{"id":13507,"date":"2025-08-12T06:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T10:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=13507"},"modified":"2025-08-12T06:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T10:22:09","slug":"overcoming-opposition","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/overcoming-opposition","title":{"rendered":"OVERCOMING OPPOSITION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cDo not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.\u201d (Nehemiah 4:14 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Nehemiah spoke these words while leading the rebuilding of Jerusalem\u2019s walls. Their enemies\u2014Sanballat, Tobiah, and others\u2014were ridiculing, threatening, and plotting against them. In the face of fear, Nehemiah called the leaders and people together. His strategy was twofold: spiritual focus and practical action. First, he reminded them of the greatness and awesomeness of the Lord, echoing the exhortations of God\u2019s charge to Joshua to \u201cbe strong and courageous\u201d (Joshua 1:9) and His word through the prophet Haggai to \u201cbe strong, do the work and to be fearless\u201d (Haggai 2:4\u20135). Second, he gave them a personal reason to fight: for their families and their homes. Nehemiah\u2019s leadership combined faith in God with resolute action in the face of opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any time we engage in the work of God\u2014whether building up a family, serving in ministry, or sharing the gospel\u2014we will encounter opposition. Fear is one of the enemy\u2019s favorite weapons to paralyze us. Nehemiah\u2019s call is a reminder to fix our eyes first on the Lord\u2019s greatness. Fear fades when we see the size of our God compared to the size of our problems. Then, we must take action. The work of God requires more than good intentions; it demands courage, perseverance, and personal investment. What\u2019s at stake? Not just a project, but people\u2014our brothers, sisters, children, spouses, and communities. When we remember who God is and what\u2019s on the line, we can overcome fear and press on in His work. Today, as we consider the \u201cwall\u201d God has called us to build, where are we tempted to give in to fear? Let us remember the Lord and keep working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER: Dear Father, You are great and awesome! Forgive us for the times we have let fear stop us from doing Your work. Help us to remember who You are and to find our courage in You. Strengthen our hands and hearts to serve You faithfully, protecting and blessing those You have entrusted to us. Help us to be strong, fearless, and steadfast until the work You have called us to is finished. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDo not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.\u201d (Nehemiah 4:14 ESV). Nehemiah spoke these words while leading the rebuilding of Jerusalem\u2019s walls. Their enemies\u2014Sanballat, Tobiah, and others\u2014were ridiculing, threatening, and plotting against them. In the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1283],"scripture-chapter":[1337],"oyb_day":[1751],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13507","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-nehemiah","scripture-chapter-1337","oyb_day-august-12"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13507"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}