Obeying God's Call Despite Opposition: Nehemiah's Roadmap

Devotional

Day 1: Follow God's calling despite opposition and sabotage.

When God places a clear calling on a life, obedience is the first step even though opposition will follow; instead of withdrawing in fear, bring anxieties to the Lord, pray for discernment, then pick up the work and keep building—just as the people rebuilt Jerusalem’s wall while facing mockery, plots, and threats, trusting that perseverance in obedience secures God’s long-term protection and purpose for the community. [34:13]

Nehemiah 4 (ESV)
1 But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.
2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, burned as it were?”
3 And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall.”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land of captivity.
5 Do not cover their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry.
8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.
9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard against them day and night.
10 Meanwhile, the people of Judah said, “The strength of the burden-bearers is failing, and there is much rubbish; we are not able to build the wall.”
11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”
12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
15 And when our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 From that day on, half of my servants worked at construction, and half held the spears, shields, and bows, and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.
17 And those who carried burdens were loaded so that each labored on the work with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
18 And the man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. Then I said to the people in the region around me, “Let the man with the trumpet sound the alarm on the trumpet.”
19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.
22 And I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant stay at Jerusalem, that they may be a guard by night and that they may labor by day.”
23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, each kept his weapon at his right hand.

Reflection: What is one clear next step God has placed before you that you have been tempted to abandon for “short-term safety”? Schedule the exact day and time this week when you will take that step and tell one person to hold you accountable.

Day 2: Discern the enemy's schemes to resist.

The enemy often attacks by planting discouragement, disunity, unforgiveness, or convincing people to look to their own strength; God grants discernment so believers can recognize these tactics, forgive where needed, remove bitterness, and refuse to be outwitted—therefore actively pray for spiritual awareness and name the lies you’re believing so you can stand against them in faith. [37:39]

2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Reflection: Identify one specific resentment or unforgiveness you have been holding that could be the enemy’s foothold; today, write the person’s name, pray a short prayer asking God to help you forgive, and tell one trusted believer that you want their prayer support this week.

Day 3: True wisdom begins with fearing the Lord.

Real wisdom is not conforming to the fear of man or conventional safety but starts with reverent trust in God; when people walk closely with the Lord they receive practical, situational wisdom—so instead of letting reasonable-sounding advice derail obedience, test decisions by whether they align with God’s call and keep moving when He says go. [44:27]

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Reflection: What decision are you weighing where “conventional wisdom” or others’ fears are tempting you to stop? Pray and list three ways obeying God’s call (not stopping) would honor Him; then name one concrete action you will take in the next 48 hours to move forward.

Day 4: God fights for us; nothing separates.

When God calls people to obedience He does not leave them alone to fight their battles; Scripture guarantees that no trouble, power, or circumstance can separate believers from Christ’s love, so work with confidence—arm yourself with prayer, stand ready, and trust that God will be the defender and deliverer in the midst of opposition. [47:51]

Romans 8:35-39 (ESV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection: Name one fear (tribulation, rejection, practical loss, or other) that tempts you to stop obeying God; now write a two-sentence prayer declaring trust in Christ’s love and one small act of obedience you will do this week to demonstrate that trust.

Day 5: Obey in weakness and God will fulfill.

God often calls through ordinary, weak people so that His power alone is displayed; when believers step out in obedience despite inadequacy—praying, trusting, and acting—God fulfills His purpose through them and gives the wisdom needed for each situation, proving that long-term protection and fruit come from faithfulness rather than self-preservation. [41:04]

Psalm 138:8 (ESV)
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Reflection: Where do you feel weak or ill-equipped right now? Choose one practical dependency (a prayer partner, mentor, or church resource) to call or visit this week and ask them to join you for the next 30 days as you obey the specific calling God has given you.

