Pastor Alan is on the road and you're invited. Check out pastorallen.org for more information. But if you live in the Carolinas, you're invited to a men's event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on February 27th. And if you're in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, join us at the Epic Conference open to all in late February. Plus, catch Pastor Alan preaching at Sojourn Church in Carrollton, Texas on March 1st.
All the details at pastorallen.org. Here's Pastor Alan Wright with today's blessing, a biblical, faith-filled vision for your life. You don't need to know where all the greenest fields flourish and where all the freshest waters babble and where the wisest paths run. You just need to know the shepherd. who knows all the fields and brooks and trails.
The sheep hear his voice, And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, for they do not know the voice of strangers. The words of Jesus in John 10.
So I bless you today to recognize the shepherd's voice. to hear the sound of love and truth. and to follow his every word. Little lamb, child of God, You can follow your shepherd. Every step of the way.
Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. Anyone who follows God's call and seeks to implement a God-given vision will be spiritually opposed because. It's a fight. It's a fight in the spirit. Don't be surprised by it.
Don't feel like you're failing because you're in it. don't feel like there's something wrong with you. It means you're in the will of God. if you find out you're in a spiritual fight. That's Pastor Alan Wright.
Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt. Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Nehemiah, Dreamer, Builder, Warrior, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. For a limited time, this can be yours for your donation to Allen Wright Ministries.
As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Or call 877-544-4860. Again, by phone, 877-544-4860.
More on this later in the program, but now let's get started with today's teaching. Here. is Pastor Alan Wright. Yeah. Put warriors out there.
And I looked. And arose and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people: Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome. And fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. The first thing he did was he put people Warriors in between the workers and the enemy.
There's a name for the people that stand in between the workers of the mission and the enemy. It is called an intercessor.
Someone who stands in the gap.
Someone who stands in the breach.
Someone who says the work must go on and there standing in the power of God.
So he puts intercessors, intermediaries. people in their place to do warfare as is needed. And they turned their attention to God, remember the Lord, who's great and awesome. And look at this. I want you to see this.
Remember the Lord who's great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers. Fight for your sons, fight for your daughters, fight for your wives, and fight for your homes. There's something that happens eventually inside the mature spiritual warrior that is a boldness that arises and says, I'm going to hold on to and lay claim to and fight in the spirit for what has been purchased for me in Christ. This joy is in my inheritance. This peace is my inheritance.
This call is a gift from God. This family is a gift to God. My marriage is a gift from him, and I'm going to fight for it. I'm not going to let the devil have it. It's mine.
There's something of ownership that must happen inside every Christian's heart where we who have been liberated from bondage are liberated not just to our freedom, but to take ownership in the kingdom of God. And when that gets a hold of you, down deep in your spirit, there's something defiant in you that says no to the powers of hell. And greater is he that's in you than he's in the world. And that's where triumph begins. Amen.
Fight. I've watched it so many times. I've seen great saints where the devil's been all over their marriage. And they've said, God brought us together. And I'll just meet with them and remind them how God had been in their lives, and He's great, and He's awesome, and all things are possible, and something happens.
They said, We're going to fight for this. People who have a Son or a daughter who's gone wayward and they're grieving and they're like, oh, he's lost, and they get. Hold of some intercessors to get with him and said, No, this is not this child's destiny. I'm going to fight in the spirit for this. Do not be afraid, Nehemiah said.
and remember the Lord. and fight. Verse 15, when our enemies heard. Here's the turning point, that it was known to us. and that God had frustrated their plan.
When the enemy found out that we had revelation of their plan to attack and confuse us. and that God had frustrated their plan. We all return to the wall. Each to his work. And from that day on, half my servants worked on construction, 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, and 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. and each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. and the man who sounded the trumpet. was beside me. And I said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people: the work's great.
It's widely spread. We're separated on the wall, far from one another.
Now in the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, Rally to us there, and our God will fight for us. This is the point in the spiritual battle. Where? having realized that there was great opposition, and that they had established intercessors and warriors. And they had brought their discouragements and they'd brought their frustrations to God.
But the Lord had unveiled the enemy's plans and frustrated the plan. Everybody returned back to their work. But things changed from that day on. They worked. with a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other.
And I'm talking about the times where you finally grow up enough to realize this whole deal is not going to be easy. I can't tell you how many things in my life I thought it was going to be easy. And I signed up for it because it was the call of God. And then I got in the middle of it and realized this isn't easy at all. And there's something within you that just wants to do everything you can to get back to the ease.
But you're in the middle of the call from God, you're in the middle of what He's called you to, He's moving you somewhere, He's got something for you to do in your life, and it's not easy. And when you accept that it's not easy, that's when you become a victorious warrior. And that's when you keep the sword of the spirit ready to be brandished at a moment's notice. It's not bad news to find out that in this world you'll find trouble, that Jesus told us. is just warning And reality, so that we can hear him say, but take heart, I've overcome the world.
