DISCUSSION GUIDE

Building & Battling

Ps Barry Cutchie
21st February 2016

Scripture
Read Nehemiah 4

Observation
– Why was Sanballat and Tobiah against the work of God’s people? How did the people experience discouragement and opposition?

– List some of the outcomes if the people of God had caved into discouragement and stopped building. What are some of the outcomes in your life if you stopped doing God’s work?

– How did Nehemiah lead them in dealing with their discouragement and opposition that is distinct from the way the people was dealing with it?

Application
Ps Barry shared that whenever we rise to do God’s work we should expect discouragement and distraction. He listed from Nehemiah three devices that the enemy used to discourage and distract:

1. Words (Nehemiah 4:2-4)
2. Weariness (Nehemiah 4:10)
3. War Threats (Nehemiah 4:7, 8, 11, 12)

– Read 2 Corinthians 2:11 – why is it important to be aware of the enemy’s devices when doing God’s work?

– Share with one another some of the opposition and discouragement you have faced in words, weariness and war threats when rising to do God’s work. How did you respond to such discouragement and opposition? How did that distract you from doing God’s work?

– Often we experience discouragement and opposition from other people. What does it mean when it says in Ephesians 6:11-12 – that our opposition is not against “flesh and blood”? How does that impact the way we deal with opposition and discouragement from people?

Response
Nehemiah helped encourage the people to battle and build by encouraging them to:

1. Pray and praise (Nehemiah 4:4, 9, 15, 20) 2. Persevere (Nehemiah 4:4, 9, 14, 21) 3. Prepare for war (Nehemiah 4, 11-13, 14, 16-18)

– In what was have you used one of these strategies when dealing with discouragement and distraction? Share an example.

– What one thing can you do in dealing with your discouragement and distraction from the work of God?

Spend time praying for one another.

Next week – please read Nehemiah 5-6 in preparation for this coming Sunday.