Pray to Stand against the Frustration of the Enemy regarding the Building of the Church

We need to pray to stand against the frustration of the enemy regarding the building up of the church as the kingdom of God, the city of God.

As the Jews were rebuilding the wall of the city in the time of Nehemiah, there was great opposition and frustration; on the one hand, they were building, and on the other hand, they were fighting, for the building up of the church as the kingdom of God requires spiritual warfare.

The things that happened to the people of Israel are a type of our Christian experience both personally and corporately today.

This week we come to another wonderful crystal, a crucial point, in the book of Nehemiah.

We will focus on, Building and Fighting – the Need to Engage in Spiritual Warfare for the Building of the Church.

We believers in Christ are not merely individual Christians; we are members of the Body of Christ, and our building up the church as the house of God and as the kingdom of God requires spiritual warfare, which is in the Body.

The spiritual warfare required for the building up of the church is not personal but corporate, that is, we fight in the Body, as the Body, and for the Body.

And for this we need training; just as in physical warfare, those who fight need to have the proper training, so in spiritual warfare we need to be trained so that we may be able to fight.

If we read Nehemiah chapter four we will be impressed not only with the matter of building the wall but also with the fight that was involved in doing this.

The enemy is relentless, seeking to discourage, dishearten, and therefore stop the building work.

He changes his tactics and strategies, but if we remain in the Body and build in the Body, each one building his own portion of the wall while being ready to fight, the Lord will prevail.

We need to read the Bible and be enlightened by the Lord to see what does it mean for us to build the wall, to build a great and high wall to protect the church and the interests of God.

May we all have a heart to work, and may we not be discouraged when we see and hear the opposers persecuting us, mocking us, and speaking evil things about us and about the work we are doing.

The enemy wants to come in and destroy us so that the building work of the wall may be stopped; if we see his tactics and stratagems, we can stand in the Body one with the Head and continue to build and to fight.

Thank the Lord, He will give us the victory; we only need to stay open to Him and in one accord with the saints.

Even the counsel of the enemy will be exposed, and the Lord will overthrow it.

We may be separated and apart from one another, but we build the wall and we fight, and when we hear the sound of the trumpet, we get together where the trumpet is sounded so that we may fight for our brothers and sisters, for our family, and for the Lord’s interest. Amen!

As local churches, we build up the wall, each one in his own part, and we stand with all the other local churches, having our ears attuned to the speaking of the Spirit so that we respond to the trumpet sound and defend the Lord’s interest on the earth. Amen!

Seeing the Frustration of the Enemy regarding the Rebuilding of the City as seen in Neh. 4

Nehemiah chapter 4 describes the frustration of the enemy regarding the rebuilding of the city.

The rebuilding of the wall of the city was a type of the building of the church as the kingdom of God; when the enemy hears that we in the church life build the wall, he is enraged, and he’s doing his best to frustrate the building work.

The enemies of Israel became angry and greatly enraged; they mocked the Jews and despised their building work (Neh. 4:1-3).

They were angry because they saw that the building work was advancing; so they conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem (vv. 7-8).

Nehemiah heard about this, and he trusted in God by praying that God would return their reproach upon themselves.

Therefore, the Jews build the wall, for they had a heart to work (vv. 4-6).

We need to realize like Nehemiah did, that we cannot be ruled by fear.

Yes, the enemy is attacking and conspiring to attack, but we trust in the Lord.

Indeed, there is a clear frustration of the enemy regarding the building up of the church, but we trust in the Lord, not in our power or skill.

Any believer who is under the rule of fear of anything is totally disqualified from warfare.

Yes, the enemy may attack our health and other aspects of our living and being, and we need to take care of medical matters, etc, but we cannot be ruled by fear.

We are ruled by God Himself; we trust in Him, and He is our peace.

The Jews prayed to their God, and under Nehemiah’s instruction and direction, they set a watch against the enemy day and night.

They didn’t just trust in God and went on working to build the wall; they set a watch against the enemy to make sure they are aware when the enemy attacked.