We're not a people who have been delivered from ever experiencing trouble. We're a people who are delivered through our troubles. And so they started working. in a whole new way. But Nehemiah said, I'm going to keep the chauffeur next to me.
That's Alan Wright. and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Parents, are you ready for some good news? You can have a low-pressure, high-expectation home by God's grace. If you want your children to be their best without hounding, threatening, or pressuring them, there's good news.
God's grace works in parenting. Shame and pressure offer only fleeting motivation while creating long-term, toxic anxiety in a child's heart. But children thrive in the environment of grace.
Now, for the first time, Alan Wright has joined with his wife Anne to produce eight video sessions that blend humor, deep gospel insights, and loads of practical advice to equip parents and grandparents to raise their children in homes filled with grace and blessing. Use the videos for personal growth with your spouse or with your small group. The DVD album comes with a detailed study guide as well. When you make your gift this month, we'll send you the DVD album as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Make your gift today and start raising kids by the power.
Of the gospel. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty.
That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again. is Alan Wright.
The man who blows the trumpet is going to stay by my side. Keep the work up. But we're spread out. And there are going to be some times, Nehemiah says, where I'm going to discern it. That we need it.
and we're going to blow the chauffeur. And you'll be able to hear it all over Jerusalem. and immediately rally at that place. And we'll be together. Because there's power in being together.
We're not together all the time. But when the trumpet blows, we got to be together. We spread out during the week. but on Sunday morning, the trumpet blows. and we exalt the name of Christ.
And we remind each other who God is. And we remind each other who we are. And we remind each other of the mission that's in front of us. And we exalt him and we enthrone him in our praises. And he inhabits the praise of people.
For where two or three are gathering his name, he's in their midst. And there's something that happens in the koinonia. And there's encouragement that happens, and there's prayer that happens. And we come and we rejoice in God, our Savior, and we're strengthened. And then we go back out and work on the wall.
We need some people working, some people praying, some people working and praying, but when the trumpet blows, everybody worships. Here's some takeaways. Number one. Anyone who follows God's call and seeks to implement a God-given vision will be spiritually opposed because. It's a fight.
It's a fight in the spirit. Don't be surprised by it. Don't feel like you're failing because you're in it. Don't feel like there's something wrong with you. It means you're in the will of God.
if you find out you're in a spiritual fight. Secondly. Spiritual opposition is different than authentic critique. Because it's rooted in selfish ambition. I'm talking about Sambalat and I'm talking about hell.
rooted in selfish ambition motivated by fear and expressed in mockery. You can learn. The difference between the smell of heaven and the smell of smoke. And I like to have discerning people in my life, too. I like to have the I've got a discerning wife.
And sometimes We have to have some people that really we trust, that are discerning people. and say, let me tell you something that's going on and something is being said. Is this something from God that I need to pay attention to? Or is this just discouragement and mockery? Help me.
with your sense of smell. Thirdly, Spiritual opposition rears itself often. when we are in that vulnerable in-between place. between a vision's birth and its fulfillment. That's a vulnerable time.
And I want to say this, the very thing that hell would mock us about. Where You believe you've heard from God? and you're taking every step you know to be obedient to that call. And yet you don't have the fruit yet? Hello.
mocks in that moment. And God God by his very nature, loves it. when we live there. Because that is the place of faith. And I can't explain everything to you about why God loves faith.
But the writer of Hebrews says, without faith, it's impossible for the heart of God to be pleased. He loves that place. He loves that place where you have not yet got to the finish line, and somebody could mock you and say you're not going to make it, and yet you're having to just rely on the promise of God. He delights in that. Live there.
And Fourthly, prayer, we learn from chapter 4 of Nehemiah, is the first and best response to all spiritual opposition. Honest prayer, earnest prayer. taking the struggle to God rather than people. We're going to look more closely at this next time, but what Nehemiah doesn't do. is get reduced to the playing field that Sambalat wants to play on.
And fifthly, Once we recognize and accept that the vision's fulfillment will not be easy. We then strap on the sword of the Spirit. and stay ready for battle while we work. We've been learning how Nehemiah's story points us to the big story. Of what God's done for us in the true builder, dreamer, and warrior whose name is Jesus.
Was taken by this as my attention was drawn to it for some reason this week in Isaiah 49, the beautiful verses I often quote. The prophecy, the word of the Lord, can a woman forget her nursing child that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I'll not forget you. It's talking about how much we're on the heart of God. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
And then, this is what I noted. that I hadn't really seen before. The Lord says your walls are continually before me. Like the walls that were continually before Nehemiah. the condition of destroyed walls that moved him to fasting and prayer and daring.
