“they jeered at us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing?” (Neh. 2:19).

When Nehemiah introduced his building project, critics came out of the woodwork to oppose it. “And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?’” (Neh. 2:18-19). We shouldn’t be surprised when the same happens to our work.

When critics sow doubt, Christians refuse to help, people look to start fights, and complications pull us away from our work, what’s actually happening? If we could pull back the curtain, we would find Satan trying to frustrate God’s good work. What does the devil want to neutralize more than anything else? Who is at the top of Hell’s Most Wanted List? Fruitful Christians and working churches. The others are already in his grasp while we elude him and try to set his captives free in Christ.

If we think Satan will allow us to unite in productive work without a total onslaught, we are naive and underestimate our enemy. The more we work together, the more he wants to tear us apart. The more fruit we produce for the Lord, the more of a target we have on our backs.

Who is at the top of Hell’s Most Wanted List? Fruitful Christians and working churches.

Without fail, churches that work and grow together discover new problems. But we will be prepared. We will forgive and help one another. And we will “not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor. 2:11).

So, how do we keep building when Satan tries to break us? Nehemiah shows us four keys to continuing the work through obstacles.

1. Keep Believing When Critics Plant Doubts

We might hear the same dismissive question Sanballat and Tobiah asked: “What is this thing you are doing?” (Neh. 2:19). We’ll hear, “That will never work,” and “We tried that before, but it failed.” Satan will target our faith in the importance of the work and our belief in God’s power to accomplish it.

Our work will stand or fall in our minds: do we believe and commit, or shrink and doubt?

We will echo Nehemiah’s reply, “Our God will give us success” (Neh. 2:20). The Jews’ perseverance made Sanballat angrier, later saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day?” Beside him, Tobiah the Ammonite said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (Neh. 4:2-3).

How did the Jews respond? “So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work” (4:6). Our work will stand or fall in our minds: do we believe and commit, or shrink and doubt? We have “a mind to work.”

2. Keep Working When Brethren Refuse to Help

It would be easy to give up:

• When the study group at your house falls apart, and you look at an untouched table of refreshments, wondering why you even try …
• When you can’t recruit enough teachers or helpers …
• When it seems the people who complain that we don’t do enough can never be found to work.

When things get rough and your zeal wanes, recognize Satan’s scheme. Have you heard the maxim that in any group, 20% of the people do 80% of the work? What a discouraging thought! Who do you think fuels that discouragement? Satan, of course.

It’s not always true—there are churches where 80% or more work together. You don’t know. Others may work just as hard as you outside of your circle. It doesn’t matter—don’t let it matter! Do you remember what Jesus told Peter when he became preoccupied with another disciple’s service? “You follow me” (John 21:22).

Learn from the Tekoites: “And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord” (Neh. 3:5). Whether through disinterest, entitlement, or laziness, their nobles refused to “stoop to serve their Lord.” Not only did the Tekoites keep working, but they found another section when they finished their assignment. “After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel” (Neh. 3:27).

3. Keep Courage When People Just Want to Fight

We must learn the difference between being ready to stand and looking to fight. God’s people have a tragic history of biting and devouring one another (Gal. 5:15). Some aren’t happy unless they’re chasing an issue to argue. While saying “peace…when there is no peace” (cf. Ezek. 13:10) is the path to compromise, “quarreling about words” (2 Tim. 2:14) is of no value either and ruins the listeners. The devil will take either as a win.

“And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night” (Neh. 4:8-9).

At times, we must contend for the faith (Jude 3), and we won’t run from a fight. But we don’t go looking for one either. If someone brings a false doctrine, we will be ready with the Sword of the Spirit in one hand while we build with the other (Eph. 6:17, Neh. 4:17-18). We refuse to turn from the work of building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12).

4. Keep Focused When Distractions Pull At Us

Between the excitement of starting a good work and the satisfaction of accomplishing it comes what productivity author Michael Hyatt calls “the messy middle” — a host of complications, shifting priorities, and challenges. Good work often falls apart in the middle.

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Neh. 6:2-3).

It’s when the interested non-Christian pulls away, and you question contacting them again. Or when a project has momentum and new problems arise that pull everyone away. As the wall neared completion, foreign leaders invited Nehemiah to meet. But he said, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Neh. 6:2-3).

Focus means saying “no” to some opportunities so you can say “yes” to better things—and the devil will not make it easy to say “no.” The only way to stay focused is to stand confidently that “we are doing a great work.” So when new demands come again and again (Neh. 6:4) and escalate to threaten everything (Neh. 6:5-8), we will pray and strengthen our resolve to continue (Neh. 6:9).