We trust in God, but we also prepare for battle.

Building the wall of the city, building the church as the kingdom of God, requires and involves spiritual warfare; we need to be ready to build and fight.

The Jews were ready to fight with weapons under the encouragement of Nehemiah, who instructed them to remember the great and awesome Lord and to fight for their families (v. 14).

Remember what the Lord has done for us. Trust in Him. And fight for your families, your church, and the Lord’s interest. And the Lord is with us. Amen!

As it regards Nehemiah, half of his servants laboured in the work while the other half held weapons, ready to fight (v. 16).

The children of Israel were prepared to fight, and on the other hand, they trusted in God, believing that He would fight for them (vv. 9-23).

On one hand, we need to trust in God, and on the other hand, we need to be ready to fight for the building up of the church as the city of God, the kingdom of God.

Nehemiah was the commander-in-chief; however, he was also among those who were ready to fight against the enemy.

He took part in the night watch and didn’t leave these matters to others but participated in them himself (vv. 17-23).

He was a pattern to those around them, not merely giving instructions and telling them what to do but he applied himself to the building work and the fight.

May we see the frustration of the enemy regarding the building of the church, and may we stand against him in prayer.

May we learn from his example and be those who are not afraid of the enemy’s attacks and conspiracy to attack but trust in the Lord and give ourselves to the building work, being ready to fight for the Lord and for the brothers.

And may we not only know this and tell others to do this but give ourselves to enter into the building work and do the fighting with the saints so that the church as the city of God may be built up and the Lord may gain His kingdom on the earth.

Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You to build up the church as the city of God. Amen, Lord, we look to You and we trust in You concerning every detail of the building. We do not look at the enemy’s attacks and his conspiring to attack; we look to You and we stand one with You and one with the saints. Keep us in the Body, one with the saints on the local ground, building and fighting for God’s kingdom. Keep us in a spirit and atmosphere of prayer, building the church and fighting for the church in the Body. Amen, Lord, we remember and appreciate all that You have done in us and for us, and we trust in You. You are the victorious One, You have won the victory, and we stand in Your victory until Your kingdom comes. Grant us a heart to work for the building up of the wall in the church. We give ourselves to the building and the fighting work, standing with You and with one another in the church as the kingdom of God!

Seeing the Need for Spiritual Warfare for the Building of the Church as the Kingdom of God

Just as in the days of Nehemiah, today the Lord desires to have a built-up church not only as the house of God but also as the kingdom of God.

On one hand, we need to build up the church as the house of God for Him to have a dwelling place; for this, we need to take, enjoy, and experience Christ as our life.

On the other hand, we need to build the church as the kingdom of God, the city of God, for HIm to have a realm to rule and reign; for this, we need to take Christ as our Head.

Satan has one goal in mind: to fight against God’s building.

As seen in Neh. 4, the enemy conspires, plans, and tries his best to attack, discourage, and dishearten the saints from doing the building work.

He has wiles and tactics, temptations and corruptions, and his unique goal is to fight against God’s building.

He wants to frustrate, withstand, damage, and destroy the building of God.

May the Lord show us the frustration of the building up of the church as the city of God.

Many believers in Christ who love the Lord and have a pure heart in seeking Him realize that there’s a spiritual warfare going on.

They sense in their spirit that, in every step of their Christian life, there’s a spiritual warfare taking place.

In the church life in particular we sense from the depth of our being that every step of God’s recovery involves attacks from the enemy of God.

In every step that the Lord wants to take in us and among us, there’s spiritual warfare.

But not many have seen that there’s a need for spiritual warfare in order to realize the divine building.

We need to see the need for spiritual warfare for the building up of the church as the city of God, the kingdom of God.

Neh. 4:23b says that each had his weapon in his right hand; in one hand they had a building tool, and in the other hand they had a weapon.

This is our situation today; on one hand, we have a tool to build up the church, and on the other hand, we have a weapon to fight against the enemy.

