How should I respond when I face opposition?

• Maintain Confidence in God (Nehemiah 2:19-20) – “Being nine feet tall is nothing if you aren’t a child of God.”
• Ask God for Help (Nehemiah 4:1-6) – “Pray boldly. Pray often. Pray privately. Pray publicly. As you pray, know that God wants his mission to succeed in you more than you do.”
• Take Reasonable Precautions (Nehemiah 4:7-14) – “When facing opposition, do everything you can to protect both yourself and the mission God has entrusted to you.”

“The gospel, by telling us Jesus died for us, is also really insulting. It tells us that we are so wicked that only the death of the Son of God could save us. This offends the modern cult of self-expression and the popular belief in the innate goodness of humanity.”

– Timothy Keller, The Message of Romans (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 2.

Consider this:

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated” (Psalm 36:1-2).

Why is there no fear of God?

Because his eyes are on himself.

What is the result?

The voice of transgression speaks loud and clear. Sin is not seen for what it is. Instead of hating sin, it is delighted in.

When the fear of God is set before our eyes we begin to see sin for what it is…and we hate it.

“God, may we fear and reverence your name. May our lives be lived out of a glorious vision of Christ.”