TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. Nehemiah 4:13
Read: Nehemiah 4:13
Listen: Nehemiah 4
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Nehemiah and the builders of the wall face the threat of attack from angry warlords who don’t want them to rebuild. They are at the midway point, so some parts of the wall are strong while some are still weak. Nehemiah assesses the situation and makes a plan to defend the lowest and most vulnerable places. He knows any attacks will be directed at those parts of the wall.
Once again Nehemiah models a principle for us to follow. Like the wall, we all have weak spots. When we’re in the process of rebuilding something in our lives we need to ask, “Where would I attack me?” In other words, we need to be honest with ourselves about our vulnerable places and take action to defend ourselves. Our plan to curb spending could be derailed by our envy of what others have. Our plan to begin serving God could be squashed by our need for constant affirmation. Our desire to be a better friend could be weakened by our habit of saying things we shouldn’t. When we recognize our vulnerabilities we can ask God for help when we’re tempted to think, do or say the wrong thing (Luke 22:40).
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Spend some time journaling about your weak spots. What are the risks of not addressing them? How do they hurt others? How do they derail your growth as a Christian? Consider how you can defend yourself from an attack on those vulnerabilities and commit to praying and asking God for his help.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
November is BIBLE MEDITATION. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
