Wielding the Word | Aiven Martinez

Hey everyone! Tonight we are going to do our devotional primarily out of the book of Nehemiah so I am going to give some context to what is happening before we jump into the story. Nehemiah’s occupation was a cupbearer for the king, he was not a prophet or a priest, but instead a person with a regular job who loved God. He heard that Jerusalem had been attacked and the walls destroyed leaving the city very vulnerable to enemy attack. So, Nehemiah prayed and God opened a door for Him to go and rebuild the wall in Jerusalem that was broken. God answered his prayer and granted his request. This rebuild took many people gathered from different places, but they all had one common goal, to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem and protect the city. During this time there was opposition from enemy forces to stop them from building. And this is where we jump into the story in Nehemiah.

!!! READ NEHEMIAH 4:1-23!!!

I truly believe that there are deep spiritual implications we can learn and apply from this story. These keys can help us in our fight against the enemy. As Christians we are in a battle right now even though it may not be one we can see with our eyes.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:12-13

As Christ followers we are called to stand firm against the enemy and fight back when we are attacked.

There are three things I want to focus on and a few questions I want to ask based on the passage from Nehemiah:

1. Notice the first response of Nehemiah and the men when the enemy was planning to attack. They prayed. “But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.” (Verse 9)

   They did not try to fight back on their own fleshly strength but instead went first to God. When we are being attacked, or if we see the enemy setting up an attack our first response should be prayer. This is how we directly communicate with God and ask for the things we need at that time.

   
   

2. We need to know that God is actively fighting for us. He did not send us into a battlefield by ourselves, but He is with us wherever we are because His Spirit dwells in us. In verse 15 we see that, “God had frustrated their plan.” And going to verse 20 we can observe that Nehemiah has confidence that, “Our God will fight for us.”

   Knowing that God is in control and is actively fighting on our behalf, can empower us to stand firm in the truth of His word and character. This can take away any fear or burden that we must win this battle all on our own. God is with us always! Although we are in a battle against the enemy we do not need to fear him, but instead have confidence and trust that God is in control and is actively fighting on our side.

   
   

3. They were ready for battle against the enemy at all times. In verse 17 we can see that the men rebuilding the wall, “took their load with one hand doing the work and the other (hand) holding a weapon.” And in verse 23 I prefer the NASB translation the best “each took his weapon even to the water.”

   Yes, God is fighting on our behalf and there is no victory without Him. At the same time, we still need to be ready to enter into this battle fighting alongside God, warring against the enemy. I believe the application for us is to carry our weapon with us. What is our weapon of warfare? “The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). If we are truly in a battle against a real enemy, it would be foolish of us to not have our armor on and our sword in hand. Even if we are working or going to get a drink of water. Being prepared with our sword is the first step. The next, is learning to swing the sword. God did not give us this sword to sit at our side and “look cool.” He gave it to us to fight a very real battle against the enemy. We can have this sword with us but if we do not use it, it will be of no benefit to us. Jesus gives us a perfect example of using this sword in Matthew 4 when He is tempted by the enemy he quotes scripture (in the right context) to fight back. When we swing the sword of the Spirit against the enemy it pierces Him. This is a real weapon that can do real damage in the spiritual realm even if we cannot see it physically. We must carry our sword with us and ask God to teach us how to swing/wield it.

   
   

There are two practical applications and a key question I want us to bring before God:

How do I carry the Sword of the Spirit with me and use it?

1. Carrying the Sword:

   Carry a physical Bible with you EVERYWHERE you go. Just as the people rebuilding the wall carried their weapons with them at work, and to the water, I believe we need to ask God to give us a heart to do this. Leading us to the action of always keeping our sword with us. Maybe that is bringing it in your car and reading it in those moments you have by yourself. It could be getting a pocket size Bible and keeping it in your purse or pocket wherever you go. Another way to carry the sword with us is to memorize scripture; this way with or without our physical Bible we can fight against the enemy with God’s Word and power.

   
   

2. Swinging the Sword:

   Learning to swing this sword against the enemy can be just as important as bringing it with us. What good is carrying the Sword with us if we don’t use it? Don’t just bring a physical Bible with you but read it when you have opportunity, or when you sense the enemy attacking quote the scriptures God has led you to memorize. We may not be perfect at this, but God can teach us to use this weapon. Let us be those who use the weapon God had blessed us with in this battle against the enemy.

   
   

I would encourage you to pray and find a scripture to memorize this week, these are four that have helped me in this battle against the enemy:

1. John 10:10 NIV “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

2. Romans 8:31 NIV “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

3. 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

4. Psalms 23:1 NASB “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

   
   

The Key Question:

God what are you calling to me to do in this battle against the enemy? (Praying first, knowing God is with us, carrying and swinging the sword.)