And the walls that needed to be built. And I heard the Lord saying, Your walls are always before me. the security around your life. the progress of the restoration of your life. The hope and security of your life, and the dignity of your life.
Your walls are before me. Jesus came, and when he did, he looked out on the crowds, and he said that they looked harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Because he knew that the role of the shepherd is not just to lead the sheep into lush pastures, though that it is. But he knew the shepherd was a defender against predators, that the shepherd wields the staff and the rod and fights the wolf and the lion on behalf of the sheep. And that's also who Jesus is.
You're not a good shepherd if all you know how to do is lead them by the still waters. You're only a good shepherd if you also know how to fight.
Some years ago, I was preaching a series on the beauty of balance in God. And how interesting it is that we experience God in both awe and intimacy. how he is both holy and merciful. How he is This admixture and perfection of seemingly opposite attributes. And so the song, I wrote a song about it.
The chorus said, I worship you, my God, for all of who you are. the creator of the stars and the healer of my heart. And the verse is told about Jesus. intermixing these kind of scenes from Jesus' life where, on the one hand, he seemed so meek, and yet in another moment he was turning over the money changers' tables. In that line, The verse said, with fire in his eyes.
And Bennett was little, and he heard me. Writing and singing and preparing this song that we eventually did. We did this song for some years. He said, What do you mean? What does it mean?
Jesus had fire in his eyes. He might have been eight or something. I don't know. And I got ready to tell him and and his sweet mother. overheard the conversation.
and immediately stepped in and said, It means that Jesus' eyes were bright and shiny and happy. And uh I just looked at her, and I'm like, I know we don't want to subject our little boy. To anything that would make him ever feel scared of Jesus.
So she's very right about that. But I felt like in that moment I had to explain a little bit more. I don't know exactly how I said it, but I think it was something like...
Well, yes, but Bennett, it also means it's the look of the eyes of one who's very powerful and loved the church very much, and so he was going to make some people who were doing bad things get out of the church. And so later I'm singing, working on the song, and Bennett just walked through and said, I don't want to hear about the fire in his eyes. But, beloved. As you grow and mature. you do want to know there is fire in his eyes.
You do want to know that your Savior is a dreamer and a builder. and a warrior. And he lives to intercede for you. And he is strong enough to turn over every table. and he did not come with the ordinary implements of war.
But he came with love, and he fought with love, and he had defeated the devil by the giving of his own blood.
So here's your spiritual power and victory in the day of spiritual opposition. Beloved, Jesus came with fire in his eyes for you. Fire in his eyes for the condition of your walls, and he once and for all has bled and died for you.
So that you could live and be assured that greater is He that's in you than He's in the world. And so when the skunks squirm into the vision that God has given you. You might not be able to avoid them, but you sure don't have to play with them and don't pick them up and run with them. And that's the gospel. Pastor Alan Wright and our good news message: Overcoming Spiritual Opposition from the series Nehemiah.
Please stay with us. Pastor Alan is back here in just a moment, sharing his parting good news thought for the day. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's Daily Blessing.
It's free and just a click away at pastorAllen.org. I don't want to pressure my kids and I sure don't want to shame them, but I do want them to try hard and be all they can be. That's the desire of every well-meaning parent. For over a decade, Alan Wright has been teaching all over the nation about the toxic effects of shame and the amazing power of the gospel of grace to heal and set free.
Now, for the first time, Alan has been joined by his wife Anne to produce a video series about shame-free parenting. It's called Good News for Parents: Raising Grace-Filled Kids in a Pressure-Filled World. The eight DVD video sessions are chock full of humor, deep gospel insight, and loads of practical advice. Use them for personal growth or with your spouse. They're also perfect for use in your small group.
The DVD album comes with a detailed step-by-step study guide as well. When you make your gift this month, we'll send you the DVD album as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. Make your gift today and start raising kids by the power of the gospel. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer.
We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. That's eight seven seven five four four forty eight sixty. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Back here now with Pastor Alan in the studio as we come to the conclusion of overcoming spiritual opposition.
It's so good to know that the things that are, you know, seemingly over our head are under his feet. Yes. If you just, for some reason, you picked up on today's message, but you didn't hear day one, you're wondering what the skunk reference is. And it was a story of this mother of eight who came home. and walked in the house and saw five of her youngest children huddling together.
And doing something, and she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it right in the middle. There were several baby skunks. And she said, Eric to the kids, run. And they each picked up a skunk and ran. You know, you're going to face spiritual opposition.
And so they're going to be skunks in life. Just don't pick them up and run with them. Right. We're called instead to. Avoid it.
or resist it? or to take the weapons of spiritual warfare. The gospel and the very love of God, and with Jesus as your chief advocate, know that you can walk in confidence. You're going to face spiritual opposition, but it's just a sign that God's at work in and through you. Uh Thanks for listening today.
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