Sermon Summary

Today we celebrated the gift of children and the faith of parents who stand before God and our church family to dedicate themselves to raising their little ones in the way of Jesus. We saw the biblical pattern in Hannah’s dedication of Samuel and Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus, and we prayed specific Scriptures over each child, asking God to guard, guide, and draw them by his Spirit. We also took our own vow as a church to come alongside these families with love, prayer, and community, knowing discipleship is a shared calling.

From there we looked at Nehemiah 4 and the reality that when God calls, opposition follows. Like the “sabotage” themes in those cooking shows, the enemy works to discourage, divide, and derail. The progression we traced from Nehemiah’s life was simple but costly: choose to obey, expect opposition, bring your fears to the Lord, and then go about his business. Nehemiah didn’t wait until he felt no fear. He prayed, posted a guard, and kept building. That’s what faith looks like in motion.

We pressed into the difference between conventional safety and true wisdom. Fear calculates with our resources; wisdom listens for God’s voice. Sometimes the safest-looking choice becomes the riskiest when it’s not what God is asking. The stingray story illustrated that—God sees what we don’t. When he says stop, we stop. When he says go, we go. In Nehemiah’s case, “go” meant work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other, trusting that the Lord himself fights for his people.

Finally, I invited anyone who doesn’t yet know Jesus to begin with the first step—know the Lord. Without relationship, it’s hard to hear the call. And for those who do know him, I urged clear, practical obedience: seek reconciliation where unforgiveness has clogged your hearing; take the next public step in baptism; respond to a long-stirring call; or simply practice daily small yeses that make room for God’s strength in your weakness. We prayed that our “yes” would not stay private but become accountable, visible, and fruitful as we walk together.

Key Takeaways

1. Obedience will meet real opposition. When God prompts you to move, expect the pushback. Often the first battlefield is internal—unforgiveness, hurt, and cynicism can numb spiritual discernment. Naming the scheme disarms its power; forgiving releases your ears to recognize God’s voice again. Opposition isn’t proof you’re off track—it may be confirmation that you’re on it. [37:39]
2. Pray, then get back to work. Nehemiah cried out to God and immediately returned to building, setting a guard while continuing the mission. Prayer wasn’t an escape from responsibility; it was the engine of courage and clarity to act wisely. When you’re tempted to stall until you feel fearless, pray honestly—and lay another brick. [41:04]
3. Choose true wisdom over safety. Short-term self-protection can forfeit long-term protection when it steers you away from God’s path. The fear of the Lord, not the fear of loss, is the beginning of wisdom. God sees the “stingrays” you can’t; trust his command even when it conflicts with conventional wisdom. [44:27]
4. The Lord fights as we build. Faith doesn’t mean dropping the trowel; it means working with confidence that God is defending what he’s called you to do. Nehemiah’s builders carried both tools and weapons, embodying dependence and diligence. Romans 8 assures us that nothing can sever us from Christ’s love as we labor in his name. [47:51]
5. Know Him to know your call. Closeness breeds clarity. The more you walk with Jesus, the more naturally you’ll recognize his leading without a word-for-word roadmap. Start with relationship, and you’ll find the wisdom and courage to take the next faithful step. [51:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Child dedications explained
[02:00] - Biblical roots of dedication
[05:00] - Parents’ and church’s vows
[08:00] - Prayer of blessing over children
[30:56] - Meet Pastor Taylor; family stories
[32:00] - Cooking shows and sabotage analogy
[34:13] - Nehemiah’s call to rebuild
[37:39] - Obey God and expect opposition
[41:04] - Pray, post a guard, keep working
[44:27] - True wisdom over short-term safety
[47:51] - The Lord fights for us
[51:16] - Know the Lord, hear His call
[54:34] - Prayer of response and invitation
[56:50] - Communion, baptisms, and giving
[65:59] - Closing and livestream sign-off

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Nehemiah 4 — 1 When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged and jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish—burned as they are?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “What they are building—if even a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall.” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. 6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry 8 and all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night. 10 And Judah said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing; there is much rubbish; we are not able to build the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see, till we come into their midst and kill them and stop the work.” 12 And it came to pass that when the Jews who lived near them came, they told us ten times over, “You must return to us.” 13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall, at the openings, and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 15 And when our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked at the construction, and half held the spears, shields, and bows, and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword girded at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Each of you with his servant shall stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be a guard to us and labor by night and by day.” 20 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes, each kept his weapon at his right hand. 21 And the people did so. And from that day on we kept the work going on the wall, while the other half of them remained with their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 22 And the builders who labored on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at the construction, and with the other held a weapon. 23 And each of the builders had his sword girded at his side, and the trumpeter kept near me.

