In this message, we learn from Nehemiah 2–4 and 6 that fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives requires both the right people beside us and the courage to stand against spiritual opposition. Nehemiah could not rebuild Jerusalem’s walls alone—the repeated phrase “next to him” reminds us that our faith and purpose are meant to be lived out in community. While our family is our first spiritual community and our workplace can be a mission field, not everyone around us will care about what God is doing in our lives. At the same time, we must recognize and overcome the spiritual enemies that seek to derail our purpose, including compromise, criticism and cynicism, attacks on our motives, doubt, distraction, and lies.
