Tune Into God’s Voice and Tune Out the Opposition - Part 2
Last week's Part 1 post for Tune Into God’s Voice and Tune Out the Opposition focused on hearing and recognizing God amid competing voices. We began with Nehemiah and his principles for tuning into God and following His call. Similarly to radio, we can “tune in” to whichever station we choose, but it requires action on our part.
Today’s Part 2 focuses on the essential challenge of engaging in spiritual warfare and shutting down opposing voices and distractions to remain steadfast in God’s plan, drawing practical lessons once again from Nehemiah’s story.
Quick refresher: Nehemiah was called to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Hearing and recognizing God’s voice, he followed through by taking action on what he heard and boldly asked the King for permission—a risky step of obedience.
Nehemiah followed God’s direction, but still faced opposition.
Like Nehemiah, following God’s plans will attract the attention of the enemy. The devil will use anything at his disposal, such as doubt, fear, shame, etc., to stop us from following God.
A great illustration of what this looks like is the concept of “double teaming” in sports, which is where two players on one team team up against one star player on the other team. Just as star players in sports are double-teamed, stepping into God’s plans can bring concentrated and additional spiritual opposition. It is important to remember that every action we take advances either God's Kingdom or the kingdom of darkness—there is no neutral ground. When we follow God’s plan for us, we are actively waging war against the kingdom of darkness, which the devil hates.
We fully believe and agree that the enemy hates it when lost souls are found and find their savior Jesus Christ and accept him into their hearts, but it is our opinion that the devil cares less about the salvation piece and more about us walking in authority and following God's plans, because when we do, the Kingdom of Light advances and the enemy loses ground.
There is more damage done to the devil by a few believers who actively live out their faith and advance God’s kingdom, push back darkness, and spread God’s truth than there is damage done by a multitude of believers who sit on the fence, living a life of passive faith and getting caught up in the things of the world. The devil wants nothing more than to stop us from following God’s plans and to get us to sit on the sidelines with our faith, which is why he will bring so much opposition against us.
A passive faith grieves the heart of God. This is a really convicting and sobering truth when we stop to think about how well we are putting our faith into action, and when we reflect on the following scriptures:
Revelation 3:16 says, “So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
That word, “spit” in Greek is “emeo” and means to vomit forth, throw up. The word “out of” in Greek is “ek” and means away from. Those are some very serious words, and they should cause all of us to pause and think about how well we are living out our faith!
James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
When something is dead, it isn’t worth much, nor is it a threat to anyone. When our faith is passive and dead, we are not advancing God’s Kingdom, and we are of no threat to the enemy. An active and alive faith is what threatens the kingdom of darkness.
As a side note, when you face intense seasons of spiritual warfare and opposition, it may not necessarily be a sign that you are doing something wrong. In fact, you may be doing everything right, and you are experiencing retaliation from the enemy. It is always wise, though, to pray and ask for discernment for the root of what you are experiencing, so you know how to respond.
Now, let's look at some specifics from Nehemiah and see what principles we can learn about how we respond to opposition when we follow God’s plans.
With Nehemiah, the VOICES of OPPOSITION—Sanballat and Tobiah—appear for the first time AFTER work on the wall BEGINS.
Chapter 4:1-9 says. “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall!” Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.” So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.”
These enemies of Israel didn’t want the wall rebuilt. Notice that they spoke against Nehemiah only after the rebuilding had started.
The core message: Truly following God invites opposition and attacks from the enemy, which may not show up until after we have taken steps of obedience. This makes it crucial to intentionally tune in to God’s voice—above all others so that we do not lose heart and give up. AND we must remember that we have been equipped with everything we need to fight back against the enemy.
As we consider how to guard and fight back against opposition, beyond recognizing God’s voice and taking steps of obedience, we must learn how to respond when opposition arises. Nehemiah’s story gives us two strong examples of applying what Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Example 1
Nehemiah 4:16-17 says, “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.”
Nehemiah’s men took threats seriously, but remained focused on the task at hand. They worked with one hand and held weapons with the other—ready, but not seeking a fight. This urges us to pray, stay alert, and use God’s Word daily because, as Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:8, “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If we are not alert and aware of our enemy's tactics, we can fall prey to his schemes.
Example 2
Nehemiah 6:1-4 says, “Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I AM DOING A GREAT WORK, AND I CANNOT COME DOWN. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.”
This is one of our favorite passages, and it demonstrates a powerful transition from hearing to responding. Nehemiah models a biblical response: he hears the enemy but says, “I have better things to do.” Notice that Nehemiah does not simply ignore the voices of opposition; he actively speaks against them. Often, the best response to opposition is to take authority, SPEAK AGAINST IT, wielding the sword of the Spirit as Ephesians 6:17 says, pray, and stay focused.
The enemy wants so badly to distract us and get us caught up in the situation that we end up taking our eyes off the work that we were doing for the Lord because we’re more concerned with what’s happening around us. Nehemiah didn’t waste time worrying about what was happening around him, the lies that Sanballet and Tobiah were spreading, or going into fear with the threats made against his life.
Nehemiah recognized the enemy's plan of distraction and therefore was able to continue the good work the Lord called him to. When God sets before us a task, we need to understand that He’s already provided the victory over the opposition the enemy will try to bring against us. As long as our eyes are focused on Jesus, listening to what He tells us to do or not do, and continuing to do the good work He’s called us to, then the mission the Lord had us start will be completed.
To follow God, obey His voice, and tune out opposition, we must expect opposition, use prayer, scripture, and boundaries to focus, and choose God’s voice always.
Reflect deeply on your journey and make a decision to take the next step of faith—act on what God is calling you to do this week.
Are there opposing voices—your own, loved ones, enemies, or the devil—that you listen to more than God’s voice?
Are you pausing God’s work because you’re focused on opposing voices?
What does it mean for you to “labor” with a weapon in one hand and materials in the other?
What is your own “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down” moment?
We are praying for you all!
Remember: The voices you let influence you shape your spiritual effectiveness. Prioritize God’s voice, stay focused on His calling, and refuse to be sidetracked by opposition. Commit to these actions and boldly move forward to fulfill His purpose.
Prayer: Father God, I repent for times I valued other voices over Yours. You want me to listen to You above all. By Your Spirit, I can tune out opposition and follow Your plans wholeheartedly. Show me any voices I must turn from, and show me when the enemy is using a distraction tactic to keep me off course. I declare, Father, that my eyes will look straight ahead; my gaze fixed directly before me, and I will watch the path my feet are on so that all my ways will be firmly established. Thank you for your ongoing work and the plans you set for me. Equip me to fulfill them. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Ryan and Julie
