Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war. Proverbs 20:18
If God has led us in a certain direction, we will most likely be faced with opposition. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy the purposes of God and what He desires to establish on the earth (See John 10:10). When we walk with God, and we have allowed our plans to be established by wise counsel, the enemy will wage war against us and our potential success. That’s why it is so important not to get into situations half-heartedly.
When Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem, he prayed and fasted for a few months (See Nehemiah 1). During that time, God gave him a strategy. God used the Persian King to support Nehemiah with all the goods and the time he needed to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem. Nehemiah did not rush into this situation blindly or emotionally. He only moved into action after having taking the matter to the Lord and God making His plan and strategy clear to him. Once the strategy and the provision was made available to Nehemiah, there was no turning back for him.
But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” Nehemiah 4:1-2
While Nehemiah was busy working, the jealous adversarial people came to stop his work and his progress by making false accusations about him. Since he hadn’t done anything wrong, he didn’t give them any opportunity to address their issue. He knew they were just a distraction, and that’s how he treated them.The presence of adversarial people, didn’t make Nehemiah wonder if God was trying to have him change directions. He knew very clearly that God was with him to complete the task. Nehemiah and his counterparts waged war with one hand and built the wall with the other. (See Nehemiah 4:16-18). The scripture tells us in Ephesians 6 that the word of God is our sword of the Spirit. We wage war by using the word of God against the attacks of the enemy.
Is there a resistance on your path? It is not easy to persevere, but God calls us to wage war with the counsel and the strategy we have received. God is with you, and He will make a way where it seems to be no way. Nehemiah was able to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in only four months. That is amazing! This was only possible because of God’s help, strategy, and the assistance he provided through the King and the locals to get the job done.
