“Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (Neh. 4.14 NLT)

This verse hit me like a ton of bricks at church yesterday. I think it is a really good verse to meditate on over a week because there is so much rich language here. So many words you can spend time with: remember, great, glorious, fight – even afraid and enemy are worth reflecting on. It is also to think of the men Nehemiah was speaking to. Half of them were always on guard, 24/7. All of them carried their swords at all times – even those doing the building. I used to work in construction with my dad. I still have my tool belt. I can’t imagine carrying a gun in that while trying to frame up a wall, but that is exactly what it was like (except swords are probably even more awkward to carry while trying to work).

As usual, I don’t want to steer you too much here because the Spirit will lead you better than I can, but I will share one thought. It really strikes me that two things were involved in fighting the enemy, being constantly ready to actually fight and at the same time building the wall. This led me to ask myself, am I constantly ready to fight for my family, my home, my friends? And am I building a wall of protection for them at the same time? You can ask this with regard to various aspects of your life: spiritual, emotional, economic, physical, etc.

You might ask the Lord this week to show you places where your walls are compromised or where you are not in a state of readiness for battle. He will show you and He will also guide you and empower you to shore up your defenses and make ready for the battle that is coming. Make no mistake, you will face battles. Let’s be ready.