And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
Nehemiah 1:3
GREAT AFFLICTION AND REPROACH c
Nehemiah’s friends gave him the bad news that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the gates were burned. They told him the people there were in great affliction and reproach.
Affliction and reproach—that’s what happens when our walls get broken down. We all need walls. We live in a dangerous world that is constantly warring against us. Satan is determined to destroy us. And, the closer we get to God, the more he attacks!
I need a wall around my mind. It seems my mind is always working. And, sometimes things get in there, and I wonder, ‘Where did that come from!?!’ There was a breach somewhere in the wall around my mind. I need to repair it with a good application of the Word of God. I need to learn how to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
I need a wall around my heart. I need to learn to love the things that God loves, and to hate the things that God hates.
I need a wall around my marriage. Today, Satan is having a heyday destroying marriages—and they aren’t all unbelievers! Christians who have been in the church for decades find themselves in divorce court. Marriage is holy. It is a picture of Christ’s love for us. I need to protect my relationship with my wife.
I need a wall around my family. So many young people who are raised in the church drop away as soon as they are old enough to make their own decisions. We need a wall that keeps out the many things that would influence our children away from God. Our family is the most precious treasure we will ever have. Let’s not let Satan and the world steal them away from us.
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