Connect

Announcer: This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, we love helping you understand God's Word and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement. And if you'd like help to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, sign up for Pastor Skip's free weekly devotional. You'll receive biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resources designed to help you stay strong in your faith, all delivered right to your inbox.

Signing up is quick and easy, and you'll be glad you did. Go to connectwithskip.com and join the list today. That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip's son, Nate Heitzig.

Nate Heitzig: Let me ask you, what's the last thing you did in your life that was so crazy, so outlandish, so impossible that only God could have pulled it off? Because if everything you've done in your life is something the world can look on and say, "Wow, you're really good. Wow, you're really smart. You're really talented. You're a great leader." If everything in your life is things that the world can pat you on your back for, you're doing too small of things.

God has called you to do things that if it works out, the only logical explanation from an unbelieving world is that God did that. That is what God has called you to. Live in such a way that people say, "Only God could have pulled that off." Christian, your obedience is evangelism. Your endurance is a megaphone for God's glory. Your faithfulness makes God undeniably visible. When you stay faithful to what God has called you to build, even your enemies become unintentional worship leaders.

When you stay faithful to what God has called you to build, even your enemies become unintentional worship leaders. So, let's make it our goal to make some more worship leaders in this city. Let's make it our goal to make some more worship leaders in this world. People who are unbelievers that will look at our lives and they will observe and recognize God's glory because of our work. I read an anonymous quote that says, "Live in such a way that those who know you but don't know God will come to know God because they know you."

When God finishes something through you, can others see Him in it or do you take all the glory? Do you take all the credit? Do you make it about yourself? Live in such a way that even your enemies see His handiwork. Your obedience is a testimony. Faithfulness magnifies God's glory much more than eloquence or size. But what is their response to this recognition that it was God who did this work? Do they repent? Do they convert? Do they start worshiping the God of the Israelites? No. Their response was not repentance; it was fear.

It was fear because they realized that while they could wage a war against people, if God was real and if God was fighting for Israel, they couldn't win. Instead of repenting, they become disheartened. They become fearful. The enemy was intimidated but not repentant. The enemy was discouraged but not converted. I bring this up because even if you do this right within your life, even if you do these great big God-sized things that can only be accomplished by the power of God, even when the unbelieving world looks on and recognizes God did it, it doesn't mean that all those people are going to come to Christ.

Opposition can be silenced without being sanctified. Remember what we said last week: contact with holy things, if it does not convert, hardens the heart. That's what happened with the enemies of Israel. They saw that it was God, but it didn't change their hearts; it just hardened their heart. The light of Jesus Christ, if it doesn't convert the listener, plunges them into deeper darkness. I want to illustrate this for you with a Bible story. When I first read this, it blew my mind. Remember the story of Judas betraying Jesus at the Last Supper?

I want to point something out to you that you might have missed before. Again, when I first saw this, I was like, "I can't believe that's in the Bible. That's incredible and terrifying." First of all, at the end of Judas's story, we find out that Judas was never saved. Jesus calls him a son of perdition and says it would have been better for him had he never been born. So Judas ended up in hell. In Matthew 26, Jesus is at the Last Supper and it says when it was evening, He reclined at the table with the 12.

As they were eating, He said, "Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me." Listen carefully to what the Bible says. One after another, each of them began to say, "Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I?" And then they come to Judas. The Bible says Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" You catch the difference? Eleven people: "Lord, is it I?" Judas: "Rabbi, is it I?" Eleven out of the 12 were like, "You're my Lord. My knee is submitted to you. I recognize your authority. I know that you're God."

For Judas, he's like, "I think you're a really good teacher. I think you're powerful. I think you're smart." And that's the difference for people. Just because you think Jesus is cool or said smart things or might do powerful things for you doesn't necessarily mean that you're converted. Who is Jesus to you? Is He your Lord or is He just a rabbi? Not all reverence ends in repentance. Just because they backed off, the enemies of Israel, it doesn't mean that they bowed down. The enemy was intimidated but not repentant. Our integrity won't convert everyone. What it does is it forces them to reckon with the reality of God.

