by Pastor Afolabi Oladele

Consider our text for the day—And our enemies said, They will not know or see till we come into their midst and kill them and stop the work. And when the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, You must return [to guard our little villages]; from all places where they dwell they will be upon us. So I set [armed men] behind the wall in places where it was least protected; I even thus used the people as families with their swords, spears, and bows.  I looked [them over] and rose up and said to the nobles and officials and the other people, Do not be afraid of the enemy; [earnestly] remember the Lord and imprint Him [on your minds], great and terrible, and [take from Him courage to] fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. Nehemiah 4:11-14 (AMPC)
 
What do you do with the flood of negative news that threaten not just you but your family? Ignore them? No. Nehemiah did not, neither did he worry about them. You neither ignore, neither be afraid nor be worried about them but prepare your defenses.

Think carefully and identify where you are most vulnerable and place them before the Lord for counsel on what steps should be taken to protect the vulnerabilities. Remember James 1:5-7 (NLT)—If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
 
Remember God’s power for the future, remember His closeness to you, He who said He will not leave us as orphans and let the assurance of how He has led you in the past keep you strong, not only to hear but also to act on whatever He leads you to do. You must keep in mind that your thoughts determine your feelings and filling your thoughts with the promises of God is key to standing in the right place to receive the answer. Fight every step of the way refusing to surrender to the negative news, but focus on God. Remember what He taught in story of the widow and the wicked judge, that men ought always to pray and not faint. Now beloved, the choice is yours whether to follow the pattern or not, but the hand of the Lord will surely prevail for His own. Selah.

Pastor Afolabi Oladele