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We're continuing in the Build series today, and I want to share with you the story of Nehemiah. His life is so profound to me because I see so many similarities in my own personal journey. These Bible characters weren't so different from us—they were just people who trusted God in difficult circumstances.
I pray that when I stand before God, He will be so proud of my obedience that He uses my life as an example. I want to be like Nehemiah: someone who kept trusting God in spite of what I went through. People turned their backs, but I trusted. Things fell apart, but I trusted. I went through loss and hardship, but I trusted.
That's who Nehemiah was. God is giving us a sneak peek into his life to show us moments where he had to walk with God and trust Him no matter what. You must learn to trust God and stay with Him—no matter what you're going through.
In this Build series, our message today is simple: Don't Come Down. When God has you on assignment, when He has you in a place where you're working and focused, the enemy will do whatever he can to get you to come down. I'm encouraging you today: when you're in the place where God has for you, do not give into the temptation to come down—not for pettiness, not for foolery, not for sin, not for distraction. You must stay on assignment.
We're in Nehemiah 6:1. The enemies—Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest—when they heard that Nehemiah had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained, they began their attack.
Here's something I want to give you: sometimes you're not ready for what you're asking God for. That level of promotion comes with enemies you're not prepared to fight. You're complaining about the people fighting you at this level, but God is saying: if you're frustrated and ready to quit with just a few enemies, how will you handle it when I actually elevate you? How many people will come against you once I make you who I want you to be?
You have to show God you can be faithful in a few things before He makes you ruler over much. Once you become a ruler, you get ruler enemies. Different types of attacks. Different kinds of people doing everything they can to get you off your purpose.
But notice what they accomplished: they rebuilt the wall with no gaps. This is crucial. Walls are built before doors are established. Before you ask God for an open door, you must prove to Him you have structure. I have to build stability in my life first. God, I want an open door—but I have no structure. You can't give me an open door with no foundation.
They protected themselves by ensuring there were no gaps in the wall.
Satan loves gaps. This is where he does his best work. He doesn't like to come through the front door—that's honest entrance. He likes to come where there's a gap, a window open, a draft from the back door. He sneaks into the spots you leave just enough space for him to creep in.
This is why churches need prayer warriors and intercessors. Prayer warriors stand in the gap. Wherever they see an empty space, they say: "No, we have to cover our kids. We have to cover our pastor. We have to cover our finances." Intercessors see a gap and they step in and say, "That's my assignment."
There's always an attack on intercessors because the enemy doesn't like you. You keep covering his gaps. You keep blocking his entrances.
Ephesians 4:27 says: "Do not give the devil an opportunity." A foothold. Don't give him a foothold or opportunity. The opportunity is just the gap. You have to close off gaps because if there is a gap, he will try to get in.
Let me be real with you: if you were raised in a house where rodents got in, you start looking for gaps everywhere. You check the windows, the baseboards. You realize there's a huge gap—maybe where the dryer vent wasn't sealed around properly. And the enemy knew exactly where to come in.
Now, I'm not just talking about mice. I'm talking about the spirits you've been fighting against. They know where there are gaps in your life. They know where there are open spaces you don't even realize are uncovered, and they want to come in.
The only way to find out where gaps are is to examine yourself: Are there any gaps in my life? Are there gaps in my marriage? Is my marriage covered? I keep crying over a relationship that's uncovered, so the enemy keeps sneaking in. Are there gaps in my ministry? Maybe that's why there are so many divisions. Are there gaps when it comes to my kids? How dare I complain about what my children do when I haven't been covering them in prayer?
Are there gaps in my understanding? The enemy loves to use confusion. Are there gaps in my finances? I'm complaining I don't have enough, but have I been honoring God with what He told me to honor Him with? Are there gaps in my prayer life? A day off is a day in for the enemy.
The enemy loves gaps. He loves the things you kind of overlook and don't pay attention to. Just because something is cool doesn't mean it's functional. You may have a gap in your life.
In verse 2, Sanballat and Geshem sent Nehemiah a message asking him to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. When Nehemiah saw this, he realized they were plotting to harm him.
Here's what's powerful: Nehemiah picked up on something that was never spoken. They said the right words, but he didn't sense the right spirit. Have you ever been around people like that? They say the right words, but something feels off. You keep telling me you love me, but every time you say it, I sense an enemy is talking to me. You keep saying you did the right thing, but something tells me you're lying. You keep saying you're honest, but I keep sensing a dishonest spirit.
All they said was, "Hey bro, let's link. Let's meet up." But Nehemiah thought, "No, something about this message doesn't sit right with my spirit."
The next time somebody sends you a message, ask yourself: Is this going to help me or harm me?
We like to convince ourselves that things are innocent, but sometimes we know they aren't. Some things that seem okay can actually be dangerous. Some connections are only traps to get you off what God has for you.
