Defy Distraction, Defeat Opposition
Steadfast in the storm
Hi friends! Welcome to the second post in the series, ‘From Ruins to Restoration’. I hope Jesus is guiding you and filling your hearts with love every day. I hope you enjoyed last week’s post about nurturing a good, faithful heart attitude. If you haven’t read last week’s post, why don’t you do that first?
‘The Right Heart Attitude’
I am continuing this series with:
‘Defy Distraction, Defeat Opposition’.
In Nehemiah 4–6 and Ezra 4, God’s people face fierce opposition; slander, ridicule, and threats, both external and internal. Satan targets anything that advances the Kingdom, attacking spiritually, physically, and socially. But the victory is already won. Our job is to keep going, to keep building. These chapters demonstrate the enemy’s range of tactics: not just loud hostility, but also subtle and charming deception.
“…they wrote an accusation (שִׂטְנָ֔ה) against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.“ - Ezra 4:6
שִׂטְנָה ’Sitnah’ meaning opposition Derived from the root שָׂטַן (satan), meaning “to oppose” or “to be an adversary.”
Responding to Enemy Tactics: Trusting God’s Faithfulness in Opposition
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A warm smile. A helping hand. Advice that sounds wise and sincere. The enemy often disguises himself as a friend, drawing close to gain trust before corrupting from within.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” – Matthew 7:15
In Ezra, the heads of families encountered this tactic. Their adversaries came with flattery and feigned unity:
“Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.” – Ezra 4:1-2
These adversaries, Samaritans, had a syncretistic faith, worshipping both God and idols.
While claiming a shared devotion, they refused to renounce their false gods.
The Israelites wisely said no, showing spiritual discernment. Like them, we must recognise that compromise is not compassion, it is captivity.
Compromise in worship is not unity but idolatry cloaked in tolerance. God demands exclusive loyalty (Deut. 6:5).
In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat employed manipulation through political pressure and veiled threats:
“Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.” – Nehemiah 6:7
Satan often masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Nehemiah’s discernment came from knowing God’s voice—a wisdom cultivated through prayer and Scripture.
“Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head… But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” – Nehemiah 6:8–9
Response: Wolves and Wisdom
John Calvin taught that believers must “speak with two voices”:
A voice of gentleness to the sheep
A voice of firmness to the wolves
While we’re called to gentleness under Christ, we are also called to uphold justice, and sometimes that means telling the wolves to get lost, with Christ’s help.
Like Nehemiah, we are called to:
Discern the source of every word and offer
Stand firm when falsehood seeks to distract us
Pray for strength, not revenge
If we can’t say “no” when opposition is subtle, how will we endure when it is direct? We must be certain where our counsel comes from and refuse to stoop to lies. Is it worth arguing endlessly with someone who won’t change their mind? Or better to speak, pray, and carry on with God’s work?
Ridicule and Discouragement
More prominent in Nehemiah 4, this direct, hurtful attack is one of the devil’s favourite tactics because it is so successful.
“What are these feeble Jews doing?” - Nehemiah 4:2
“Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” - Nehemiah 4:3
They took pages right out of the playbook, written by their father, the Devil.
Ridicule – to belittle faith and breed insecurity
Mockery – to shake confidence and instil shame
Discouragement – to paralyse spiritual momentum
Intimidation – to question whether God’s call is worth it
Sanballat’s anger became so irrational that he could no longer hide behind pretence; only sharp, cutting words remained. Stirred by Satan, such rage drowns out logic and peace, seeking validation from others who share the same hostility. Discouragement and threats are directed at those who are actively building God’s kingdom. Like lions isolating prey, the enemy tries to separate us from counsel and fellowship, where discouragement and malice can most easily take hold.
Response: The Power of Prayer in the Face of Fear
At the root of discouragement is fear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” - 2 Timothy 1:7
While God never places a spirit of fear on us, fearful spirits do exist, persistent and relentless, except in the presence of Christ. The power in Jesus’ name makes evil flee.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” - John 10:10
Nehemiah recognised this. Instead of seeking revenge when slandered, he turned to prayer, asking God to avenge him. That kind of surrender takes practice. In the New Testament, we’re taught to pray for grace, but without that teaching, Nehemiah did the best he could. We, too, must do our best and trust Jesus to fill the gaps.
