I Won't Come Down

The devil’s discouragements are diversions. The enemy drags us down to separate us from our God-given purpose.

“Now when … our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach in it … Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.’ But they intended to do me harm.” (Nehemiah 6:1-2)

Nehemiah wasn’t gullible. He saw behind what seemed like a friendly invitation. His enemies wanted to talk only to take him away from the wall.

Spiritual sensitivity is key to steadfastness in ministry. If you’re unaware of your enemies, you will voluntarily step away from your divine assignment to chit-chat with demons. You’ll let a message from hell move your mind from the mission.

“And I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3)

Nehemiah knew that speaking with Sanballat meant stopping the work. So he turned down the offer: “I cannot come down.” 

Instead of pausing the work to talk with his enemy, he persevered. With holy stubbornness, he stuck to the wall. He overcame the resistance with a rugged determination to finish the work.

It is hard for Satan to discourage a Christian who is stuck to the wall of their God-given purpose. He only gets our ear when we come down to talk.

Jesus wouldn’t come down. Though he had an army of angels to call, Jesus stayed on the wall. He stuck to the cross. He kept his hands on the wood. He persevered through his excruciating purpose until, at last, he was able to cry, “It is finished.”