We're not called to save everybody. We're just called to force them to reckon with the reality of God. Then God does the work and they make the choice. We're just called to show them the way. It doesn't mean everyone's going to get converted. Spiritual victories will make your enemies take notice but not necessarily change sides. The enemy didn't just throw in the towel. They changed tactics, and we need to expect resistance even after success. Our third and final point is that the victory was visible, but the attacks became subtle. Look at verse 17: "Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah."

Remember Tobiah? He's one of the three big bad guys: Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. They sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. For many in Judah were pledged to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah. And they reported his good deeds before me and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me. Nehemiah 6:17 says the nobles sent many letters. Right after the victory, there's more attacks.

The enemy didn't go home; they just went underground. This is astonishing to me. It should be astonishing to you. The nobles, the people of influence, the head honchos within Israel and Judah are passing notes back and forth with one of the greatest enemies of Israel. Whisper campaigns, political side deals, spiritual compromise—the opposition turned political, relational, and internal. The nobles, the elite, were secretly allied and still talking with Tobiah. Tobiah has relatives and friends inside the walls. This wasn't just social interaction.

We're not getting mad at these nobles of Judah for having a friend who wasn't a Christian. That's not the issue here. It wasn't just a cup of coffee to see how you've been and catch up on your life. They were reporting to Tobiah and undermining Nehemiah while praising the enemy to Nehemiah. The nobles were covenantally and politically compromised in that they were connected to Tobiah by intermarriage. Tobiah was an Ammonite, one of the biggest enemies of Israel with a long legacy of opposition. Intermarriage here isn't about racism; it's about spiritual compromise.

In Deuteronomy 23:3, God commands the Israelites: "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever." Now, we might look at that through our warped 2025 lens and say, "That seems so intolerant." But this is hugely important: tolerance and compromise come from the same tree. Tolerance and compromise come from the same tree, and you need to get this.

Announcer: This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. We'll return to Nate Heitzig's teaching in just a moment. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, direction, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with two powerful resources to help you follow God faithfully, even when life feels uncertain or challenging.

When you give, you'll receive the Expound Nehemiah seven-message CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's booklet, Overcoming an Anxious Mind. Together, these resources show you how God rebuilds what's broken, strengthens you when you face opposition, and gives you peace, even in seasons of pressure and waiting. We'll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/offer. Now, let's get back to the teaching of Nate Heitzig.

Nate Heitzig: See, tolerance is a satanic counterfeit to repentance. Repentance says, "I'm wrong and I need to change." Tolerance says, "You're not wrong, you just need to accept yourself." Now, depending on your Bible translation, tolerance is mentioned between three to five times in the Bible. It's not mentioned a lot. But every time it is, it is only ever mentioned as something negative that God rebukes. We need to get this because it flows from the heart and the love of God.

It's because Jesus loved the man possessed by Legion that He refused to tolerate the demons harming him, and so He exercised those demons so that that man could live a life that God had intended him to live. There are some churches that have adopted the world's definition of love and tolerance. Because of that, everyone and everything is welcome except the Lordship of Jesus Christ, except solid Bible teaching. When that happens, it's the job of faithful shepherds to warn people: "Watch out! Leave! Get into a church that teaches the Bible."

Whenever I say those kind of things, people say, "Well, that's just mean. Why would you be divisive?" Here's what's mean: allowing somebody to continue teaching something that, if believed, will send people to hell. That's mean. People will say, "Well, stop poking the bear." If the bear you're referring to is the one that's devouring the sheep of God, you need to know I'm not trying to poke it; I want to kill it. The wall was up, but the people closest to Nehemiah were playing both sides. They tolerated sin and they compromised. Because of that, there were spies in their midst.

Think of malware on a computer. You don't need a hacker to break your door down if someone inside the system lets them in through a shady link. Have you ever clicked on a link in an email and realized you shouldn't have? Then your computer is just toast. But who let them in? You did. You clicked the link. That's exactly what's happening here. There was political and spiritual compromise and tolerance even inside the walls. Christian, beware of post-victory infiltration. Satan shifts from attack mode to influence mode.

