Hope in the face of discouragement from Dr. Michael Youssef.
Next on Leading the Way Audio. As I travel across this land, I meet a lot of discouraged people. He'll come to me and say, Do you know what's the use? People ready to quit. Please, please learn from Nehemiah and his team.
If you were tempted to give in to discouragement, but made a choice to persevere. God has a unique blessing with your name on it after you stand. We all know that discouragement has a way of sneaking into the rooms of our lives and inviting overwhelming darkness to join. Today on Leading the Way, tools that Satan uses to weaken your faith, specifically discouragement and distraction. Leading the way is a listener-supported media ministry, relying on God's provision through your faithful prayers and generosity.
Learn more. Go to ltw.org or call us. Speak with a ministry representative at the call center. 866-626-4356. Right now though, listen with me as Dr.
Michael Youssef begins today's Leading the Way.
Now, look at verse one of Nehemiah four. When Sambalat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and he was greatly incensed and he ridiculed the Jews. You remember when we met Sambalat, we knew his trouble with a capital T. It really was. Let me tell you about it.
Sambalat was a Samaritan from the town of Horon. Yeah. He And the Amorites and the Ammonites and all the mosquitobites. were hired by the occupying force, first the Babylonians and then the Persians that were occupying Israel. In order to humiliate Israel, they brought these guys who hated Israel and made them give them official titles.
the maximum charge.
Now Being a Samaritan, you remember in the New Testament, the Samaritans and the Jews? That's why the story of the Good Samaritan is such a powerful illustration. Being a Samaritan, He wanted all of the pork that's coming out of Washington, D.C., to go to Samaria. But back then they did not call it Washington DC, they call it SASA. He did not want to go there to Judea.
He wanted to come to Samaria.
Some Balat assembled a motley crew. You got an Ammonite, you got an Arab. And you got a a real interesting group of people here. For what purpose? Why did he assemble this motley crew?
For one purpose only, and that is to jeer, to insult, to mock, to ridicule, and to intimidate the people of God. It's that simple. Right now In America, there is an unholy alliance between all of the haters of the Christian faith. Unholy alliance against Those who love the Lord Jesus. The attack is so relentless that it swept some of so-called evangelical pastors off their feet.
It really has. Here's how it goes. They say there is a need to erase the distinction between the church and culture. The church should not be at enmity with culture. We need the church to be accepted and well viewed by culture.
And therefore the church Should be just Like another institution. In other words, They have fallen into the trap of thinking that they can convince the sambalots of this world to stop mocking, intimidating, and jeering the church. My beloved friends, please listen to me. If we erase the distinction between the world and the church, we have erased everything that makes the church to be the church of Jesus Christ. We need to take a stand.
regardless of the cost. Listen carefully, please. What will I say to my Saviour on the day of the White Throne Judgment? The day of accountability. And we're going to account not just for where we stood, but for every idle word that came out of our mouth.
Please think long and hard about this. Today, we have so many sambalats. In fact, we have an army of sambalats. that are going and combing every corporation and company in America and finding out anybody who ever took a stand, even the CEOs, and they get fired. Send the news.
We have an army of sambalots at every professional. Sports arena. They're looking. Anyone who takes a stand for Christ. We have an army of sambalats within the military.
Look what they do to a chaplain who dares to name the name of Jesus. We have some balats on every university campus. There's an army of them. There are some balats in every School campus. And the natural thing Now, you notice I said the natural thing because there's a world of difference between the natural thing and the supernatural thing.
The natural thing is to be discouraged and give up. Because that's exactly what the enemy wants you to do. I can't do this. I can't stand. I'll let go.
What did Nehemiah do in the face of discouragement? Look at verse 9. He said, we pray to our God. How many times, I didn't count, how many times they said when we got into trouble, we prayed to our God. We pray to our God, the God, an awesome God.
We pray, and then posted guards. And the night and the day. to meet this threat. The Bible said, beloved, listen to me: that we are to watch and pray. Prayer is never an excuse for doing nothing.
We have to watch and we pray. We are to guard and petition God at the same time We are to be vigilant But on our knees. We are to stand up. Stand out and kneel down, all at the same time. Look at Satan's weapons of discouragement.
Verses 10. all the way to 14. Follow with me. He said the strength of the laborers is giving out. And there's much rubble.
And we can't rebuild the wall. They got halfway through halfway point of building the wall halfway. Halfway. Remember that. Halfway.
And they got discouraged. They were discouraged because of the debris, or just too much of it, the enormity of the task. They got discouraged because of the jeering of the enemy. And to top it all, they began to be able to do it. lose heart.
Yeah. Let me tell you something about myself. I don't like to talk about myself, but I'll tell you something. I have experienced severe discouragements. And I'm not talking about just some disappointments.
