OPPOSITION FROM WITHOUT & WITHIN

REVIEW

Nehemiah is a type of the Holy Spirit...

Restoration of the Temple by Ezra represents the born again experience wherein a person receives a new Spirit.

The restoration represents transformation by the renewing of the mind?God provides the conversion, but He does not build the wall. That is our responsibility. God makes covenant, man must keep it. Did you ever wonder why God did not build a wall around the Garden of Eden?

Genesis 2:15 NLT

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

Walls are not built with a single stone, at best, you could make door, but never a wall. The responsibility for what comes into a church doctrinally falls on the Pastor, as under-shepherd, he is doorway to the fold. The protection and nurturing and overall safety and health of the flock requires a wall. Corporately, we are that wall.

Resistance is a cycle for the follower of Christ. When I hear a believer say “I think the devil is after me today”, I can only think, he already has you, and has done so for quite some time.

Resistance comes from without and within.

Galatians 5:17 TPT

17 For your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your old self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.

The wall is a picture of the Spirit-led life of a believer. Unlike it’s allegorical structure, this wall is not something you finish. It is an ongoing process of maintaining a spirit hedge of protection around your life, in particularly in your mind.

NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 5

Nehemiah 5 NLT

1 About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. 2 They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.” 3 Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.” 4 And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. 5 We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” 6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. 7 After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. 8 At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. 9 Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? 10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. 11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.” 12 They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised. 13 I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your property!” The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. 14 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way. 16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! 18 The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden. 19 Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.

You are of the same family as Jesus, why would our Father put you into the bondage of debt.

The anti-Christ spirit of debt.

NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 6

Nehemiah 6:1–9 NLT

1 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates. 2 So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me, 3 so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” 4 Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply. 5 The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand, 6 and this is what it said: “There is a rumor among the surrounding nations, and Geshem tells me it is true, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel and that is why you are building the wall. According to his reports, you plan to be their king. 7 He also reports that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim about you, ‘Look! There is a king in Judah!’ “You can be very sure that this report will get back to the king, so I suggest that you come and talk it over with me.” 8 I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.” 9 They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.

Here we see the cycle of resistance we spoke of early.

Right is right, wrong is wrong, on that we need have no need for discussion. To meet with the enemy is only to invite compromise on truth.

The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names Geshem

Geshem (ghe’-shem) = Rain; (root = to rain; to cause to rain).

Resistance from without AND within: action designed to cause fear and discouragement.

This type of opposition is ever-present and relentless so we must be unrelenting.

2 Corinthians 10:5 TPT

5 We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.

Nehemiah 6:5 NLT

5 The fifth time, Sanballat’s servant came with an open letter in his hand,

The devil very seldom speaks directly to a believer, rather he uses servant (knowing and unknowing) so as to work from the shadows.

Peter for instance...

What is the correct response to this type of opposition?

Nehemiah 6:8–9 NLT

8 I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.” 9 They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.

Identify the truth, rebuke the lie, double down.

Nehemiah 6:10–11 NLT

10 Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight.” 11 But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!”

Shemaiah son of Delaiah

The names mean “hearer of God” and “whom Jehovah has freed”.

Again opposition from within, in this case, a well-meaning - bit not Spirit led believer. I have experienced this many times.

Nehemiah 6:11–14 NLT

11 But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!” 12 I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me. 14 Remember, O my God, all the evil things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. And remember Noadiah the prophet and all the prophets like her who have tried to intimidate me.

Nehemiah’s response? He did not go back and discuss things with his opposition, this point was settled in his spirit. He ignored the opposition and spoke to the father.

It’s time to stop revisiting the problems in our nation by walking the counsel of the ungodly media. It’s time to pray.

More resistance from within, remember, Tobiah’s name means “distinguished of the Lord.” He was a prosperous and influential “bino” (believer in name only) who was politically connected.

Today we have popular, prosperous, and influential Christian leaders who refuse to speak out against evil in the media, Hollywood, and government for fear of losing their position of prominence and influence, not realizing, that like Esther, they have come into their position for such a time as this.

It is sad that Kanye West is the consistent voice in the African-American community speaking out against the eugenic genocide against the minority community.

TUCKER CARLSON VIDEO

Nehemiah 6:15–19 NLT

15 So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God. 17 During those fifty-two days, many letters went back and forth between Tobiah and the nobles of Judah. 18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because his father-in-law was Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 They kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then they told him everything I said. And Tobiah kept sending threatening letters to intimidate me.

It’s time to turn off the news, seek the Lord, turn on the church, and make the news.