God’s work never advances without opposition. If you are moving forward without resistance, it means you’re walking in the same direction as the enemy. Satan always attacks those heading in a direction that threatens him and his kingdom. Seeing Jerusalem unprotected, mocked, and vulnerable to enemy attacks pleased Satan—it was a source of joy for him. Nehemiah’s arrival posed a danger to him, and he had to discourage him so that the project would be suspended.

So Satan worked through three individuals—Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab—who were commissioned by the forces of darkness to wage psychological and spiritual warfare against Nehemiah. They used mockery, threats, intimidation, false accusations, and all kinds of deceit to ensure nothing would happen.

When we talk about the economy of the Kingdom, we are talking about the reconquest and governance of the earth. We are fully aware that we must rebuild from ruins in order to bring God’s reign exponentially upon the earth. Do you think it will be easy for us? Spheres of influence such as politics, economy and finance, media, health, and education will not be handed to us based on merit. We will face adversity and opposition. People will get angry and hate us for doing things they’ve never seen before.

Scripture tells us that Sanballat was not at all pleased:

“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed.” — Nehemiah 4:1

He was angry and incensed, but what surprises me is what follows. The verse continues: “He ridiculed the Jews…” That’s strange—his inner feeling was anger, but his reaction was mockery. He masked his anger by expressing it through a completely unrelated emotion. That is the nature of hypocrites—they will never admit they’re against you, but instead will mock you under the guise of friendly banter tinged with frustration, in order to express their true feelings.

Be wary of people who pretend to support you while using mockery from time to time to discourage you from pursuing your goals. They will try to convince you that your dreams are too big and unrealistic. They will do whatever it takes to discourage you from finishing what you started.

The truth is, they are frightened by the scale of the dream God has placed in you. They know what will happen if you succeed. They may pretend to be happy or teasing, but deep down, they are afraid. Tobiah, Sanballat’s accomplice, said:

“What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” Nehemiah 4:3

It was like a simultaneous attack—from Sanballat on one side and Tobiah on the other. There was no rest for Nehemiah. Psychologically, it could have been unbearable. Facing a group of people opposing you is not easy, as their goal is to break you and make you give up. Despite all this, Nehemiah and the Israelites were not discouraged. On the contrary, they kept praying (Nehemiah 4:4) and made rapid progress in the midst of Sanballat’s demoralizing efforts—because the people had a heart to work (Nehemiah 4:6).

In the face of adversity, we must continue to pray. It is in prayer that we find the strength to carry on. It is through prayer that we are refreshed. Prayer is protection against fear and anxiety, and what I love most is that they worked while praying. They didn’t pause the construction project. I imagine them lifting stones and beams while praying, as if prayer rekindled their will to see the mission through and bring shame upon Israel’s enemies. They responded to a collective threat with united prayer, showing just how powerful and formidable united prayer can be.

Let us not isolate ourselves when we encounter obstacles. Being a true leader requires going beyond oneself. It is essential to have people around us with whom we can unite in prayer during difficult times. Alone, we may easily be discouraged and give up at the first attack—but together, we stand firm. At times, we may become discouraged and tired, especially when we are halfway through fulfilling our mission.

I want to remind us that Satan delights in unfinished work—especially that which is spiritually productive. I began writing this book in 2023, full of enthusiasm, determined to finish it in a few months. I had even created a writing plan to stay consistent. But later, I became discouraged and tired. I began procrastinating and coming up with absurd reasons to justify my lack of productivity.

Eventually, I stopped writing completely—for several long months. Deep down, I knew I had a work to complete, but something was pushing me to do the opposite. It was depressing to know the manuscript remained unfinished. I was sad. I told myself I would never finish this book, that I wasn’t capable, and that the topic was too heavy for me—so I might as well give up. After all, I thought, the book wouldn’t change anything anyway.

My friends, I assure you—Satan loves to hinder our productivity. When God places a project on our hearts, the journey between the dream and its realization is filled with obstacles. A psychological and spiritual battle begins in our minds.

Yet those deceitful manipulators did not prevail against Nehemiah. The Israelites rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem in an astounding fifty-two days. Even their enemies recognized the accomplishment as a miracle brought about not just by Nehemiah and the people of Israel, but by God Himself:

“When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” Nehemiah 6:16

Nehemiah did not allow false accusations to cloud his judgment. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were unable to stop the rebuilding of the wall.

“It must be the most thrilling experience in the world—to watch God come to your rescue after you’ve been utterly helpless. In the midst of the enemy’s relentless assault, despite the endless verbal attacks, the wall was built. While the enemy explodes—God builds.” Charles Swindoll

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE ECONOMY OF THE KINGDOM” written by Emmanuel MENIE.

We invite you to read the next article: “HAVING A HARD FOREHEAD.”

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