Even in the smallest matters of our daily life, the enemy is attacking, seeking to destroy the wall, the church as the kingdom of God.

There needs to be a constant alertness to the attacks of the enemy; there needs to be prayers going on day and night in all the different time zones by the discerning saints, for the enemy to be pushed back.

There are more and more saints who are discerning the situation and are watchful, being responsive and praying concerning what they have discerned. The Lord will bring this forth.

Our trust is not in ourselves but in the Lord; He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

As He is working in us and among us, we trust in Him and turn to Him in all things, for He will equip us, qualify us, and fight in us.

We need to have faith to believe that on our level, wherever we are, in whatever stage of the building of the wall, we will have to engage in fighting for building.

But it is our God who is fighting for us.

He is the commander in chief, and He fights in us, with us, and among us, until the church as the city of God is fully built up, and He has a kingdom to return.

One of the greatest frustrations to the building work of the wall of the city is the many elements, influences, and things in Christianity today, which are not only outside of us but inside us and among us.

There are the “customs of the nations” that we still have, and the enemy has a way to attack the church through these customs.

When Nehemiah built the wall with the people, Sanballat and Tobias constantly opposed him (Neh. 2:19; 4:1-8; 6:1-9).

May the Lord show us the frustration of the enemy regarding the building up of the church.

We all need to rise up to see this light and struggle to fight; our attitude in the church life needs to be one of fighting.

We may not serve with our full time but we may have a job, a family, and many responsibilities; even in this, we need to be for the Lord and fight for His interest.

We need to have an attitude of fighting. We need to see the need for spiritual warfare in the building up of the church as the kingdom of God.

No matter where we are, who we are, and how far along we are in the building work of the wall, we need to stand with the Lord and with the saints to both build and fight.

If we do this, the Lord will bless us, and He will have a way among us until He returns with His kingdom on the earth.

May we look not at the frustration of the enemy but to the Lord and to the Body so that He may have a prevailing way among us for His building.

May we open to the Lord concerning this and tell Him,

Lord Jesus, grant us to see the need for spiritual warfare for the building up of the church as the city of God for the kingdom of God to come in. We give ourselves to You, Lord, to be trained and equipped to fight the spiritual warfare. We want to build the church and fight for Your interests so that You may gain a kingdom on the earth. Grant us to be on alert concerning the stratagems and attacks of the enemy. May we see the frustration of the enemy to the building work. Keep us in the Body, praying one with You and one with the saints to withstand the enemy in the Body so that the building work may prevail. Amen, Lord, may there be prayers rising up day and night in all the different time zones and the many local churches to fight the enemy and push back his attacks. Gain many saints who are watching and discerning. Gain many who are responsive to what they have discerned of the spiritual warfare and pray the prayers You need for the enemy to be pushed back and the building of the church to be completed!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by Ron Kangas in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Nehemiah, msg. 1 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (2022 winter training), week 9, entitled, Building and Fighting – the Need to Engage in Spiritual Warfare for the Building of the Church.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Fight the battle in the Body, / Never fight it on your own; / With the Body to the Head joined, / Fight the battle on the throne. / For the Body is God’s armor, / Not for anyone alone; / When you wrestle in the Body, / All its benefits you own. (Hymns #885 stanzas 1-2)
  – The churches are the Body / Of Christ on earth today. / They are His testimony, / That He may have a way. / They are the golden lampstands / In cities far and wide. / They are His fighting army, / And His beloved Bride. / The churches, the churches, / Upon the earth today; / Lord, stir our hearts for Thy desire, / And build us, oh, build us, / Lord, we pray. (Hymns #1265 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Fight, saints, for Jesus our Lord! / Take in His life, stand in one accord! / Never fear God’s enemy; / Tread on his head triumphantly! / Pray that the daily church life be strong, / That all the saints in spirit press on, / Fighting as the one new man, / Fulfilling our Lord’s great plan! / (Glory! Hallelujah!) (Hymns #1283)