"i Doubt It"

“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.