Arguments That Keep You Paralyzed
VERSE:
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
Nehemiah 4:1-6
INTRO / DISCUSSION:
The enemy wants to place arguments in your mind to convince you that God isn’t in control. Our greatest battlefield in our minds, we need to learn to hold our thoughts captive according to the Word. The greatest trick of the enemy is arguments and he uses arguments to convince you that a lie is a truth. These arguments are oftentimes paralyzing to the human mind.
In the story we’re studying today we see Sanballats’ (enemy of Gods’ people) reaction to what was happening, and how we allow the spirit of Sanballat to often overcome us.
5 arguments used by Sanballat:
You are weak- that's the first argument that will come to mind, you will never finish what God has called you to do, but the reality is that if God called us he will equip us- that’s faith. *Greater is He who is within us.
The People will not accept you- God can change the opinion of the crowd, but if He doesn’t it doesn’t matter. We need to learn to rejoice in knowing that we are where God has called us to be, not in how many people are applauding you.
It’ll take too much time- The enemy tells you false deadlines so you will get discouraged that it didn’t happen by a certain time, but God never said that.
The Damage is irreversible- That is a flat out lie. Don’t get discouraged, God can do anything.
Maybe you’ll make it, but you’ll just mess up again- Fight your battles in the Spirit! Instead of fighting with people, take it up with God.
PRAYER
Salvation Prayer.
Courage to let go of the spirit of Sanballat and grow in God’s purpose.