Ezra 4

Scripture

Ezra 4:4

 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.

Observation - What does it say?

The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard they were rebuilding their temple and sought to frustrate them and keep them from building it. According to the last verse in the chapter, they succeeded in their efforts to halt the building project.

Understanding - What does it mean?

Whenever you make a commitment to the Lord, be prepared to face the enemy’s unrelenting attempt to set you back.

Verse 1 says the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard they were building a temple to the God of Israel. The reality is that we can’t build a church building to facilitate ministry, build new habits to grow spiritually or build others up spiritually without the enemy hearing about it. And then he comes prowling, seeking to do what he can to derail us.

Unfortunately, many people don’t realize this. When making a new commitment to God, many assume that since they’ve now turned to God that everything is going to go well from here on out. “God is finally on my side and my hopes haven’t been higher!” And at that moment the enemy attacks leaving them discouraged and feeling lower than before they turned to God.

Over the past month alone I’ve seen many people who have made a commitment to God to step up their personal spiritual growth including me. Some setting new goals for daily prayer and many choosing to develop the habit of daily SOUL Journaling. And, after following up with them about following through with their new commitment, nearly every person has explained to me how difficult life has been, how busy they’ve been and rattle off lists of excuses for why they haven’t been able to follow through. The enemy has been attacking many of us with busyness and distraction and our spiritual construction has slowed, and for some of us halted completely.

Life Application

Be prepared to face the enemy’s attempts to set me back!

My experience with this isn’t just by observing others second hand. I’m experiencing this in my own pursuit of God in this present season. God moved on my heart mid-September to really step up my pursuit of him in the secret place. And since then, I’ve experienced more busyness and distraction than I have all year.

God, give me wisdom in this season. Give me strength to overcome the attacks of the enemy. Grant us, your church, the power to stand firm and continue building spiritually and the power to say “No” to busyness and distractions. Amen.