All good will come under attack. In a garden of beautiful potential, there will be weeds. Everything you plant in your garden will be attacked. To assume otherwise would be naive.
You woke up this morning in a garden of beautiful potential. Here, in this year, supernatural things can happen in your life. Things you have been waiting YEARS for have the potential of happening here. Seeds you thought were dead are about to breakthrough the ground. Yes, breakthroughs are here. Growth is here. Proof of all you have been praying for, working for, waiting for, is about to be seen.
And my sister, it’s all under attack!
Why? Because it’s good!
God is doing something sooooo good in you. He’s been moving in your life, working in the details, preparing you for this new year. You’ve felt it. You’ve felt dreams being whispered again, hope being stirred, strength being received. And now … things get noisy!
Your adversary, the devil, he is loud. 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” He roars! He creates noise. What does the noise do? It distracts us. It creates fear.
I wonder who woke up to distractions, problems, and discouragements today, on just the 2nd day of this new year. It’s not starting how you wanted it to start. Why is that happening? Because you are on the cusp of breakthrough. You are daring to believe the promises which God has spoken over your life. You are claiming the power, the love, and the self-discipline God’s spirit has offered you. You’re starting to write goals from God’s word, goals God wants to pour his power into! And if the enemy of your soul can’t rob you of that offering, he will certainly try to distract you from it.
There is noise! Oh, you will probably hear the noise today. Sometimes it shows up in loud, chaotic roars that send shivers down your spine. But most times it shows up as the little voice in your head that tries to talk you down. The voice that says you can’t. The voice that says you’re not good enough. The voice that says you’re not worthy of the changes you desire. The voice that says it will never happen for you. The voice that says it’s too late. That is NOT the voice of God. That is the voice of darkness. That is goodness under attack.
Today, we will look at the perfect little story hidden within the pages of your Bible to give you the exact words to speak and next steps to take when the enemy shows up with his distractions and discouragement.
It’s the story is of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was charged by God to rebuild the destroyed wall of Jerusalem. These walls had been in ruin for over 100 years, and it was time to be rebuilt. For 100 years, people had looked at these torn down walls that had left their city vulnerable to attack, and of course everyone had wished for something to change – but no one had been willing to do anything about it.
I wonder what desperately needs to change around you, but no one has been willing to do anything about it? What if God is charging YOU to be the one who gets to work now? Oh, I believe he is. No more wishing and complaining. No more waiting. It’s time for the work to be done, and God chooses YOU! The good work starts now!
Nehemiah had been doing a good work of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. But remember, all good comes under attack. His enemies did not want him to rebuilt the wall and they tried to discourage him. But Nehemiah would not be discouraged. Say that with me, “I WILL NOT BE DISCOURAGED!”
Nehemiah 6:1-4, “When word came to our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it, my enemy sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.”
You have good work to do in 2026. Rebuilding of what the enemy has destroyed. Rebuilding of what has been broken. Rebuilding of what you thought could never be. And your enemy, plain and simple, DOES NOT WANT you to do this work. No, he doesn’t want you to grow in your faith. No, he doesn’t want you to be healthy. No, he doesn’t want you to be confident. No, he doesn’t want you to have good relationships. No, he doesn’t want you to have energy and joy. No, he doesn’t want you to be happy or successful.
Heck no, the devil doesn’t want any of that for you. So you better believe he has been scheming to distract you and discourage you. What should your reply be? Just like Nehemiah. “Enemy, I am carrying on a great project and I don’t have time for you. I will not stop this work because of you!”
But the enemy does not give up easily. Nehemiah received the same message 4 times, and scripture says each time he gave them the same answer. That means the voices will try to distract you on Monday, and they will be back again on Tuesday. But that’s not all, they’re coming for you again on Wednesday and Thursday too. But wait, there’s more.
The messages from the enemy came the 5th time. Fears and threats, all to distract and discourage Nehemiah from the good work he was doing. And this is what Nehemiah did, chapter 6: 8-9, “I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.’ They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’”
Oh my goodness, isn’t this exactly what the enemy is trying to do to you? With all his noise, he’s trying to make you believe you’re not good enough and you will never finish what you start. He’s discouraging you with circumstances, bad weather, excuses and doubts. But your response must be, “No, devil, that’s not what is going to happen here this year! I don’t believe you.” Now turn to God, focus fully on him, and ask him to strengthen you!
My sister, there is so much goodness in you. God has such great plans for your life and the enemy will try to distract you and discourage you. Day after day, time and time again, you will have to continue on with the work God has given you to do this year and not stop! You will have to choose not to believe the lies of the enemy. You will have to overcome the voices that tell you you can’t. You will have to push through the hard days and the setbacks. And you will have to continually ask God to strengthen you.
And if you do, you get to experience life like you have never know before!
Here’s how the story ends. Chapter 6, verse 16, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”
Oh, the enemy and all of his demons will be afraid because you are doing this work this year with the help of God. They will lose their self-confidence in their power to distract and discourage you. The enemy may be coming into 2026 with a lot of confidence because he has been successful in his schemes against you in the past, but not this time, Devil. Not this time! We know your game, and we know how to defeat you!
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resist him. Fight him. Don’t believe him. Don’t be distracted by him. Oh, he’s going to come in and interrupt your goodness. He’s going to be loud and bring chaos. But don’t you dare stop the good work you’re doing. Resist him and he must leave!
When the enemy tries to discourage you, you must respond with determination. When the enemy tries to distract you, you must use discernment.
Discernment – it’s the spiritual ability to see circumstances as God sees them, not as they appear. Nehemiah had discernment. He knew the invitations of his enemies were distractions. He knew the talked about rumors were discouragements to stop his good work. Nehemiah was not fooled, even when it sounded good – he had discernment. Discernment comes in two steps.
1. Read God’s words. You will only recognize God’s voice when you learn what his voice sounds like. You will recognize his voice by reading his words.
2. Ask God for discernment. 1 Corinthians 12:10 tells us discernment is a gift of the Spirit of God. If it’s a gift, you can put it on your wishlist and ask for it! Lord, please give me the gift of discernment. I don’t want to be fooled. I don’t want to believe the enemy. I don’t’ want to give up in discouragement again this time. Help me to see these distractions for what they really are.
Neihmiah rebuilt this wall in just 52 days! These walls had been in ruins for over 100 years and they were set right in just 52 days. The things that have been wrong your entire life could be set right in just 52 days. 52 days of hard work and refusing to be discouraged or distracted. 52 days of seeking discernment.
But remember this, your hard work alone will not get the job done. You need God’s help here. You have to seek God in this. God says in Zechariah 4:6-7, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my SPIRIT! Nothing, not even a mighty mountain can stand it your way; it will become a level plain before you!”
I will not be discouraged. I will not stop my work. I will seek God for strength, and I will continue!
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