Tuesday - The Enemy Sends Words First

"And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
- Nehemiah 4:2

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” -Proverbs 18:21


Sanballat could have sent an army. He had one. He could have moved against the wall with soldiers and weapons. But notice what he reaches for first: words. Mockery. Ridicule. He stood before his brothers and the army of Samaria and performed. He was not just venting frustration; he was conducting a calculated assault designed to stop the work before it could be stopped by force.

The British critic Thomas Carlyle once called ridicule "the language of the devil," and Scripture backs him up. James says the tongue is like a fire. Proverbs says words can pierce like a sword. And somewhere along the way, most of us were taught that sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us. That is simply not true. Words get inside you. And sometimes they stay there for years.

Words can discourage. Words can distract. Words can make you doubt what God already told you to do. That is exactly why the enemy uses them: not because they are weak, but because they are effective. Before he ever attacks what you are doing, he attacks who you are. Before he challenges the wall, he challenges the builders. It is the oldest strategy in the book.

Reflect:

What is the difference between constructive criticism that sharpens you and mockery that is meant to stop you?

-              How can you guard your heart against words that are designed to discourage rather than redirect?