Perseverance: Outlasting Your Opposition
Leadership Matters, part 6 of 10
Every great project worth pursuing will face challenges and opposition and Nehemiah’s great endeavor to build the walls around Jerusalem was no exception. Nehemiah faces opposition from three critics who opposed his work. We’ll look at what critics try to do to leaders trying to accomplish something great, we’ll look at the tactics of these critics and then we will look at the approach of a leader to outlast the opposition of these critics. Nehemiah’s wisdom to press on with the work and to avoid, ignore, and even prepare for potential opposition from those who opposed him, teaches us a tremendous leadership principle. The principle of perseverance. A great leader will always outlast the opposition or the obstacles in his way. We will learn how Nehemiah did it in a productive, God honoring, leadership driven way.
Download the notes.* Every great endeavor will encounter ___GREAT OPPOSITION___.
I) THREE COMMON TYPES OF OPPOSITION
1) ___CRITICISM___: Opponents who mock your efforts.
* Their goal: To create ___DOUBT___ and ___DISCOURAGEMENT___.
“Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends, ‘What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a day if they offer enough sacrifices? Look at those charred stones they are pulling out of the rubbish and using again!’ Tobiah, the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, ‘That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!’”
(Nehemiah 4:1-3, NLT)
* Your response: ___REDIRECT___ the criticism to God’s care.
“Then I prayed, ‘Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in the presence of the builders.’”
(Nehemiah 4:4-5, NLT)
“[Jesus] did not retaliate when he was insulted… he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”
(1 Peter 2:23, NLT)
2) ___INTERFERENCE___: Opponents who hinder your efforts.
* Their goal: To cause ___DELAY___ and ___DAMAGE___.
“At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city, for the people had worked very hard. But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall were being repaired, they became furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and to bring about confusion there.”
(Nehemiah 4:6-8, NLT)
* Your response: ___ADJUST___ the game plan to meet the threat.
“But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.”
(Nehemiah 4:9, NLT)
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
(Proverbs 19:21, NIV)
3) ___FATIGUE___: Opponents who wear out your efforts.
* Their goal: To cultivate ___DISILLUSIONMENT___ and ___DESPAIR___.
“Then the people of Judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves. Meanwhile, our enemies were saying. ‘Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.’ The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, ‘They will come from all directions and attack us!’”
(Nehemiah 4:10-12, NLT)
* Your response: ___REMEMBER___ the power of the cause.
“So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears and bows. Then I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!’ When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.”
(Nehemiah 4:13-15, NLT)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
(Galatians 6:9, NIV)