Satan's Underhanded Schemes (Neh 6)

Lesson 7 – Satan’s Underhanded Schemes (Nehemiah 6) God’s enemies aim to instill fear in His people in order to halt His work. Four underhanded strategies to plant fear and uproot leadership: Strategy #1 – Feign diplomacy to lure the leader into an ambush. – vv. 1-4 Strategy #2 – Spread falsehood and threaten with its results. – vv. 5-9 Strategy #3 – Trick and intimidate the leader into ruining his reputation. – vv. 10-14 Strategy #4 – Clandestinely cooperate with insiders. – vv. 15-19 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, ESV) Take It Home: (Discipleship Group discussion questions) • Nehemiah countered the first attack by remaining true to his priorities. In what ways does Satan try to use subtle deception and plausible appeals in our own lives to lure us away from our priorities? • Nehemiah also faced unfounded slander. How would you discern when to simply let the falsehood die without defense and when to plainly and openly refute it? • For some traitorous Judeans, compromise led to complicity. How do we determine when we are cooperating to preserve Christian unity for advancing the gospel versus when we need to stand firm on central doctrine? • God’s enemies under Satan’s influence persist even when it may seem they’ve given up for a time. How do keep your guard up, and how do you stick it out over the long haul when trials are prolonged?