The Great Work: Refuse to Come Down
By Matt Watson
Anything that keeps you from pursuing the will of God is not just a distraction—it is an assault from Hell designed to derail your soul.
Notice I did not say “keeps you from pursuing your dreams” or “keeps you from living your truth.” That’s because, despite our tendency to be self-absorbed and entitled, life isn’t about you. It’s about the God of the universe, the One who made all existence.
What else can I say about Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem? These three villains are persistent, and again in our narrative in Nehemiah 6, we read about how they tried to get Nehemiah to stop his work.
They sent messengers to him, five times, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But he knew it was a trap, so he replied, “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).
They didn’t want to have a polite discussion. They wanted to intimidate Nehemiah to stop the work or kill him.
That’s what the enemy wants to do to every follower of Christ. Like a lion hunting a herd of gazelle, he wants to isolate and harass you. He wants to get you to put down the trowel, and the sword, and do something easier.
For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.
Nehemiah 6:9 ESV
And sometimes the enemy will use people in your life to smooth talk you down from the wall. Anyone that tries to get you to worship anyone or anything other than God, is an antichrist because they stand in the place of Christ, who alone mediates for us to God. Maybe you don’t need to slide into those DMs or swipe right. Maybe you don’t need to hang out with that person after work. Maybe you don’t need to listen to that podcast. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were antichrists, but there are many more, even in your life, because the enemy doesn’t want you to worship God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
What is trying to get you off the mission God has given you? What is trying to distract you from gazing upon Jesus? What is trying to get you to stop worshiping God? What is trying to get you to come down from the work?
Maybe it’s getting caught up in the latest political drama. Maybe it’s video games, TV, and sleep. Maybe it’s certain goals and dreams. The Romans used free food and entertainment—”bread and circus”—to keep the people distracted and passive. Whatever the bread and circus is in your life, if it is distracting you and keeping you from the work God has given you, then you must get rid of it.
Be too busy to get caught up in dumb internet arguments. Be too busy to post to X and Instagram constantly. Be too busy to doom scroll. God’s mission for you is worth every effort. When distractions arise, remember that the One who called you to the work will also strengthen you to complete it. God has given us work to do, so let’s do it.
In every action movie, a character says, “You cause a distraction, and I’ll enter the enemy base” (or whatever). Don’t let Satan use this cheesy 80s action flick tactic. Be alert.
Satan is like a roaring lion, yes. But he is also like a chihuahua. He has small dog syndrome and he is aggressive, but throw your leg back for a good kick and he scampers away with his pointed tail between his legs. Resist him and his schemes in the name of Jesus, not just once but continuously, and he will flee, leaving you to once again work as to the glory of God.
This article was originally published by Matthew Watson with Awake! Put on strength!, and is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.