Have You Put Out Your Signs?
“When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence.” Nehemiah 6:17a
It’s obvious you fiercely protect what you love. That’s probably why we all connect so well, don’t you think? Your stories are telling—you have a heart’s desire to gather up those you love and shield them from the wrongs of this world. I’m right there with you.
But have you put your stake in the ground—the stake that sends a message?
The reason I ask comes from my morning walks. There is a field next to my house that has been open and unabated since the day we moved in, almost twenty years now. But, about a week ago, some new signs showed up. Bright, new, bold little signs stapled onto small stakes and shoved into the ground. They almost seem dwarfed in the vastness of the property, but their message has been displayed, “No Trespassing.”
Photo: Renae Bowman
When I first saw the signs, I kind of laughed. I thought how naïve the owners must be thinking those little signs would do the trick. But those signs were put up nonetheless.
And it made me think about staking our lands. The lands we call our lives. I think it’s clear we all set our boundaries and let others know who can come in and who can’t, but have we staked our lives?
I think that’s why I like Nehemiah’s story so much. His success wasn’t from who he was; it came from what he did. And what he did, was driven by his heart.
His is a fascinating story, actually a fascinating book in the Bible. (click here for a link to the Book of Nehemiah)
Don’t think this may be your story? You may be surprised how close it is.
He Heard, He Felt, He Prayed—
Nehemiah received news that those he loved and the land he loved was being compromised. It hurt him to the core so he fell to his knees. He asked God for a solution. That solution came—him.
Our land, our homes, our loved ones are being compromised daily. If we want a change, we must change our want. God must be our want. Prayer must be our want. Prayer was his priority; it should be ours. Constant prayer creates constant solutions.
He Made A Plan—
Nehemiah was patient. He waited four months before going and then three days in his land to survey the problem. He waited, he watched and he learned from the sidelines.
When all hope seems lost it may be time to move to the sidelines. Waiting, watching, and learning will always give us a new perspective of what to do next. A plan needs planning so doing can be done.
He Acted—
After praying and waiting, Nehemiah did something. He didn’t stay on his knees; he got up and went to work.
It’s comfortable to sit only in prayer but it takes faith to move forward in action. We have to get out of our comfort zones of only saying I’ll pray about it. We’re missing a whole other part of God’s word…we’re missing his command—“do.”
He Needed Help—
Nehemiah had two-miles of wall to restore. He knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he led others. He leaned on others. He relied on others. And the wall was restored in 52 days!
We are not islands unto ourselves. We are called to lean on each other and to help each other, its one of our greatest commands. Isolation has no place in our faith.
He Put Out His Sign—
The naysayers were loud. They threatened the work every day. They tried to trick Nehemiah in stopping his work to get him off the wall. But his response was definite. He staked his ground, saying, “I am carrying on a great project and will not come down!”
I say to you, stake your ground! Don’t give in to the naysayers. Tell the enemy you are working on a great project—of raising your kids, loving your spouse, caring for your home, standing up for others, growing in your faith. Say it! Say you will not come down off the wall for the nonsense of the world! Say you will not let the enemy win!
His Faith Was Everything—
I saw it written that Nehemiah’s success was because he had an attitude of faith, he acted in his faith and he achieved by his faith.
When God is the center of everything we do great things will always happen.
Nehemiah’s story is in fact our story. In our crazy, upside down world, we must set the boundaries around our lives and those we love. And most importantly, stake your ground dear friends. Be deliberate—make a stand against the naysayers and the enemy. Put out your daily signs that they are not welcome and that you will not give in. Let the trespassers see your wall and let them know you will not come down!
Sometimes staking your ground can get you isolated quick, especially when you will not be moved by the general consensus that world mixes perfectly well with kingdom agenda, so “don’t rock the boat”. When NO calls come in to say, “Where are you sister?”, or “Man, you messed up Sis”, or “We’ve all stumbled, but let me help you up.”, or “You’re right Dev, “Fifty Shades of Gray” should not be recommended reading for the leaders, or anybody else”, isolation then seems better than dealing with those who clearly don’t practice what they preach, and would rather not rock the boat to keep peace, and maintain their good standing in the club. I’ve never been silent about the wrongs against the kingdom and it’s people, except in this past year of waiting…and isolation…but I do believe that silence is over, and I will stake my ground, again, for God and Kingdom. Thanks for the encouragement, Renee.
Preach on sister. Amen another one well done.