We have all known once seemingly faithful pastors and other believers who have fallen into sin or simply let their walks with God fall by the wayside. Too often they leave destruction, even despair, in their wake. What about you? Could you be drawn away from God’s call on your life by flattery, fear, money, success, favor with the right people, or other distractions? What can we learn from Nehemiah about protecting our testimonies, our jobs, and our ministries from those things?
Today’s Readings:
Nehemiah 6 & 7
Psalm 89.5-10
Proverbs 21.28
Acts 27.1-26
What Distractions Could Draw You Away from Devotion to God?
Nehemiah 6 & 7:
Distractions Like Flattery
In chapter 6 we find Nehemiah and the people making great progress at rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. But notice what happened next:
¹ Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” (6.1-3).
Today when someone starts to do something significant for God, influential people sometimes want to meet with him or her and, often, interview them for TV or some other media.
While the attention is flattering, many have learned the hard way that most people in the media don’t want to rejoice with them because they’re doing something worthwhile. In fact, most have realized that what they say and do gets twisted and misreported. And all it does is serve as a distraction from what’s really important.
Distractions Like Fear
But flattery isn’t the enemy’s only weapon to distract believers from their God-given work. Look at verse 10 of the same chapter:
10 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”
Nehemiah’s enemies tried to use fear to stop or slow the work of God. Satan does the same today. Sometimes it’s fear for our own safety or well-being. Other times it’s the fear of losing some position of prominence or fear of what people will think.
Fear leads some to simply keep their faith to themselves. Others out of fear of losing the culture’s approval, try to make the truth more palatable and end up compromising the truth altogether.
Nehemiah’s Response to Distractions
So, how did Nehemiah respond?
11 And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” 12 Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
When we know that we are doing what God has called us to do, we can trust Him to take care of us.
14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.
So, distractions like flattery, attention, and fear can tempt us in various ways to quit or tone down the truth. But even when we trust God and refuse to give in to those things, we need to be prepared for another of the enemy’s distractions.
Distractions from Within
When those things don’t work, the enemy may try to attack from within—sometimes using people close to us. How many times have we read the phrase “unnamed sources say …” to spread some rumor?
Another way the enemy attempts to bring down servants of God is by taking advantage of our own sinful desires, often through an immoral sexual encounter.
Those encounters don’t always start with something obviously sexual or immoral. Often they happen between two co-workers or even people who work together in ministry.
It may seem innocent, at first, with things like texting and compliments, but will often turn into flirting and spending more and more time together.
I thought it was interesting that one of the people mentioned in verse 14 was a woman, the prophetess Noahdiah. Even though nothing sexual is mentioned, what if Nehemiah had listened to her and begun to develop a relationship with her?
How many times has someone said, “We’re just friends” only to fall into temptation as the “friendship” develops? We need to be so careful of both the perception of something inappropriate and the temptations that we all face.
But Nehemiah didn’t fall for any of these distractions. He kept his focus on God’s purposes and trusted Him for the results.
Distractions in Our Lives
The distractions and temptations Nehemiah faced are just as real today, maybe more so. The culture around us and our own sinful hearts are always at war with our devotion to Christ. Let’s be wise like Nehemiah by keeping our guard up, praying for God’s wisdom and protection, not allowing distractions to sidetrack us, and by not playing around with sin.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 89.5-10:
Who Can Be Compared to the Lord?
For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD (v. 6)?
The psalmist praises the Lord as being unparalleled in all the universe!
Proverbs 21.28:
Truth and Lies
A false witness shall perish, but the man who hears him will speak endlessly.
A person who lies will eventually be destroyed by his own lies, but a person who only speaks what he knows to be true will be consistent. We have probably all known people who lie endlessly. Eventually, they lose all credibility. But people who speak the truth consistently come to be trusted and depended upon.
Acts 27.1-26:
God’s Plan
While he has not been convicted of anything, Paul is still under arrest. He has been held in Caesarea for over two years and because he had appealed to Caesar, he is finally being transferred by ship to Rome.
But the conditions for travel are not good. It’s late in the year and they will sail through an area notorious for storms and shipwrecks. When the weather turns bad, Paul advises them to spend the winter in a place called Fair Havens, but those in charge take the advice of the ship’s crew instead. And it didn’t turn out well. They were caught in a terrible storm and the ship was lost.
God’s Sure Plan
But God’s plan for Paul to go to Rome would not be thwarted, even by the bad decisions of those in charge. He saved Paul and all who were on board.
God’s plans and purposes for us are just as sure. Our responsibility is to keep our eyes on Him, be obedient by relying on Him, seek to bring Him glory in the midst of every circumstance and trust Him for the results.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about how to move from grief to joy, foolishness, what some have called the great exchange, the deception of self-righteousness, and how we as parents sometimes expect God to give us certain guarantees.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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