Are You Rebuilding or Destroying?

Nehemiah was a shepherd to Israel, a pastor, a leader, and a restorer who had taken Israel back to Jerusalem, where they began rebuilding the walls that had been destroyed. Nehemiah left Jerusalem to visit the king of Persia, and when he returned, he said, “In those days I saw…” (Nehemiah 13:15, ESV).

When Nehemiah returned to the city, he saw the children of Israel doing the exact same things their fathers had done that had caused them to be put into exile and bondage in the first place. They had been set free and were rebuilding their home city, but once again they were practicing the things that had caused the walls to be torn down. 

Does that make any sense? They were rebuilding, yet they were practicing the identical sins that had caused the walls to fall. On one hand, they were rebuilding the city; on the other, they were destroying it. On one hand, they were building up their lives; on the other, they were destroying their lives. 

So it is with many of us today! We come to the altar and cry out to Jesus, but we also practice the same old sins. We pray, read scripture, and go to church while we still go to bars and clubs, watch pornography, and compromise our lives. On the one hand, we glorify God; and on the other hand, we live out the practices of the world. 

The Israelites were returning to their old patterns. They were building something new but something old was still in them. It has been said that under Moses, the children of Israel got out of Egypt, but some of Egypt was still in them (see Acts 7:39). Some of us are getting set free from the things of the world, but some of the world is still in us. 

God wants us to come to a place of humility and repentance. He wants us to always be on a path of victory, a path of conquering the enemy!