Nehemiah 4:17
Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The account of Nehemiah, from which today’s verse is taken, followed the rebuilding of the Temple which is detailed in the Book of Ezra led by Ezra the priest as the people of God began to return to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah and those with him, are now rebuilding the wall around the city to protect it from those who would tear down the work of God!

There are always those who would tear down the work of God, and always led, even if they are unaware of it, by that old devil, the father of lies. That enemy, Satan, ever since the Garden goes about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. {1Pt.5:8} His rebellious evil eyes are now fixed on you and I desiring to destroy the glorious gift freely given through the work of Jesus on the cross. So, as Peter also wrote in his first letter, we need to humble ourselves and stand firm in our faith. And then, always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. {Heb.12:2}

"Always" is the word that brings us back to the Book of Nehemiah where the faithful people of God were always on the alert and always armed and equipped for the battle. They had the tools for the work of repairing the wall but never let go of the weapon! Every believer has a weapon, a divinely powerful weapon. {2Cor.10:4} It is the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit {Eph.6:17} And there is nothing that the enemy wants to do more than to disarm us. He is however powerless to take it from you so he must convince us to lay it down, to put it aside.

The devil has been defeated and cannot take that sword from you, he is a con man and will try every lie in his evil being to talk us into giving it up! Remember the very first attack when he came to the woman in the Garden saying 'Has God really said' calling His word into question! I am put in mind of Bernie Madoff, an American financial criminal, who in 2008 was arrested then convicted and imprisoned for stealing many, many billions of dollars from individuals and organizations (including a number of ministries) not by sticking a gun in their faces but by convincing them to just give it to him!

The last thing that Satan the god of this present world {2Cor.4:4} wants is for you to show up in the workplace, with God’s Word, sharper than any two edged sword. {Heb.4:12} As in the time of Nehemiah, Satan fears a warrior worker who has a rightly balanced mind to work as then {Neh.4:6} and at the same time carrying the one weapon that can always defeat him.

When that old serpent, the original con man, was bent on defeating Jesus in the wilderness and finally brought out his big gun, riches and prosperity, the Lord responded in the same way He had to the previous temptations—with the Word:

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.'" (Matthew 4:8-10)

BE ON THE ALERT AT ALL TIMES, PRAYING