“I Doubt It!”
Nehemiah 4
This is a picture of the chapel on the campus of the seminary I attended in New Orleans. When my wife and I moved there we really had no idea how we would manage, financially; moving there with no job for either of us but we knew God was leading us. In less than a week I had a full-time job to help support my family and my wife got a full-time position in the program for the deaf at a local college. I was very busy with full-time work and full-time schooling, but we were blessed.
New Orleans Seminary was placed there in 1917, because there were so many lost people in the area. New Orleans, like Las Vegas has often been referred to as “sin city.” We were both pleasantly surprised to find that the campus where 2000 students lived was one of the most peaceful places we had ever been. There was a park and playground on campus for parents to take their kids and you could feed the squirrels, and they would come right up and eat out of your hand. It always felt safe. Some of the students didn’t lock their cars at night. Some didn’t even lock their apartments. But one of the students there later commented if you plan to study at this seminary, there is one thing you need to know and that is that when you leave here Satan will be chasing you right out of those gates and he will do so for the rest of your ministry. He will try to destroy your confidence. It will be as though you have a target on your back. I have found that to be true.
Listen, Satan has a weapon in his arsenal, called DOUBT and if he can cause you to doubt yourself, doubt your calling in life, doubt your abilities, even doubt your salvation, he can DESTROY you, and many times those around you by taking away your confidence. .Now this applies to all of us but especially to leaders. Satan will work 24/7 to cause leaders to doubt their ability to lead because leaders make a difference.
When you sign up to lead and to serve Jesus, you are signing up for two things (1) the greatest joy you will ever experience and (2) the greatest opposition you will ever know. Dr. Charles Stanley, pastor of the FBC of Atlanta – when he became pastor of that church, there was huge opposition from day one. One man actually came up on the platform while he was preaching one week and slugged Dr. Stanley right in the face and knocked him down. Now, don’t try that here because we have a very good security team. When you sign up to lead, you WILL face opposition. Every leader knows this and most of us have learned it the hard way. And the reason it happens is because Satan loves to throw fear and doubt at those who choose to serve/lead/teach.
So, this is what happened to Nehemiah. Nehemiah had no idea just how complicated life could get. Look at this. Chapter 4:1-3. Now, these two guys, Sanballat and Tobiah --- they seemed to be everywhere. You know how some people say, “trouble just seems to follow me around … everywhere I go.” These guys were “trouble.” They were there every time Nehemiah turned around and their goal was to create doubt in his mind so they would stop the rebuilding of the wall. Most of us have someone in our lives like that. Someone who questions every move we make. Someone who causes us to doubt every move we make. And they can stop any progress we hope to make. And they will do so at any cost. It has been said, doubt yourself and you will doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you will see judges all around you. ?
Here is what they did to bring doubt and confusion into his life. They questioned everything and everybody who was involved in the project.
• They questioned the workers he had chosen. This caused some of them to then doubt Nehemiah’s leadership ability. “What does this bunch of poor feeble Jews think they are doing?” Verse 4b. If those who follow your leadership have doubts about their own ability and then begin to doubt your abilities or skills, you are in trouble. These were some of the most powerful men in the area, but doubt was beginning to sink in.
• They questioned his ability to finish the wall. Verse 2c. They questioned his background. All of this to create doubt in Nehemiah’s mind. Doubt can destroy progress.
• They questioned his resources. Verse 2d. Look at what they are using. They think they can use all this rubble. Burned up rocks.
• They questioned the strength of the wall. Verse 3. “Even if a fox climbs up on the wall, the wall will fall down.” In our day we might refer to this as being bullied.
Doubt rears its ugly head when things aren’t going well. When everything’s fine we’re confident. We’re just sailing right along and suddenly out of nowhere doubt can slip in. We start thinking, you know maybe they’re right. Maybe I can’t do it. Maybe my team isn’t qualified. Maybe we won’t finish this job. Maybe someone else should take over. And suddenly doubt has taken over. Listen, if you feel a need to overcome every doubt you have before you move forward, you will be stuck in one place the rest of your life. You will never make any progress. You will never succeed.
1. Fatigue. When you are physically or emotionally exhausted you are a prime candidate for defeat.
2. Frustration. It happens that according to v. 6 they were halfway through with the project and that can be a time when discouragement can set in. Are we ever going to finish? We can become overwhelmed.
3. Failure. For you what happens when a project falls apart? Is it “poor old me?” Do you start blaming other people?
4. Fear. Fear of criticism/what others think …. What will people think? What will they say? Fear of responsibility. What if I can’t handle this?
