Dragging Low
Neh. 4:6-15
INTRO: Dealt with anger last week, this week discouragement,
both can keep us from experiencing the fullness of God’s presence &
purpose in our lives
1. Like a Disease, discouragement is very easy to catch &
difficult to over come
a. Highly contagious bitterness poison that spreads
1. Root of bitterness Heb 12:15 easily transmitted
b. But very beatable, It has its weakness, vulnerability
1. We have to learn to guard our hearts, so when we face it we will be
prepared
2. We shall look in the life of Nehemiah & seek to discover the
causes & cures for discouragement
3. Chap4 of Neh. A tough moment in life
a. God given vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem &
renew the faith of the people
b. But like any project that God gives, there were obstacles
1. Some against it, not wanting it done
2. Satisfied with old, burnt, destroyed Jerusalem
a. so did all they could to hinder, discourage to stop the work
4. The goal is get Nehemiah & people so discouraged, they’ll
give up & quit the work of the Lord
I. How does one Drag so low? How does discouragement come?
A. Predictable timing v6 *Note “half thereof” Half its height
1. Yep ½ way gets most. At first no big deal
a. work hard, furiously, then looked up think should be done
& WOW only to hear?
1. So enthusiastic at first, that gets us going but it takes more than
excitement to carry across the finish line
2. Faith runs the race Heb 12:1 ‘.., and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, “
2. When what we thought was a quick easy job turns out isn’t
so, & we reassess things, we start to drag
a. Call it a miscalculation, or wishful thinking
b. Reality sets in. OOPS this isn’t so easy after all
1. Seems our energy no longer matches what have spent & uses
c. Wish I had never started or If I quit now, expensive, waste
3. But Faith is what will have to keep us going through this
point and all the other lows ahead
B. 4 things Satan uses to cause us to be discourage v10-12
1. 1st Fatigue due to loss of strength brings Discouragement
a. Get physically tired, fatigued worn out
1. The physical effects the thinking, the emotions
b. It seems Nehemiah put together a very good & efficient
work force
1. Highly motivated, committed, enthusiastic excited
2. Accomplished a lot, worked hard day after day
c. But quick success also resulted in an overworked force
1. Just as big of enemy as those who oppose us is fatigue
a. The people were physically, emotionally & spiritually exhausted
2. They didn’t plan a time of rest
a. We are so caught up in the project, the job & the can do attitude,
we forget that the longer it goes on, the more tire we become
d. Must learn to create a margin in our life, a place to rest, to
renew our mind, body & spirits
2. 2nd Frustration due to Loss of vision
a. Their perception changed
1. Now too much rubble, not as much as when they started
a. been working, yes lots but not as much
b. Just they get one area cleaned up turn a corner & find more
1. Never ending Job, Goes on & one
c. No Longer seeing the walls to be built but the other
problems, jobs
1. Eyes aren’t on accomplishments so far or what the 1st objective is.
Just a another task, job, more work Always more,
d. Makes us feel, we’ll never be free, never will get done
1. They loose sight of their purpose, just see the large amount of work
2. They now feel like failures, can’t get it done, useless
3. 3rd Failure due to Loss of Confidence
a. Fatigue brought frustration = failure resulting in lost
confidence in themselves each other & ultimately God
1. v10c can’t get it done!
b. Hear it? Impossible! I can’t (hate that I can’t) terrible attitude
c. But failure is never final, Failure is an opportunity to try again
*President Thodore Roosevelt on failure. “It’s not the critic that will count in the end. No, not the man that points out where others have stumbled and where others could have done better. Nope. The credit…belongs to one who is actually in the arena. The one who might come up short again and again because he knows that there is no effort without error or short comings. It is the one who knows the great devotion. He knows the triumph of achievement and who if he falls, he falls at least while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things even though you’re checkered with failure than to be with the poor souls who never enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
d. The question is not: How will you fail? BUT how do you
respond to failure?
1. Fall it to pit of pity, despair, doubt & blame self, anger
e. Failure isn’t final, Opportunity to try again
4. 4th Discouragement from fear due to lack of security v11-12
a. Do something for God, see what happens
1. Always somebody will show up to hinder, slow you down, stop you
or just get in the way
2. They come to criticize, , mock even threaten
b. But it’s not what the enemy does that causes the fear
1. It is our response to the threat
a. 1st v11 “and our adversaries said…”
1. Listening to the wrong people, they don’t speak for God
2. Too often we listen to what the world says about the church 7 not
what God says about the church
a. If it isn’t from God it is a lie
b. Notice v12 who gets fearful first? “the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us [they will be upon you].” IOW Wherever you turn, they will attack us”
1. The ones who are fearful first are those that around negative people
a. Not all giving advice are worthy of giving or listening to
b. Some are always negative, pessimistic
C. Only way to win, is get them out of life, cut them off
*Old Proverb: If you want to soar with eagles, you can’t run with turkeys
c. Notice that the ones who caused the most damage were also a part of
God’s family
1. It is Sad, that lot of negative attitudes, criticism, unproductive
words aren’t from the world but other believers
2. There is that poisoness root of bitterness that Heb. Warned of
c. Fatigue brings frustration then produces failure which
results in fear
d. how do we know we are discouraged?
1. Great desire to run, it the hills, flee
a. Can’t escape, can’t find a solution, out of control
b. Look for excuses to not show, not be involved
c. Look for greener pastures, want out of the frying pan, in the fire?
II The answer to Discouragement: See Nehemiah’s response
v13-16 4 steps
A. 1st Rest & Reorganize
1. To stop the epidemic of discouragement, Nehemiah had to
stop and reorganize thing
a. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is STOP
1. Reassess things, see what is going on, what isn’t working, What is
the best use of gifts?
b. Close things down, get in our Prayer closet
1. Cry out to God & say, What have I done wrong? Lord show me my
mistake, what will make it better
2. Worship helps get our priorities readjusted
c. In doing it gives the mind & the body a chance to rest
2. Nehemiah didn’t quit, just tried something differently
a. He got families to work together, protect each other
b. Realized, be more efficient & better motivated for the
people to work with these kinds of relationships built in
B. 2nd Remember God is with you
1. Nehemiah reminds them, v14 “ Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible,..”
a. Focus on what is Bigger, What is bigger our Problems or our Savior? Who is bigger our troubles or our Redeemer? Which is larger our enemies or our God?
b. Life is more than what we feel & experience
1. Our Life is found in worship, In He who we trust
2. Get your eyes off of the enemy & troubles back on our Lord &
Savior
C. 3rd Resist Being discouraged v14b and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
1. Don’t give in to the enemy, don’t allow yourself to be
Discouraged
a. Don’t allow the disease to become an epidemic, It can &
must be resisted
b. See the larger picture, the War we are in.
1. We are in a MUST WIN situation
D. 4th Get Back to work v15
1. Once we are rested & reorganized, Worshiped the Lord,
strengthened our defenses, resisted the attacks
a. Go back to work, get to the real goal, Priority
2. The reason Satan wants us discouraged, dragging low
a. To get us to stop what we are doing for the Kingdom
b. We can’t allow that, He wins if we do
1. If we are unproductive, we have allowed the enemy to win
E. They will come, attempts to distract, discourage & doubt will
be made. Will we give in? will we see what is happening, learn & do
what it takes to over come & keep the work going?
