Respond to His Goodness, Don't React to The Godless

By nature, I am a feeler.
I can walk into a room and immediately identify the presence of any kind of evil.
I can distinguish between a stress-free environment and a tarnished atmosphere, where malignancy is literally “felt” on the skin before a word is even uttered.

And at times, unfortunately, it has kept me in a state of skepticism and apprehension.  I have a tendency to allow it much more influence on my experiences than I care to admit.

And I can imagine the Old Testament character, Nehemiah, was much the same.

Nehemiah was a powerful leader living in Judea following the exile.  He was known for having improved the morale and strength of God’s people, and as governor of Judea for 12 years, was responsible for having lead the Jewish people in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. 

While Nehemiah had the support of the Persian King, he faced much opposition from the inhabitants of the land. Oftentimes this resistance caused minor set-backs and delays in his progressing forward.

We see a great example of the bitterness and hostility that mounted against him in chapter 6 of the book that bears his name.  In an attempt to intimidate and eliminate Nehemiah, there was a group of men who asked to meet with him.  And yet scripture tells us in verse 2-3, “I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: ‘I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come.  Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?’”

Four times the men sent the same message, and each time Nehemiah gave them the same reply.  And even yet a fifth time would come, pressing the issue greater than the others, filled with a very bullying publication.  They accused him of wrong-doing and tried their hardest to throw him off course.

Verse 9 says, “They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work.  So I continued the work with even greater determination.”

I love verse 13 that continues, “They were hoping to intimidate me and make me slip.  Then they would be able to accuse me and discredit me.”

Oh friends… there is such richness in these passages… and so much for us to learn!

I found myself giving this advice to so many in the last few years, and I said it to a loved one just the other day: You can’t afford the distraction.

The truth is that not everyone is for your good.  Not everyone has right motives and pure intentions when it comes to your well-being.  Some are more obvious about their plan of destruction, while others’ attempts are almost masked by the false perception of concern.

And we’ve gotta learn to recognize the difference.

Because the work is too important (“I am engaged in a great work.”)
Your spiritual prosperity has GOT to be taken into consideration when engaging with evil of any kind.  And we must resolve to press forward despite opposition and intimidation (“I continued the work with even greater determination.”)

There’s a quote I’ve had tacked to the bulletin board in my office for years.  It says this, “Live in such a way that if anybody were to talk bad about you, nobody would believe it.”

We’ve gotta discern wrong motives and remain pure in attitude.

Because our representation of a good Father is determined by our denial of any entanglement with wickedness (“Then they would be able to accuse me and discredit me.”)

I think about Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 who helped David and his men who were in harms way when her husband was seeking to kill them.  The would-be King David was tempted to involve himself in a battle he wasn’t entitled to fight. 

I will never forget the words she spoke to him on the day she aided his escape.  She said, “Don’t let THIS be a blemish on your record.”


She knew the price was too costly.
She understood that to retaliate would be catastrophic.

And so I say it to me and to you today - don’t let this be a blemish on your record.
The work of spiritual growth you’re engaged with is too great.
The reputation of a good God is at stake.
We cannot afford the distraction.

Keep pressing with great determination.
And to do that, it’s going to require you to realign your focus, and while resisting evil, you respond only to His goodness.

You and I can determine to walk into any compromised and contaminated atmosphere responding to His goodness without reacting to the godless.

And when we do that… it changes absolutely everything!