Listen. I don’t know of anything that will take the wind out of your sails as quickly as discouragement. Now, Nehemiah is making progress. V. 6 reminds us that they are halfway through the project. And this really makes the opposition angry. More angry. Look at v. 7. They became furious. Well I have already said they were being critical, making fun, bullying the workers – that hasn’t stopped so now it’s time to try something new. Look now at v. 8.
Let’s call a meeting. Which is usually NOT the answer. Bet let’ get everyone who is opposed to this together – we will call it the cold water committee and they ALWAYS seem to be available. They have a bucket and hose and they’re always ready to pour cold water on a good idea. A closer look at v. 12 shows how this committee works,
Notice a few things here.
• It came from those who lived nearby. I don’t know about you but if criticism comes from someone who lives a thousand miles away – I can usually deal with it. I can overcome that. But when it comes from someone close to me – it hurts. A friend who turns on you. It’s hard.
• They are very persistent. Don’t give up easily. Until they get their way. Notice in v. 12 “they said to us time and time again everywhere you turn, they attack us.” Now I never saw this until this week, but the phrase time and time again is literally translated as the #10. Ten times they did this. It’s hard NOT to get discouraged when someone just keeps opposing you … over and over and over. What do you at this point if you are the leader? Well, here is what I believe happened. (1) The people are tired. V. 10. The strength of the laborers is failing. (2) The people have lost their vision. V. 10. There is so much rubble we will never be able to rebuild the wall. It happens especially in a construction project. You’re making progress but the area where you’re working is usually a mess. Debris everywhere and so much of it. That’s all you can see. Just too much rubbish. Rubbish gets in the way of vision. (3) The people were losing their confidence. Wall is halfway up. Rubbish everywhere. Look at what they say -- v. 10. We will never be able to rebuild the wall. Remember in v. 6 they had gotten to this half way point because the people had the will to keep working. They had a mind to work. Their heart was in it. But now they’ve lost their heart. And when you lose motivation. (4) The people have lost their security. V. 11. We’re not telling you what we’re going to do and we’re not gonna tell you when we’re going to do it. Now I don’t know where you find your security but to some it’s ….
• Our job. Our job is our security. So, if you lose your job – your security is gone.
• Our friends. You move. Your security is gone.
• Our family. Your family falls apart --- your security is gone.
Discouragement is not something that only happens to unbelievers. Christians get discouraged too. Right? Pastor get discouraged. It is possible that many of you are standing before a door that has lot of opportunity --- could bring a lot of positive change into your life but maybe you’ve lost your vision … your strength is gone … you’re burned out … lost your confidence . What do we do?
Here are 5 things you can do.
1. Work as a team. V. 13. Find some people to help. Two are better than one. If one falls, one can help the other up.
2. Occasionally stop the work. Take a break. V. 13. Sometimes when you are down/discouraged, the best thing you can do is take a break. Nehemiah stopped and said, let’s pull together as families.
3. Refocus. V. 14. They were looking at the rubbish. We all do that.
4. Find balance. Verses 15 & 16. A time to do one thing. Then another.
5. Find a rallying point and fight. V. 20. The rallying point was a specific place, and it was also a specific principle. A person we can attach ourselves to and get to work. So here are some people and some situations to remember next time you are doubtful about your abilities.
• This man was fired because his boss said her had no imagination and had no good ideas. Walt Disney.
• This man attempted several thousand times to invent the light bulb before he ever succeeded. According to his own records, he failed 2,774 times before creating a working design. He famously told a reporter, "I have not failed 10,000 times--I've successfully found 10,000 ways it will not work". Thomas Edison.
• This man ran for Congress and lost twice and ran for the Senate and lost twice. He also ran for vice president and lost. Abe Lincoln.
• This guy was cut from his high school basketball team. Missed over 9000 shots in his career. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan
• This man struck out a total of 1330 strikeouts. At one point, he held the record for strikeouts. Babe Ruth. He once said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
• Failure and mistakes can cause you to doubt yourself, your abilities and even those around you. One mistake can cause you to live with doubt for the rest of your life. Failure is not the problem. The problem is what you do with your failure and your doubt.
In my 2nd year of seminary, I came to class one morning at 8:00. I was taking a special study in the book of Philippians taught by Dr. Ray Robbins. I learned when I got to class that his wife had been brutally murdered the night before --- all they took was about $200 in cash. He was away actually teaching that book at a church and came home to find his wife. Immediately iron gates were placed at both entrances to the campus and a guardhouse was set up to check every person who came in.
The thing that impressed me the most was that a man who could obviously lose his entire ministry because of this tragedy and the discouragement it could cause. ”Lord I have so many doubts right now.” Why did this haver to happen? He was right back in his place a week later practicing what he had been teaching. Focusing on God … pressing ahead even in our trials …. No matter what doubts you have. Be strong in the Lord no matter what. Let His strength shine through your doubt.