Look over your life and mark which connections were actually traps. Which ones seemed good at first but ended up being dangerous? I was friends with them, but it ended so badly I don't even remember what happened—it was a trap. I thought we were cool, but really they were just leeching off me. As long as I paid for food and helped with rent, I was their friend. But the moment I needed help, they were nowhere to be found.
Some connections are traps. Some connections are only distractions. They get you off what God actually wants you focused on. It's almost like: if I can get you looking this way, I can attack you from that way. It's just a distraction.
I've learned that everything that's good ain't God. Everything that glitters ain't gold. Everything that's sweet ain't good for you. It could seem okay in the moment, but it was really just a distraction.
When God told me, "I need you alone," all of a sudden everybody wanted to connect. "Let's go out. Let's link up." God had to remind me: It's not that it's bad. I'm not saying they're bad people. What I'm saying is: don't get distracted. Right now it's just a distraction. When I say I need you alone, it's because there's something I want to share with you, something I want to show you, something I want to reveal to you. But you can't hear Me when you're connected with all these voices around you.
Some of you can't hear God because you have too many friends giving you their opinion about what they think and feel. Sometimes you have to say: "I love you, but not right now. I can't get distracted."
In verse 3, Nehemiah replies: "I am doing a great work, so I can't come down. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?"
Anybody who feels like what God has called you to do has to take a pause for them—that's playing out demonic. When you are not in your purpose, it's easy to get distracted. Let's be real: the times you were most distracted were because you didn't have anything to do. An idle mind is the devil's workshop.
When I have nothing to do, all of a sudden the flesh finds something to do. Some invitations seem more inviting. I find myself in places I had no business being.
Nehemiah said, "I'm doing a great work. I can't come down. Not right now." And here's the truth: Anytime you are accomplishing something great, the enemy is going to try to get you to come down.
Sometimes coming down is just entertaining something you know doesn't serve your purpose. Sometimes it's as simple as entertaining gossip. I know some of us say we don't gossip, but we always know everything. We don't say it ourselves—we just sit there and listen. But even entertaining mess will make you messy.
If you're around fish, you start smelling fishy.
Sometimes coming down is stooping to the level of your haters. It's stupid to lower yourself to the level of people against you. You have to stop allowing people to get you to their level.
Sometimes you just have to look at the message and ignore it. Sometimes you have to read the status and say nothing. Sometimes you have to know it's a sub-tweet and just keep scrolling. You know it's about you. You know exactly what they're trying to do. But if you respond, you're just as low as they are. You can't claim maturity while you're arguing with them on a post.
Sometimes coming down is allowing the negative behavior of other people to make us respond from an old place. This is where the real fight happens.
I don't care how saved, anointed, sanctified, or filled with the Holy Ghost you are. There are some people that if you stay around them and they keep pushing your buttons, they can get you to respond from an old place. You think, "I'm not even that person anymore." But if they keep talking like that, something in you wants to come out.
One of the things I've always struggled with is feeling disrespected. I'll be honest: I really don't care about nonsense and talk. That stuff doesn't bother me. But what does get me is feeling like I'm being disrespected. I don't do the circle-walking thing for 15 minutes. I don't need an appointed space. Either we're going to do this, or we're not. If we're not, I'm going home.
But then God delivered me. When He set me free, I'm like, "That's fine." But I learned that disrespect still has this ability to get me to respond from an old place.
I don't really care about much, but if I feel like somebody's trying to disrespect me, it would try to get me to respond from an old place. I had to fight with this. I had to war with this. And I want to be totally honest because I want you to feel okay knowing that some wars you have to fight over and over again. Some wars last longer than others.
God was challenging me to see if I had really overcome what I thought I had overcome. So now when people get disrespectful, I'm leaving. I'm in my car, and I'm boiling. I'm boiling—not because of what they said, but because I feel like I'm letting them slide. I feel like I'm letting you get away with the disrespect. Almost like you don't remember who I am.
And so I'm boiling in my car, grabbing the steering wheel, punching the console because I'm trying to overcome. But then I felt bad because I'm like, "God, I'm still angry. I'm still bothered." And God had to show me: But you had changed. The old you would have followed that anger and emotion. But the new you learned how to be angry and sin not.
The new you learned how to be angry, go in your car, and pray that thing away so you don't look how you used to look.
I'm trying to set some of you free because some of you think you're going to get to a place where you never get angry again. It's a lie. Sometimes you're going to be angry. Sometimes you're going to be frustrated. You're going to have to learn: How do I still walk in love even when I'm frustrated? Do I go railing for railing? Do I go beat for beat? Do I go punch for punch?
First Peter 3:9 says: "Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing."
Now we're talking about maturity. This is what real victory looks like. Once you say, "I've been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live," you're saying, "I want all of the old me to die."
When you want all of the old you to die, you have to say: I'm not going to return with the insult. I'm going to pay you back with the blessing. I'm going to bless you. Even though I can't stand you, it's okay. I pray you have better in your life. I never liked you, but I love you with the love of God. You're fake and phony, but I pray one day you see realness.
