For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin…

Nehemiah 6:13 ESV

I thought this was a good lesson. They were trying to make him afraid so that he would sin. Satan will try to use fear to get you to sin. Do you fight fear when it’s trying to control a decision?

Satan likes to lurk where we don’t see him because then we don’t do anything about him. We need to realize he’s at work. Overseas spiritual warfare was much more in your face and part of life. Even so, we were surprised at times at his tactics. Once, in frustration, I asked my three-year-old why they wouldn’t obey. The response? “God said if I obey He’ll take you from me.” How do you teach a three-year-old discernment and to take every thought captive? It was a stark reminder how he was prowling around seeking to devour. That same year, we one day got a death threat in our mailbox describing how they were going to kill us. What do you do? We decided to do nothing. It didn’t change anything. Our safety was remaining in God’s will. We read today how God can frustrate plots against us (Ps.33:10). Fear is not a compelling reason. It’s the love of Christ that compels us (2 Cor. 5:14), and it’s love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18).