Be Careful Who You Listen To
Joel Osteen is credited with saying, “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.” Albert Einstein said, “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”
Brothers, in this world there will always be “haters” trying to discourage you from a God-given assignment. You can’t control that, but you can control how you respond.
Take Nehemiah for instance, he faced resistance and negativity from others. Listen to the words recorded in Nehemiah 6:1-4.
“When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it…2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.”
In these few verses Nehemiah presents three quick takeaways:
- Recognize Your Enemy.
- Resist the Entrapment.
- Resolve to Endure.
Like Nehemiah you too must recognize your enemy, not only the one you see but the one who’s really controlling your enemy. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” – Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV).
Nehemiah remained committed in the face of opposition—he refused to quit in what he knew God called him to do, and you must not quit either. In doing so, stand on God’s Word: “If God is for us, who can be against us” – Romans 8:31 (NIV).
I say again, “Be Careful Who You Listen To.” “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth” – Galatians 5:7 (NKLV)?