You have to learn: I can't go insult for insult because if you do, the enemy will always know how to get you out of your character. The enemy will always know: all I have to do is snap my fingers, have somebody insult you, and you're right back to where you said God delivered you from.
You have to get to a place where you can say: Even though I'm insulted, I've learned how to release a blessing.
This is something you have to work with. You're not going to get here overnight. But at the same time, you can't excuse bad behavior. You have to get to a place and say: Okay, I have to learn that when I'm insulted, I don't have to respond from a place the enemy wants me to respond from. I can respond with a blessing.
The scripture says: "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies."
I'm going to be real with you: nothing tempts me to speak evil more than somebody I know some crazy stuff about, and they're talking about me. Nothing tempts me more than when somebody's making a lie about me when I know the truth about them. I'm tempted now because I really want to just say, "Let's let the cats out of the bag. Let's go ahead."
But God says: No, Ken. Stay big dog. Stay good dog.
The scripture says: "Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and maintain it."
Turn away from evil and do good. So this person is doing evil, and the only way for me to really get through this is that I can't keep looking at it. If I keep reading all these posts, if I keep looking at the talk, I'll be up here every Sunday trying to defend myself. I turn away from evil and I keep doing good.
Then it says: While doing good, search for peace. Not everybody has the spirit of peace. Some people can be in church and not have the spirit of peace. They can be on the praise team and not have the spirit of peace. You actually have to search for peace.
And then—this blew my mind—you have to work to maintain it. Some of us thought that because we walk with the spirit of peace, there's no work to maintain it. But there is. It's always work to maintain peace because not everybody will have the spirit you have. And if the enemy knows he can just throw a rock anytime and get you off, he's going to keep tossing.
You have to learn that you can't keep allowing yourself to be disturbed at every rock that comes into your water. You have to work to maintain your peace.
The only reason you keep being up and down is because you thought peace was automatic now that you're saved. That's not how it works. You have the Spirit of God inside you, but even then you have to work to obey the Spirit. You have to work to follow the Spirit. You have to work to be led by the Spirit. You have to work to maintain the peace.
It's not always going to be automatic. It's not always going to be easy. But you can work it. You can learn to work it.
Nehemiah 6:4 says: "Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply."
Here's what you need to know: just because you said no this time doesn't mean the enemy isn't coming back. Just because you said no once, handled your emotions, didn't respond to the insult, didn't respond to the DM, didn't respond to the disrespect—cool, I'm finally over it. And then he says, "No, I'm coming back tomorrow."
Some fights last longer than others. There are some things in your life you're going to learn: you overcame them pretty quickly. You gave your life to Jesus and He broke this immediately, broke that immediately. And then there are other things where you hit it but it didn't break. You hit it again, and you're like: Why do I have to keep battling with this?
Because the enemy knows how you're wired. He doesn't want to give up. He wants to keep you from carrying out what God wants you to carry out.
For some of you, maybe you don't struggle with lust, but you battle with insecurity. You keep telling yourself you're good enough, you're worthy, God called you, you belong where you are. You keep fighting for it.
For some of you, it's your kids. Everything else is fine, but you keep praying over these children. You need them so badly. But God is still saying the same thing. There are some fights that don't mean you're losing. It just means you have to fight a bit longer.
Galatians 6:9 says: "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."
For some of you, the most important part of that verse is: don't get tired.
Even for me, there are seasons where it's like: Man, it's hard to not get tired. How hard is it to run for miles and then when you think you're about to stop, they say keep running and don't get tired? That's not easy.
Sometimes the hardest thing is just to not get tired. It's not getting tired of forgiving the same people. It's not getting tired of giving people all these chances when you know you've been good to them and they've been bad to you.
Sometimes it's: God, I keep planting myself. I love ministry, but doing ministry with some people is hard. Sometimes it's just that I'm not getting tired that's the issue.
I'm praying for a breakthrough when it's been three years. God, some stuff still hasn't happened. God, it's hard to not get tired.
But He reminds us: The harvest is coming. Not only is it coming, you're going to personally reap it if you don't give up.
My encouragement to you today is: You can't come down. You can't give up.
I know that sometimes on that wall it can get tiring. Sometimes on assignment it can get tiring. Sometimes even where God told you to be can get hard. Still, you have to say: God, I won't come down. I won't give up. I have to stay where You told me to stay. I have to stand where You told me to stand. I have to remain where You called me.
You told me I'm getting ready to reap a harvest, but I'm not going to allow the enemy to force me to give up. I'm standing where You told me to stand. I'm remaining where You told me to remain. I'm walking in the place You told me to walk in.
Yeah, sometimes it may feel like I'm getting tired. But my tired is not going to make me give up. I'll go. If I have to keep going even tired, sleepy, drowsy—I will keep going. I will not give up.
If I hope I'm encouraging somebody who's been close to giving up lately: I will not give up.
