CREED, Rebuilding Your Family FortressSample

5. Holding the Fort

Now, we are well on our way…

We realized God is calling us to take a stand in society and for our families. We have started living in obedience to His Word, took stock of what’s what in our lives, and called up a few good men to be our support system. And then we hit the wall… pun intended!

Our colleagues at work mock us when we don’t stoop to view the things and talk the way they do. Our wives get called old-fashioned by their more liberal friends for prioritizing God, family, and faithfulness. Our children may even be labelled and ridiculed at school. And the devil himself may attempt to overthrow our best intentions to raise a godly household that’s both holy and happy. The enemy will always challenge our decisions and threaten our own and our family’s well-being when we start building our lives to God’s blueprint.

We may be challenged by society because we say no to porn, teach our children to abstain from sex before marriage, tell our sons to respect women and our daughters to respect themselves, and draw a clear line on gender issues. When guiding our wives and supporting them with their struggles, instead of just letting them be and going our own way as well, the world may call us domineering, or on the other hand even, tied down. Yet, when we allow God’s Word to direct our own steps and the Holy Spirit to guide our own actions – it should intentionally flow into and influence our families as well.

When trouble came, Nehemiah “prayed to God and guarded the city day and night…” (verse 9) And then he encouraged the men of Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (Verse 14).

It will take courage from us to stay standing when our family’s spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing get threatened. It will require us to take up the responsibility of actively building what is good and true into our households, and then prayerfully guarding over our loved ones. It will take a true man to encourage his wife and children with enthusiasm to keep going strong in their faith. We will need to focus on God when we continue to work for excellence at both our jobs and families. And then we will need to remind ourselves and our loved ones that our devotion is to God and each other – and it’s within this that we can all find comfort.

Nehemiah and his countrymen were building a city wall and guarding each other’s lives at the same time. This showed everyone’s courage and sense of responsibility. Their enthusiasm led them to already have built the wall around the entire city to half its height by the time they started getting threats. With excellence they were working from early to late – all day long! Always alert and always ready… Always devoted!

This is how they held the fort at Jerusalem’s wall. This is how you too can hold the fort at your own home front.

Inspect your own walls:

1. What threats and ridicules do you see godly men and their families experience these days?

2. How have you, or can you start, to practically hold the fort in the face of these adversities?

3. What, or who, must you fully devote to God in prayer today?