Sermon Clips

When we choose obedience, we should expect opposition. When the opposition came, though, what's the first thing that Nehemiah did? He cried out to the Lord. And that's the beauty of being a child of God—we always have access to the Lord, so we can bring Him everything that we are struggling with. Instead of thinking we've got to do this thing God's calling us to in our own strength, we can do it with the Lord, relying on His strength, and ultimately He's going to be the one to accomplish what He's calling us to do. [00:38:44] (34 seconds) #PrayInTheBattle

Not only this, God intentionally weakened Gideon's army, whittling it down from about 32,000 to 300, so that it would be shown that it wasn't Gideon's power that was delivering them, but it was the power and the hand of the Lord that was delivering them. Psalm 138:8 says, "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me." When He calls us to do something, it's not by our own strength, but as we obey, He operates through us, and it's He who truly accomplishes the work. [00:40:38] (34 seconds) #PowerInWeakness

So Gideon, Jehoshaphat, Moses—all of these and more didn't fulfill God's call by their strength, but they got to watch God move in power in spite of their weakness. So when we choose to obey, to walk with the Lord even in the midst of fear and weakness, then we get to see Him move as we go about His business. [00:41:13] (21 seconds) #ObeyAndSeeGod

True wisdom is always aligned with God's will. So when we obey the Lord, that's when we're able to walk in true wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." It's not the fear of man that true wisdom listens to, but the fear of the Lord. So the very wisest thing that we can ever do is to obey the Lord no matter what it looks like. [00:44:10] (28 seconds) #WisdomThroughObedience

We see part of the picture, but the Lord sees the whole picture. We may see danger in the step ahead, but the true danger lies in making a different choice than the step that He's called us to. If He calls us to stop, we stop. If He calls us to go, we go. The longer that we walk with Him, the more we will know Him and learn to trust His voice. [00:44:39] (24 seconds) #TrustHisVoice

Don't settle for short-term safety at the expense of God's long-term protection, because often self-protection works against us. If it's doing something other than what God's telling us to, it's not protecting us at all, and it's just signaling a lack of trust in the Lord. But if we follow the Lord in obedience, He will protect us and He will enable us to succeed in spite of opposition. [00:46:36] (27 seconds) #TrustGodsProtection

He promises that you too will be raised from the dead if your faith is in Him. You can start that relationship today. Just call out to Him, confess that Jesus is Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead, and He's promised to seal you with His Spirit, to call you His own, and to lead you for the rest of your life and give you life everlasting. [00:52:58] (23 seconds) #DecideForChrist

Maybe that God's been calling you to get baptized, and for whatever reason you just haven't taken that step to say publicly that I belong to Jesus. Well, you can boldly say yes to that today. Are there any long-held visions the Lord has clearly laid on your heart, any clear next steps of obedience that the Lord is calling you to? [00:53:22] (23 seconds) #SayYesToBaptism

``Maybe you're already a believer, but you know God is calling you to something, but up till now you've not had the courage to step forward and boldly take the ground that the Lord has promised to give you. Maybe it's not even a large-scale thing—maybe it's just daily steps of small obedience or conquering a sin struggle that's plagued you for years. [00:53:44] (22 seconds) #CourageToObey

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What distinguishes child dedication from believer baptism?

What progression sustains obedience amid spiritual opposition?

How does unforgiveness obstruct hearing God’s voice?