I'm talking about severe discouragement.
So I'm an expert on the subject. Whatever stage you're in, I can help you. I know what discouragement, severe discouragement, is like. And discouragement comes in many shapes and forms. What discourages you might not discourage me, and what discourages me might not discourage you at all.
But discouragement is Satan's most effective tool against the believers because that's how he gets you to surrender. particularly those who have just had A high spiritual experience. Particularly, those who have just come from a mountaintop experience. Watch out! That's the time.
That's the time. You remember in 1st Kings chapter 18 and 19? I mean Elijah was literally Had a mountaintop experience. And there on Mount Carmel, he called upon the Lord, and the Lord supernaturally sent fire from heaven, lacked everything in sight. destroyed all of the Prophets of Baal.
Mountaintop experience on spiritual high. And then you read A few verses down the road, he says, he had his head between his knees and says, God, kill me. I don't want to live anymore. Same thing happened with Jonah. God had to deal with him.
Finally, he said, Okay, I'll go and God sends him to Nineveh and he conducts so God uses him to conduct one of the greatest revivals in all of history. And in chapter 4, verse 3, He prays all. O Lord, take away my life. For it is better for me to die than to live. Be careful with the mountaintop experience and the spiritual high.
Now here is a fact. We all face discouragement at some point or another. But if you surrender to the spirit of discouragement, you rob yourself of hope. If you surrender to Satan's will in your life, you will miss out on the blessings that can only come. After You're taking a stand.
As I travel across this land, I meet a lot of discouraged people. People come to me and say, You know, what's the use? I can't go on. I mean, it's just the pressure is so severe. I hear it all the time.
People are ready to quit. Please, please learn from Nehemiah and his team. If you were tempted to give in to discouragement, but made a choice to persevere. God has a unique blessing. with your name on it.
After you stand. See, God gave them the courage that they needed, and God wants to give you the courage that you need, no matter. What you're going through, no matter how you might feel right now, no matter how dejected you might be right now, no matter where you are, he wants to encourage you. But I want you to listen very carefully. I don't believe for a moment that the Lord wants you to put on a happy face and mask your discouragement.
That is not In the scripture. I am not even suggesting that you try to ignore your discouragement because ignoring discouragement in your life. can be no more ignored than the gauge of the gasoline in your Car. No matter how much you ignore the sauna says, empty tank. It's not going to give you more gas.
If you keep on accelerating and pushing hard, ain't going to put gas in your tank. God does not say to us, Oh. Even though your tank is empty, Pretend that it's full. No, God wants to fill your spiritual tank with encouragement. We see it right here in the scripture.
And that's what God did in Nehemiah. He did this to the team, to Nehemiah himself, and to the others. Look at this example. First of all, Nehemiah recognized that the folks were stretched. to the limit.
to the breaking point. Yeah. They were discouraged. Nehemiah realized that the folks have lost sight of the vision. They took their eyes of the awesome God and placed them on the rubbles.
An ensemble that They have taken their eyes off the vision of rebuilding the wall. All they could focus on is that rubble. and the taunting of the enemy. Have you ever done that? Have you ever taken your eyes Of the vision that God has given you for your life, a vision that He placed in your heart the day you came to Jesus and gave your life to Christ, and He placed that vision in your heart of reaching the lost, equipping the saints.
And you begin to focus on the problems. Here is a fact. Problems will always be with us. Every one of us will face them. But if you get sidetracked Into the what program?
Who's doing what? And who's doing where? And who's doing that? And who's doing the other thing? you're going to get discouraged.
But focus on how heaven rejoices. Every time you're an instrument of bringing someone to the Lord. Yeah. Focus on the joy of heaven when you do not come to church alone, but bring somebody with you to hear the gospel. Focus on how pleased the Lord is every time you restore the fallen.
Focus on how God is honored when you lift up the weak and disciple the willing and help the needy. Yes, to the next one. As you do that, And the problem's going to appear to be nothing but a smokescreen. There's something else here. In fact, there are two things that I want to share them with you.
The first thing here is in verse 10. The worst part of discouragement Came from the tribe of Judah. Say, what's so big about that? That's huge. That's a biggie.
This is not a small potato. This is a big kahuna. This is the leading tribe of Israel. Yeah. There's one thing when all those mosquito bites are jeering you and mocking you and trying to discourage you, it's another thing your own leadership begins to surrender to discouragement.
When that happens, a nation is in double trouble. When the people you count on and look up to become wobbly at the knees, When your hearers begin to faint from discouragement, Oh Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. These folks Reached the halfway point, according to verse 6, halfway. Halfway is always a dangerous point.
