Sun.’s Devo - Persevere

Read: Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7
The men of Israel divided the work on the wall into sections and they each worked on their section. When Sanballat, their enemy found out how well their project was going, he came to discourage them and stop them. He gave counter prophesies. Their taunting remind me of the temptations that Satan brought against Jesus in the wilderness, even down to turning stones to life. All of the things that Sanballat said against them were things God had promised to do for them.
His negative words did weigh on the people but they turned to the Lord and set their heart to finish the work. They set guards around the clock to keep the enemy away. They stood with their families and protected their sections. Nehemiah encouraged them not to be afraid of their enemies because God was fighting with them. They worked fortified and armed. Whenever they heard a trumpet sound, they would come and help those people fight.
If the enemy can’t get you from the outside, he will work from within, so that is what Satan did with them. The wealthier Jews were taxing their poorer brothers till they were starving. When Nehemiah found out, he put an immediate stop to that and cleaned up the greed.
I could sum what we read today in Corinthinans up into one statement: “Mind your own business.” It is your decision whether you marry or remarry. Paul defended those who didn’t want to marry and he defended those who wanted to marry. It is important that you seek the Lord and do what he wants you to do. I honestly think that he leaves a lot of things to us and what we desire to do which is also not any one else’s business. I’m laughing, but it is a serious matter who you marry. That is the important thing. Marriage is a contract that shouldn’t be entered into lightly and you should never marry an unbeliever.
Lord, we need discernment, commitment and perseverance to build the section of our wall in life. Help us to fight fearlessly and not give up.