by Dr. Paul Chappell

Nehemiah 2:19-20
"But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."

Refuse to give up on your family's safety.

Have you ever built something that didn't come with pre-made parts? Starting from scratch is difficult, especially if you're building a wall. Some of us have built fences, yet even that cannot compare to building a city wall of defense. Between the bricks, mortar, alignment, and support, things have to be just right for the wall to be strong enough to endure whatever comes against it-weather, natural disasters, or even a child's play toy. But consider the task of Nehemiah. He was rebuilding the wall to be able to withstand possible attack from enemies. Building a solid wall of defense was crucial.

You may never build a physical wall of defense in your life, but you will have to build a spiritual one in your family. Like the neighbors surrounding Nehemiah, enemies surround you, seeking to gain access to your family and ruin your home. Yesterday we saw three ways to rebuild a fallen wall, much like Nehemiah did. Today, let's look at three more ways we can rebuild the walls of defense around our homes.

Refuse to doubt God. As Nehemiah sought to rebuild Jerusalem's wall, men from two neighboring cities scorned Nehemiah. As verse 19 says, "They laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?"

Noah faced the same criticism when he built the Ark. Daniel faced it when he refused to eat the king's meat. David faced it when he declared his fight against Goliath. Peter faced it when he preached Christ to the Jews. Paul faced it when he declared that Jesus was God. Criticism against God's calling will always be present. Rather than doubting God or giving in to opposition, trust God's plan and allow Him to help you rebuild your wall.

Place your confidence in the Lord. While Sanballat and Tobiah mocked Nehemiah, notice his response, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem." Nehemiah plainly stated that his confidence was in God.

Who will you trust to help you rebuild your wall? You can't rebuild on your own. When criticism comes against your family, your defense isn't in words, but in your confident trust in God. Only God can help you weather the storm of a broken down wall, and give you strength to rebuild the wall of family defense.

Stay with the work. You've heard the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." The same is true for your family walls-they can't be rebuilt in a short period of time. Trust must be rebuilt, standards must be enforced over time, and healing will take time. While you may be tempted to give up or question the effectiveness of the walls, don't quit on the work.

Your family's protection depends on you as the parent. Mistakes will happen and problems will come, yet don't allow the devil to have control of your family. Quickly view the need, honestly admit the condition of your family, share your vision of rebuilding with your family, refuse to doubt God's goodness, confidently trust God for help even when critics come, and continue the work when things become difficult.

Refuse to give up on your family. Work hard to protect them from the devil by setting up spiritual walls and standards to keep your spouse and children safe. Make your family's safety a priority in your life today.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org

Again I got this from Daily in the Word. I hope it will prove to be a help to you.

Alex Hartline

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