You MUST Be Strong!

God is Calling You to Rebuild the Walls

Too many Christians are struggling with an attitude of defeat in their Christian walk, unable to gain the victory over the enemy in areas where Jesus tells us that we have already been given the victory!

The following message is from Min. Eric Ludy entitled. "A Man of White Knuckles".

He is speaking about the prophet Nehemiah and how the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem reflects the rebuilding many Christians must still do to shore up the temple of their bodies.  That sermon is followed by an examination of the Hebrew war cry "Rak Chazak".

If you listen and really take heed to this message, it will change your life.

• Only a moment of yielding to the flesh can result in dullness & weakness of the spirit.
• You cannot afford to accept dimnishment of your spiritual life.  If you ever feel that dimness of your spiritual heart, you grip your sword harder and refuse to let go until it passes.
• The enemy is monitoring your soul, looking for a breach in the wall in which to take advantage of it.
• Your body is the temple of the Lord, but if there is not a wall built up around your temple (as in Nehemiah), the enemy will make your temple miserable.
• If you are still vulnerable to the enemy in areas of sin in spite of having a relationship with God, it is because there is a breach in your soul which needs to be fixed.

• God desires to see peace brought to your body with all enemy factions defeated.  Nothing of the enemy should be allowed to stick up its head and we should not show hospitality to any of it.
• While we may not always do this to perfection, we have been given everything needed to do this with perfection.
• We are not dependent upon our own natural strength, which is limiting.  But in the Christian life, we are cultivating God's strength.
• The sign that our walls are broken down is that we don't have the heart of God as seen in a disciplined commitment to what concerns God.
• Do we care about the welfare of God's people and the glory of our King?
• When you rise up to stand for Jesus, you allow your heart to be changed to fit God's heart.  Only then will you have the courage to seek God's glory, even at the risk of your own life.  Only then will you become a threat to the enemy.
• Most Christians have spent most of their lives being soft and are therefore unprepared to lead God's people. 
• In the book of Nehemiah, God is exposing the tactics of the enemy. Satan's strategies have not changed and always follow along the following lines (lies):
  
  
• The First Lie: It is impossible; the wall can never be built.  (Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; Luke 18:27)  
• The Second Lie: You are too weak, after all, don’t you realize that you are in captivity? (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:26, 31, 37)
• The Third Lie: All this work is for nothing; the progress you have made is not real. There is no real strength in your wall; even the slightest breeze from the enemy will knock it down. You cannot take the rubbish of your inner life and expect to revive what has already been burned. (Philippians 1:6)
• The Fourth Lie: You are too tired to continue; You need your sleep, God knows you need your sleep. (2 Corinthians 4:1; Galatians 6:9)
• The Fifth Lie: I have the power to sneak up upon you when you least expect it and wipe out everything you have done; all the spiritual steps you have taken will mean nothing when I come in the night to slay you. (James 4:7; Eph 6:13,16)
• The Sixth Lie: You are currently under enemy siege; you’d better stop working and protect yourself. (Matthew 6:33; 2 Timothy 4:18)
• The Seventh Lie: You are building this wall for your own blessing, to be your own king, to rule for your own glory. You should stop working on such a vain self-aggrandizing project. (Matthew 6:13)
• The Eighth Lie: Meet me for a coffee in Ono. I’m concerned for your well-being, and I might be of some help in your current endeavors. I know of things that you aren’t privy to know. If you listen to my counsel it will make your work go a lot smoother.  (Proverbs 8:14; 2 Corinthians 10:5)
• The Ninth Lie: You need to consider your own protection. I know of dangerous things that loom on the horizon, large enemy forces are gathering together to come against you. Go and hide.  For if you don’t concern yourself with your own safety soon, it might be too late. Listen to my counsel and you just might escape this whole matter alive. (Psalm 56:4; Psalm 118:6; Hebrews 13:6)
  
  
• The enemy is scared to death, but he doesn't want you to know that. 
• God is giving you a test that is personalized for you so that you are prepared to overcome & prosper against the battle before you.

• The enemy has no real power over you.  It is all "black magic".  The only power he has is if you believe and kowtow to his bluff, and the result is that you will not progress.
• When you disobey the word of God, you give the enemy legal access to your soul; he cannot take over your soul, but he has access and can harass you. 
• Your job is to believe and to keep moving forward, in spite of the noisy distractions of the enemy.
• Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is the equivalent of putting a watchman on the wall.
• American Christianity is so disempowered because we erroneously think that we are at a time of peace.
• You have the authority by the blood of Jesus to hit the enemy, not to simply sit back and take his hits.
• Wall builders are also active warriors who are always dressed, on guard and ready for battle.
• Are you prepared for the all out attack of the enemy when you determine to do what God calls you to do?