The worst part of discouragement came from the tribe of Judah Scylla so big about that is huge. That's a biggie. This is not a small potato.

This is a big kahuna.

This is a leading tribe of Israel is one thing when all those mosquito bites are jeering you and mocking you and try to discourage you is another thing your own leadership begins to surrender to discouragement. When that happens, and nation is in double trouble when the people you count on and look up to become wobbly at the knees when your heroes begin to fade from discouragement: Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy.

These folks reached the halfway point. According to verse six.

Halfway. Halfway is always a dangerous did you know that halfway is the danger point and that is why they call it midlife crisis is a good news is the good news. Listen carefully wherever you are today, wherever you are, whatever you are. Listen to the voice of God saying to you. Trust me, have confidence in my power hang onto my promises I'll never leave you nor forsake you will deliver you from your trouble all of your trouble.

Someone might say, well, Michael. I'm really having difficulty hearing the voice of God I don't hear God's voice is muffled because of all the other voices that I'm hearing and in addition to that person makes it worse is that God always speaks softly.

Did you know that. Seldom do you ever hear God shocked and so today I want you to quiet in your heart quite in your heart right now.

Whatever you're inciting Lord speak to me speak to me that he is the second thing that I don't want to to Mrs. of the most important. I don't want you to miss it. It's hidden in the text and you could easily miss it. Verse 12.

Nehemiah said that at that time the Jews who were living near to the enemy. Don't miss that those who were living closest to the enemy came from all directions, and they said to us, how many times did you get that.

How many times 10×10 times his regular porn. This was not just one surprised then times became again and again and again. Ms. Everett discouraged question. Who were the most fearful of the Jews within the live narrative animation is still true today.

I not experientially. It is still true today. When you live closest to the enemy when you are flirting with the enemy. When you are fraternizing with the enemy. When you get cozy with the enemy. You will be the most discouraged when the enemy attacks you. Nehemiah said don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, the great and awesome and sulfide for your brothers fight for your sons fight for your daughters fight for your wives font for your home is a reading assignment.

If you're looking for one read this chapter and Isaiah once a week.

Isaiah 53 and every time you get discouraged. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering readers often again and again God knows your discouragement. God knows your fears and he has cure for both Nehemiah that something else verse 13 he posted people groupings of family nothing help you overcome discouragement like being a member of the family of God. Are you ready to overcome discouragement. Are you ready to rebuild liquid Nehemiah did versus 15 all the way to then 23 they were building and defending both at the same time the sword was in one hand and the trowel and the other dude during both unfortunately I meet a lot of people who all was repeat this mantra and when I tell you.

You'll understand when I need to talk about what we guess we need to talk about what wherefore wonderful sounds great right, but under the guise of the stuff I have seen with the size. Many Christians refused to battle with the some ballots of secularism and the buyers of immorality, and the guestrooms of false religions. They just want to hold hands and sing by nothing wrong with that as long as in the other hand you have the sort. If Nehemiah teaches us anything, he teaches us that we must do both.

We cannot create this false dichotomy between watching and praying we must not create this false dichotomy between defending and working otherwise. These folks who refused to stand sooner or later, and I've seen it sooner or later they become casualties in the spiritual war. Let me illustrate what I'm trying to say two-story about a football legend by the name of Reggie White.

Sadly, the year 2004, he died of lung disease. He was a an amazing human being and he was called the minister of defense, and the reason he had this title is because he was a committed minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But he also was a defensive end for both eagles of father under Packers during one of those games when Reggie was playing for the Eagles.

He was rushing through the offensive line play after play after play. The offensive lineman that was assigned to Reggie could not even slow him down, let alone stopping and Reggie ran over his opponent, leaving him on the ground flat on his back. After the play Reggie rushes back to his opponent on the bowling team and and he put his hand out to him. He pulled them up and is it Jesus loves you and I love you too, but man, you better learn how to block your better learn how to block because my beloved friend listen to me listen to me this is same true for you and for me today as God's people. We better learn how to block it is not enough to know how to rebuild. We better learn how to block a block for your family block for your children block from your faith block for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ block for the church of Jesus Christ with better learn how to block because we have a three fold enemy the world the flesh and the devil, and all conspiring against us, we better learn how to block because there is a moral and spiritual. Murphy's Law, which says if we permit an opening of anything to go wrong in our spiritual lives. It will go wrong. That is why Nehemiah said were scattered so when you hear the trumpets rally rally to us. There are God will fight for us. This is true. Back in the form of Nehemiah as it is to the 21st century. We need to rally together prayed together, fight together because that way God will do the fighting for a man encouragement line all that's important in your life. From Dr. Michael Lisa, this is leading the way. Good morning… You sent in the worldwide ministry when you visit us and LTW.org and as we often mentioned leading the way is a listener supported meaning that we rely completely on any large church organization define the worldwide ministry. Yes, we are so pleased that there are churches and organizations that do participate in what we do, but it takes them many thousands of individuals who can affect contacting assessed teaching who want to be a part of what's happening worldwide. We know that there are many partners right here in this area's of today we want to say kinky if you give to the ministry of leading the way, you naturally make it possible for the teaching to be heard right here in this city, but also worldwide in multiple languages and locations. Many people are coming to Jesus many more being discipled by local leading the way staff people committed to sharing the gospel and helping all believers of all backgrounds to experience the abundant life. So if you've supported leading the way we say thank you and if you haven't taken that step today is a great day. Learn more about what it means to be a partner when you call 866-626-4356 or when you visit LTW.org, the number again 866-626-4356 and website LTW.org and we love getting your notes and write to Dr. you Seth leading the way, PO Box 20100, Atlanta, GA 30325.

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