“⁴³ You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” - Matthew 5:43-44
We’ve been given spiritual armour to use both in quiet, spontaneous prayer and outward battle. It’s not an excuse for passivity. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak; if we trust God and act, He will carry us through, just as He did with Nehemiah.
Political Pressure & Manipulation
In Ezra 4, the attack intensified:
Letters were sent to King Artaxerxes
Slander and distorted history were used as weapons
A note on the timeline: Ezra 4 mentions four kings, which can be confusing. The main narrative is set under King Darius, focusing on the rebuilding of the Temple. However, verses 6–23 insert later opposition under King Artaxerxes, referring to the reconstruction of the walls. A narrative pause that highlights the ongoing, intense resistance.
The vicious attacks that God’s people came under were nothing other than malicious slander.
“And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.” - Ezra 4:15
The last part was referring to when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem.
The enemy’s tactics:
Use truth out of context to build false accusations
Distract authorities with selective records, ignoring God’s earlier decrees
Even rulers can be misled. Only God’s Word is inerrant. Even well-intentioned leadership is vulnerable to spiritual deception when disconnected from God’s truth.
In Nehemiah 6, deception escalated through false meetings and the presence of a false prophet. Had Nehemiah believed it and entered the Holy Place, it would have discredited him and caused people to question his devotion to God.
“Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” - Nehemiah 6:12
Response: Integrity Under Accusation
We must be careful not to become prideful in our achievements and become guilty of the very things we could be accused of. Maintaining a clean conscience is essential, although it can be difficult.
“Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” – 1 Peter 3:16
Nehemiah:
Rejected compromise
Refused to enter the Holy Place unlawfully
Kept his conscience clean
The only authority we follow is that appointed by God, and only through His help can we discern actual authority from deception.
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities… for there is no authority except from God.” – Romans 13:1
We must test every voice:
Does it align with Scripture?
Does it bring peace or manipulation?
Is it the voice of the Good Shepherd or a counterfeit?
God never speaks discouragement. If something sounds sweet but stirs unease, the Holy Spirit is warning us. Fixing our focus on Jesus allows us to recognise distraction for what it is.
Internal Oppositions
In Nehemiah 5, a different type of opposition emerges: internal. Here we see the rich living in disobedience to God’s law.
“Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.” - Deuteronomy 23:19
When Nehemiah heard about it and saw the struggle, he was furious. In unprovoked selfishness, the nobles and officials forgot how to be good stewards of their money… and of God.
As they took the poor people’s money as their own, a once-unified front was starting to crumble. Anything could have happened if there hadn’t been intervention, and with sharp attacks coming from adversaries of God, could they survive internal opposition as well?
Response: Righteous Confrontation
Nehemiah felt righteous anger and did not ignore sin. He confronted and rebuked the nobles and officials for their restoration.
True correction leads to repentance and repair.
A good leader calls out sin to prevent division, urging generosity, encouragement, and accountability. In this love for one another and for Jesus, repentance becomes a willing and humble act; a testimony to the heart change Christ brings. The nobles responded with humility, restoring what they had broken.
“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”- Nehemiah 5:12
Nehemiah spoke truth boldly, seeking no earthly validation but a Heavenly reward, even sacrificing his comfort to help the poor.
“²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” - Colossians 3:23-24
Be Watchful and Faithful
Every tactic of the enemy, from false friendship to direct intimidation, from political manipulation to internal sin, has one aim: to stop the work of God in your life.
Yet we are not left defenceless:
Discernment through the Spirit
Boldness through the Word
Strength through prayer
Unity through accountability
Perseverance through Christ
Like Nehemiah, we say:
“I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.” – Nehemiah 6:3
Let your hands be strengthened.
Let your heart be courageous.
Let your focus remain on the Lord.
He who called you is faithful. He will do it. – 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for giving us the wisdom to recognise the enemy’s core strategies. We know that we will face opposition whenever we do our work, but like Nehemiah and Ezra, we must stand firm, pray, discern, and persevere. We pray for your strength and discernment to be poured over us so that we may stand firm in the face of opposition, no matter what it looks like.
Amen 🙏🏼
So many good lessons in these passages!