Nehemiah 4:7

Nehemiah 4:7 says, But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,  The kings of the Arabians and the Ammonites became angry when they heard that the wall was being repaired.  If we begin to repair our spiritual relationship with God today, we may make other people angry with us, maybe even some people that we have called friends, but we cannot allow that to stop us from doing so. 

Verse eight adds, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.  These kings conspired together to fight against Jerusalem and to hinder the rebuilding of the wall.  People are still going to conspire against the work of Christians today, especially the spreading of the gospel in some countries, in an attempt to hinder the work. 

Verse nine continues, Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.  The people doing the work prayed to God about the situation, but they also set a watch on the wall to keep track of what their enemies were doing.  Even though we should always pray for God’s guidance, we should also be actively working to do what he has called us to do while we await His answer. 

Verse ten states, And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.  The people of Judah began to complain because of this.  Instead of complaining to God when things are not going right in our lives, we need to simply continue to do what God has called us to do, and if we are truly following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, nothing can stop us from achieving what he calls us to do. 

Verse eleven adds, And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.  Their enemies said that the people of Judah would not see them coming until they were in their midst ready to slay them.  The enemies of the church should never be able to come into our midst and be ready to destroy us without our seeing them, but if we let envy, strife, and hatred of others into the church, the enemies of God are already there.