From Broken to Restored: The Book of NehemiahSample

Read: Nehemiah 4:15–23; 1 Peter 5:8–11

SOAP: 1 Peter 5:8–11

Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering. And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Into the Text

The Jews had a plan to resist their enemy. They worked together, some watching and some working, but everyone was prepared to fight at any time. They knew they were not fighting alone. Nehemiah patrolled the wall and was ready to alert the people of an attack. In that instance, the people would come to help wherever the attack was, supporting and fighting for one another. We need a similar plan to resist the schemes of the enemy. We cannot do it alone.

We need our communities of believers around us, all working together to fight for one another when one of us comes under attack. Though the attacks we face will not be as obvious as the attacks on the Jews as they rebuilt the wall, we can still fight the enemy’s advances and protect our brothers and sisters in the faith.

We may not be rebuilding a physical wall in our lives, but God is always working. Whatever He is doing in your life, know this: there is a very real enemy who will do whatever he can to stop God’s work.

We must be alert and constantly aware of the schemes of the enemy of our souls, who is doing his very best to devour us in whatever way possible. In the same way the Jews were prepared for an attack by carrying around their swords and weapons, we need to be aware of and prepared for an attack as well. We do this by standing steadfast in our faith, by praying for one another, and by remaining unified as a body of Christ (Ephesians 6:10–18).

God is building His kingdom on earth, working for His glory and the good of His people. And since we are His servants, we need to be ready for an attack by the devil. We need to be alert and ready to resist the enemy through prayer and with truth at any time. The Jews rebuilding the wall suffered and struggled as they worked, but, as we’ll see soon, God surely restored them. He will do the same for us. Keep trusting Him and keep resisting the enemy.