Diane Virginia
It was a welcome discovery. The air conditioning duct was full of holes.
Water had been dripping onto a duct pan, which caused it to rust straight through over the years. Although my husband and I knew the system would need to be replaced, we thanked God for this “bad news” because I had been having trouble breathing, and now the culprit had been unearthed.
“I’m sorry to give you this bad news,” the vent cleaner said, “but if the ducts aren’t replaced, you’ll end up with more than rust in the system. There’ll be…” he frowned, shifting from boot to boot.
That four-letter word was left unspoken, but we knew what he meant: M.O.L.D.
“Is there any?” I asked, hoping for a positive outcome.
“Not yet, but there was a full inch of water pooling in the duct pan. If not for the rust holes, there’d be plenty of… Uh…”
The repairman’s assistant nodded his head profusely. “Plenty!”
“Thank you, sirs. We appreciate your diagnosis. We will replace the system soon.”
After the repairmen left, I addressed my husband, “The good news is, I’ll be able to breathe without the aid of treatments because now we know what to fix.” The mystery was solved. Discovering this breach in the duct system revealed the enemy, so it was a happy day. We could remedy the situation. This “bad news” was God’s blessing in disguise.
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The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
~Nehemiah 1:3b NKJV
This challenge brings to mind Nehemiah, and how he learned of bad news which led him to oversee a building project. Friends brought him word that enemies had smashed the walls of Jerusalem, and torched its gates. At this time, Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian king, so he was unaware of this attack. Had it not been for his friends, he would have never discovered his homeland was in distress.
God gave Nehemiah favor with the king. Not only did the king grant him permission to oversee the rebuilding project, he provided every need, including the finances, supplies, and letters necessary to travel. Nehemiah would do everything he could do to lead his people out of enemy bondage.
We would think all would go well—and it did—but not without opposition. Sanballat and Tobiah came against Nehemiah. Geshem joined these two rebels. Then they convinced more to oppose Nehemiah’s efforts. They tried to discourage Nehemiah and his people by hurling insults at them. By the end of the project, Nehemiah’s men were split into two groups—workers and warriors. Even so, in a mere 52 days, they rebuilt the walls and gates. With God’s help, they prevailed, even while the enemy raged.
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Friend, sometimes we need to discover an enemy. Even if this causes difficulties, this positions those we lead, to triumph. The enemy would love to derail us from our God-given assignments. We must be watchful, rooting out hidden issues before they can breach our spiritual wall.
What are these wall-breaching issues? In like manner as Nehemiah experienced, Satan tries to discourage us, and convince us we are powerless and insignificant. But this is a deception. The truth is, we are victors in Christ, and our God has given each of us a calling to fulfill. When we diligently pursue God by reading our Bibles, spending time in prayer, fellowshipping with other Christians, and leading from a Christian world view, we are positioned to triumph.
Nehemiah gave us a stellar enemy-shattering strategy. He said, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20 NKJV). What Nehemiah was saying is we are never alone in a spiritual battle, so despite opposition we can continue working for the Lord. God Himself comes to our aide. If God is on our side—and He is—then we need only call upon Him in prayer.
Does knowing God is with you bring peace of mind?
Heavenly Father, thank You for helping me conquer any spiritual battle.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
