by W. Chaz Glass
Today, demonic coalitions are mobilized on various fronts to hinder spiritual construction. This opposition resembles Nehemiah’s antagonist Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, and the Ammonites. Resistance manifests through social media distraction, pornography, concerns about social status, celebrity idolization, resentment, jealousy within the body, and false teaching that breed arrogance and hostility toward biblical truth. These forces operate in the so-called esteemed as wise, dismissing eternal wisdom as foolishness. Yet, in reality, only those awakened to accessing higher knowledge by the Spirit comprehend the folly of anti-God perspectives and recognize their tactics.
With this in mind, when we grieve for a soul lost, infected with spiritual leprosy, blind, paralyzed, we, commissioned by the Holy Spirit, begin spiritual building. Even the person themselves may mock our efforts—our kindness, prayers, generosity, and acts of love—let alone others who have given up on them, lacking the endurance to contend. We must build with one hand and wield the Word against thoughts from the enemy that whisper ‘they’re a lost cause’ in our minds and discouragement from lack of visible fruit from our labor. Some are commissioned to one, and others to many. But we must build, encouraged by Jesus who is now preparing a place. We also are preparing places for the Kingdom to come, making us one with the Father again.
Once the builder/planter/waterer does their job, and the Holy Spirit takes control, and the Kingdom is established, there is a rebirth, similar to Nehemiah’s time when the walls were completed. The people heard the law read and committed themselves again to serving the Lord. This rebirth can be experienced by a newly confessed individual or a rededication by a backslider. Whether it’s a single person, a family, a community, or a nation, we build, allowing the roots to push deep into their hearts and minds, producing a harvest—30/60/90.