Wednesday - He Always Attacks Who You Are First

"Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.”
- Nehemiah 4:3

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
- Isaiah 41:10


Sanballat's assault on the builders was systematic. He attacked from every direction. He went after their identity, calling them "feeble." He went after their competence, mocking whether they could ever finish. He went after their resources, pointing to the burned and broken stones. And then Tobiah stepped up and attacked the finished product before it even existed. Four angles. One goal: get them off the wall.

Notice where Sanballat started: not "what are they building?" but "what are these people?" He wanted them to see themselves through his eyes before they ever had a chance to see themselves through God's. That is still the enemy's primary strategy. If he can get you to accept a diminished view of yourself, you will do the quitting for him. He will not have to lift a finger.

But God's assessment of you is entirely different. He looks at feeble people carrying burned stones and sees the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem. He looks at a shepherd boy and sees a king. He looks at a fisherman with a temper and sees the rock on which He will build His church. The enemy calls you unqualified. God calls you chosen. The question is: whose voice are you building to?

Reflect:

What labels, from others or from yourself, have made you feel disqualified from the work God has for you?

-              How does God's description of who you are in Christ differ from how the enemy has tried to define you?