Persistence In The Lord

"But they sent me this massage four times, and I answered them in the same manner." Nehemiah 6:4

One of the greatest examples found in the Bible of a faithful man is Nehemiah.  We can learn such valuable lessons from this man, as he answers the Lord's call to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah was under constant pressure from those who sought to thwart the Lord's work.  In the above verse we see that they didn't come at him just once, but four times. Earlier in the book we are told that messengers had come to bring fear and discouragement not four times, but ten times! Through it all Nehemiah remained faithful and the walls were completed.

Our enemy is very persistent.  It would be nice if he would try to tempt or discourage just once and then leave us alone.  But it is not so.  Our enemy is tenacious and doesn't play fair, if he senses you are weary he'll keep pressing.

There is no pain-free solution to the onslaught of the enemy. As we study Nehemiah, we see that he didn't panic or freak out or give in.  He just matched the persistence of the enemy with his own bulldogged persistence in the Lord.  We need to do the same.  In Christ we are already victorious, so we must steel our minds and hearts and stay the course.  Remember our foe is defeated and each attack of the enemy will serve to strengthen your faith.  Chin up, knees down!
 

Do The Possible

 "Therefore be patient brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain" (James 5:7).

We are not a people who like to wait.  In fact, we have very little patience for anything slow....from our computers, phones, or even lines at Costco.  It doesn't seem to concern God that we don't like to wait. In fact, I'm sure He purposely makes us wait knowing it will mature and develop us.

There is an old saying that was frequently quoted at Calvary Chapel: You do the possible and God will do the impossible.  A good farmer is able to wait patiently for the precious fruit when he has been faithful to do the possible.  He has plowed, planted, watered, and pulled the weeds...and now, waits for the fruit of his labor.  He has no control over the seasons or weather, he is faithful to do the possible and trusts the Lord for things that are out of his control. 

If you are in a season of waiting, let it be a season of growing your faith.  Set your heart on the possible; pray, grab hold of His promises, worship Him, and trust His perfect timing.  As you do the possible, waiting can even be exciting as the Lord is so faithful to bring forth precious fruit to your life.
 

Eternal Or External

 "....For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 15:7

One of my neighbors was doing work on a car in his garage.  He had been working almost every night for weeks, and at times even had an audience watching him work.  I was curious and noticed he was working on a classic sports car that looked pretty sharp.  After some time I saw him working and walked up to say hi and get a closer look.  The car was indeed classic and really looked sharp, only it had one major problem, it had no engine.  He was putting in all this time and work on the car and the most important component of the car was missing, the unseen part, the engine!

My neighbor's car was a good parabolic reminder for me, that God cares more about the internal, than the external.  We are surrounded by a culture that obsess with the external, how one looks, rather who one really is.  We need to be wise and guarded that we view things as God views.  He is more concerned about your heart than about your hairstyle or fashions.  And I'm not just speaking to ladies, guys are just as concerned about the external. So check yourself and make sure you aren't just buffing and shining the outside while ignoring your walk with Jesus, which is the most important component of your life.

White Hats And Black Hats

"And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light"

When I was growing up, my favorite movies were westerns.  One of the staples of these corny old cowboy movies was that it was very clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were.  The good guys were clean-shaven with sparkling white teeth and usually donned a white hat.  On the other hand the bad guys looked scruffy and dirty and had probably never taken a bath or washed their clothes.  The bad guys would also mostly have black hats.  These old westerns usually made it pretty easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

The devil is not a character out of an old western.  Though he is evil to the core, he doesn't dress the part, he presents himself as a good guy.  He is clean-shaven with a white hat and friendly smile.  His methods promise life and health, but lead to death.  His deceit is such that he'd love to brew up poison, put it in a fancy package, and display it in the health food section.  We ought never forget that our enemy is wily.

When I worked retail I was trained to spot counterfeit bills by becoming very familiar with real bills.  For us, the best way to keep from being duped by the enemy is to become very familiar with the truth of God's Word.  The more we study the Word and commit it to mind and heart, the more crystal clear our discernment will be.  With the Word before our eyes we'll be able to distinguish between the good guys and bad guys no matter what color hat they might be wearing!