THREE IS AN INTERESTING NUMBER, BIBLICALLY IT IS THE NUMBER OF GOD OR THE TRINITY. WE BELIEVE THERE IS ONE GOD, WHO MANIFEST HIMSELF IN THREE DISTINCT PERSONS, FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT. THEY ARE ONE IN ESSENCE AND UNITY YET DISTINCT IN FUNCTION AND TASK. THE FATHER ELECTED A PEOPLE , THE SON ATONED FOR HIS PEOPLE, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT SEALED HIS PEOPLE, ONE IN PURPOSE YET DISTINCT IN FUNCTION OR TASK. WHAT A GREAT MYSTERY.
HOWEVER, WHEN I THINK OF THREE I ALSO THINK OF THE THREE GREAT ENEMIES ALL CHRISTIANS MUST BATTLE, THE DEVIL, THE FLESH AND THE WORLD. THEY CONSTANTLY BATTLE FOR OUR DEFEAT. I WAS READING NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 4 AND I WAS GREATLY BLESSED BY IT. I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU OUT THERE WHAT I SAW.
THERE ARE THREE VOICES IN THE TEXT. THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE TEXT ARE NOT JUST BUILDING BUT THEY ARE BATTLING. I BELIEVE THE TWO GO TOGETHER. WITH EVERY OPPORTUNITY COMES OPPOSTION. WHENEVER WE INVOLVE OURSELVES IN THE WORK OF THE LORD WE SHOULD EXPECT OPPOSITION TO COME FROM ATLEAST THREE SOURCES THE DEVIL, THE FLESH AND THE WORLD. THE GOAL OF THE ENEMY IN THIS TEXT WAS TO DISCOURAGE NEHEMIAH AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD THAT THEY WOULD STOP DOING THE LORD'S WORK WHICH WAS BUILDING THE WALL.
THEY WANTED TO DISCREDIT THE WORK AND DISCOURAGE THE WORKERS.
READ CHAPTER 4 OF NEHEMIAH, NOTICE THEY TRIED USING SARCASTIC MOCKERY AND SUBTLE MANEUVERS TO DISCOURAGE BUT THE WORKERS HAD A SOUND METHOD INSPITE OF THE OPPOSITION. WHAT WAS THEIR SOUND METHOD? THE TEXT SAYS THEY PRAYED. PRAYER IS HOW WE DEMOSTRATE OUR DEPENDENCY IN GOD. THEY SHOW BY THEIR SOUND METHOD THEY WERE NOT TRUSTING IN THEMSELVES. THE WEAPONS OF A CHRISTIANS WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL.
THEIR SOUND METHODS WAS NOT ONLY PRAYER FOR THE TEXT SAYS THAT THEY ALSO WATCHED. THIS IS WHAT JESUS TELLS US TO WATCH AND PRAY. DON'T FORGET THE ENEMY ALWAYS TRIES TO DISCOURAGE. THE TRUTH IS WE SHOULD NOT BE DISCOURAGED HOWEVER, ADMITLY SO AT TIMES WE ARE. DON'T STOP PRAYING AND DON'T STOP WATCHING.
NOTICE THESE ATTACKS ARE COMING FROM THE OUTSIDE. WHEN YOU GET TO VERSE 10 THERE IS A NEW PROBLEM, THREE VOICES. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR US AS WELL, VOICES. WHEN WE ARE INVOLVED IN THE LORD'S WORK THERE WILL ALWAYS BE VOICES. LISTEN AT THESE VOICES IN THE TEXT, JUDAH SPOKE, THE ADVERSARY SPOKE AND NEHEMIAH SPOKE.
PLEASE READ NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 4. THE QUESTION IS WHICH VOICE DO YOU LISTEN TO?
FIRST THERE IS THE WAVERING VOICE OF JUDAH. JUDAH IS PESSIMIST, HE IS WAVERING. NOTICE WHO IS WAVERING JUDAH THIS IS NOT AN OUTSIDE VOICE BUT AN INSIDE VOICE. BE CAREFUL OF PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE, CLOSE TO YOU BUT THEIR VOICE IS WAVERING. THEY ARE TRYING TO DISCOURAGE YOU. YOU JUST DON'T EXPECT CERTAIN PEOPLE TO SPEAK THE WAY THEY DO. A WAVERING VOICE.
NOT ONLY THE WAVERING VOICE BUT THE WICKED VOICE OF THE ENEMY IT IS IN THE TEXT. THE ENEMY CONSPIRED IN SECRET TO DISCOURAGE THE WORK ON GOD. THEIR PLAN WAS TO KILL THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN ORDER TO STOP THE WORK. THERE ARE WICKED VOICES.
LASTLY, THERE IS THE THE WISE VOICE OF NEHEMIAH, WHAT DOES NEHEMIAH HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE WORK OF THE LORD? HE SAYS REMEMBER THE LORD. THIS IS A WISE VOICE, NOTICE NOT WAVERING, NOT WICKED BUT WISELY HE SAYS REMEMBER THE LORD. REMEMBERING THE LORD WILL CAUSE US TO BE ABLE TO DO AND RETURN TO THE WORK. THE OTHER VOICES WERE VOICES OF DISCOURAGEMENT BUT THIS IS A VOICE OF ENCOURAGEMENT. NEHEMIAH SAYS THREE THINGS;
1. REMEMBER THE LORD 2. RESIST THE ENEMY 3. RETURN TO THE WORK
READ THIS 4TH CHAPTER AND BEWARE OF THE THREE VOICES FOR THEY WILL DETERMINE HOW WE HANDLE THE THREE ENEMIES THE DEVIL THE FLESH AND THE WORLD.
