Day 5 – Protecting Your Purpose
Nehemiah discovered that his purpose was to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem and set his heart on the assignment. As soon as he mobilized the people of Israel to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem, their enemies were very angry and sought to stop them. They tried blackmail and ridicule but failed, then they conspired to physically attack them, to cause confusion in order to stop the work. Ultimately, the enemy’s reason for attacking you is to frustrate the purpose of God for your life. The fight of your life is always about the purpose of God. If whatever you are engaged in furthers the purposes of God, expect a fight from the enemy to frustrate it.
Nehemiah recognized the enemy’s plan and fought back to protect the vision God had given him. He knew the enemy’s plan was to stop the work, so he resolutely defended the work against the enemy without stopping the construction. We must be very wise in protecting the purpose of God for our lives. You should never abandon your God-given assignment because of the threats or attacks of the enemy. Rather, you must defend your assignment against the enemy. You are not to ignore the enemy but must not also focus on the enemy at the detriment of the assignment for that would be distraction. Protecting your purpose requires you to stay on the assignment as you fight off any opposition to it.
Nehemiah teaches us the dynamics of protecting our purpose from the enemy. He prayed to God, stayed alert and prepared himself and his team for battle, while continuing the work. He demonstrated that prayer is not a replacement for practical actions, nor should pragmatics replace spiritual warfare. In protecting our purpose, we do not choose one over the other; we hold both in a healthy tension. When the enemy confronts your God-given assignment, you should pray fervently to God, be alert, and prepare for battle while continuing the assignment God has given you.
“Discipline yourselves; keep alert, Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering“
1 Peter 5:8-9