Did you know that? Halfway. It's a danger point. And that is why they call it midlife crisis. Yeah.
Here's the good news. Here's the good news. Listen carefully. Wherever you are today, wherever you are, Wherever you are, listen to the voice of God saying to you, trust me. Have confidence in my power.
Hang on to my promises. I'll never leave you nor forsake you. I will deliver you from your trouble. All of your trouble. That someone may say, Well, Michael, I'm really having difficulty hearing the voice of God.
I don't hear God. His voice is muffled because of all the other voices that I'm hearing. And in addition to that, that makes it worse, is that God always speaks softly. Did you know that? Seldom do you ever hear God shout.
And so, today I want you to quieten your heart. quiet in your heart right now, whatever you are. And say to him, Lord. Speak to me. Speak to me.
Now, here's the second thing that I don't want you to miss. It's of uttermost importance. I don't want you to miss it. It's hidden. In the text, and you could easily miss it.
Verse 12. Nehemiah said that At that time, the Jews who were living nearer to the enemy Don't miss that. those who were living closest to the enemy. came from all directions and they said to us how many times Did you get that? How many times?
Ten times. Ten times. I mean, he's making the point. This was not just once or twice, ten times. Take care.
Again and again and again and again, and they said we are discouraged. Question. Who were the most fearful of the Jews? Where did they live? Nearer to the enemies.
It is still true today. I know it experientially. It is still true today. When you live closest to the enemy, When you are flirting with the enemy, When you are fraternizing with the enemy, When you get cozy with the enemy, You will be the most discouraged when the enemy attacks you. Nehemiah said Don't be afraid of them.
Remember the Lord, the great and awesome. And so fight for your brothers, fight for your sons, fight for your daughters, fight for your wives, fight for your homes. Here's a reading assignment if you're looking for one. Read this. CHAPTER in Isaiah Once a week.
Isaiah 53. and every time you get discouraged. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrow, and familiar with suffering. Read it often.
Again and again. God knows your discouragement, God knows your fears, and He has cure for both. Nehemiah did something else. Verse thirteen: He posted people in groupings of family. Nothing Help you overcome discouragement, like being a member of the family of God.
Are you ready to overcome discouragement? Are you ready to rebuild?
Well, look what Nehemiah did, verses 15 all the way to the end, 23. They were building and defending Both at the same time. The sword was in one hand and the trowel. Any other? They were doing both.
Unfortunately, I meet a lot of people who always. Repeat this mantra. And when I tell you, you'll understand. We don't need to talk about what we're against, we need to talk about what we are for. Wonderful, sounds great, right?
But under the guise of the stuff I have seen with those eyes many Christians refuse to battle with the sambalats of secularism and the tobias of immorality and the geshems of false religions. They just want to hold hands and sing kumbaya. Nothing wrong with that. As long as in the other hand you have the sword. If Nehemiah teaches us anything, he teaches us that we must do both.
We cannot create this false dichotomy between watching and praying. We must not create this false dichotomy between defending and working. Otherwise, these folks who refuse to stand sooner or later, and I've seen it, sooner or later they become casualties in the spiritual war. Let me illustrate what I'm trying to say. True story.
about a football legend. By the name of Reggie. White. Sadly, The year 2004, he died of lung disease. He was an amazing human being.
And he was called the Minister of Defense. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. And the reason he had this title Is because he was a committed minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But he also was a defensive end. for both Eagles, the Feld and the Packers.
During one of those games Whondridge was playing for the Eagles. He was rushing through the offensive line. Play after play after play. The offensive lineman that was assigned to Reggie could not even slow him down, let alone stop him. Mm-hmm.
And Reggie ran over His opponent leaving him on the ground. flat on his back. After the play, Reggie rushes back to his opponent on the opponent team, and he put his hand out to him. He pulled him up. And he said, Jesus loves you.
And I love you too. But man, you better learn how to block.
Okay. You better learn how to block. Because my beloved friend, listen to me, listen to me. This is same true for you and for me today as God's people. We better learn how to block.
It is not enough to know how to rebuild. We better learn how to block. Block for your family, block for your children. Block for your faith, block for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, block for the church of Jesus Christ. We'd better learn how to block because we have a three-fold enemy: the world, the flesh, and the devil, and they're all conspiring against us.
We'd better learn how to block because there is a moral and spiritual Murphy's law which says if we permit an opening of anything to go wrong in our spiritual lives, it will go wrong. And that is why Nehemiah said, were scattered.
So when you hear the trumpet, Rally. Rally to us. There, our God will fight for us. This is true. back in the time of Nehemiah, as it is true in the twenty first century.
We need to rally together. To pray together. to fight together. Because that way God will do the fighting for us. Amen.
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