Chapter: Nehemiah 4 | Verse: Nehemiah 4:17
“Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.”
– Nehemiah 4:17 LSB
If you think following Jesus is safe and sanitized, you haven’t read Nehemiah. Discipleship isn’t soft. It’s gritty. It’s sweaty. It’s a trowel in one hand—and a sword in the other.
Opposition came fast. Sanballat and Tobiah mocked, threatened, and plotted violence. But Nehemiah didn’t stop building—he adapted.
Workers kept one hand on the wall and one hand on the weapon.
That’s a picture of biblical discipleship. We build God’s kingdom while fighting spiritual battles. We lay bricks and guard hearts. It’s spiritual formation and spiritual warfare.
We need both.
Where do you need to pick up the sword again? Where have you been building but not battling—or battling but not building? Ask God for balance. Boldness. And the wisdom to carry both.
Walking with God will train you in both disciplines: how to build your life on truth and how to fight the lies that seek to tear it down. This isn’t a podcast for pew-sitters. It’s for wall-builders.
Closing Prayer
Lord, teach me to build with courage and fight with faith. Make me steady in both my hands.