Some of your biggest battles will come after the breakthrough. Don't let the success that you experience breed naivety. The devil doesn't quit; he just gets sneaky. The threat isn't always outside your walls; it's the compromise inside your circle. Internal compromise is so much more dangerous than external attack. Why? Because the wall can't protect you from what you invite in through compromise. Some allies that you think are your friends are still tied to old enemies. Just because they're near you doesn't mean they're for you. So, watch for praisers who are really spies.

Loyalty to God might mean that you have to distance yourselves from certain relationships that you thought were good, but you realize on the other side of the victory, that's not healthy. So you have to pray and ask for discernment from the Holy Spirit. You have to pray and seek the face of God. Just because someone flatters you doesn't mean they're for you. As a matter of fact, oftentimes it's the people who flatter you constantly that are actually the ones who want to destroy you. Be watchful. Be mindful. Be aware. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve.

Talk to God about your life. Let Him be the one who you intercede to and bring your deepest, darkest secrets to. From there, build a close relationship of people who you observe and see a repeated lifestyle of integrity, honesty, and faithfulness. What voices are influencing you behind the wall? Be careful who has your ear because they might be working with your enemy behind your back. You can build a wall for protection and still lose everything through the people you let speak into your life. Verse 19 says, "And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me."

Even after the wall is finished, the warfare continues. Nehemiah is still getting threats and pressure. The wall's done, but the enemy's not. The victory was visible, but the attacks became subtle. In our lives, we need to recognize that we can't mistake the end of a project for the end of the process. I want to ask you, are you prepared for what comes after success? Because Satan doesn't stop; he just switches tactics. Don't be shocked when attacks follow achievement. You finished the wall? Awesome! Pick up your shield. Pick up your shield. Prepare. Be ready for the next attack.

Victory invites new battles, so don't just build walls; build spiritual endurance. Leaders have to develop spiritual discernment and emotional endurance. If you're going to be a leader for any amount of time, you're going to go through the gamut and you've got to have emotional endurance. To live life in this world, you have to have emotional endurance because after every mountaintop, there's a valley. And that's emotionally exhausting, isn't it? When are the valleys going to stop? When you're dead. That's when they're going to stop.

For Jesus, when He said those words, "It is finished," it wasn't finished until He breathed His last breath. The work that God has for you won't be finished until you breathe your last breath. So keep working forwards. Keep pushing ahead. Finish the wall, get that victory, and pick up your shield. Spiritual maturity requires vigilance because opposition evolves; it doesn't evaporate. The devil is relentless, so your faith has to be anchored in something. The enemy didn't need to break the wall because he had a foot in the back door.

So, what do you do when the wall is done but the whispers keep on coming? What do you do when you're finished but still fighting? I want to give you one more thing: stay faithful after the finish line. Christian, as we close, you might have done some great things for the Lord in your life. You might be today standing on a completed wall, saying, "I did it! I completed the task that God has given me." Don't confuse completion with closure. Just because the wall is up doesn't mean the war is over.

Stay on guard after the wall is built. The wall was done, but Nehemiah's real leadership was just beginning. We have another seven chapters of Nehemiah's leadership on display. Once the wall is built, the work really begins. The end of the battles within our lives is often just the beginning of another. So be ready. Celebrate the victory, but don't step off the wall. The wall was finished, but Nehemiah wasn't and neither are you. You'd think the book of Nehemiah would come to a close after the wall is rebuilt, but we're only halfway through the book.

I want to point this out because we're halfway through the year right now, 2025, right? And what was our vision for 2025? Taking ground. Taking back the ground the enemy has stolen. We just came off two weekends ago a huge victory in that mission. Freedom Celebration and Love Day were a wild success. Hundreds and hundreds of people said yes to Jesus. I've never heard the name of Jesus glorified in this part of town this way before. The name of God was glorified. God did a mighty work. We experienced a great victory. But it can be easy to kick back and say, "We did it! We won! Now we can rest."

The story's not over. There's still work to be done and battles to be fought. The wall might be done, but I'm not. What God builds through you, He wants to continue in you. So maintain spiritual vigilance after spiritual success. Finishing the task is not the end of the journey. Faithfulness is a lifelong calling. I want to leave you with three things for you to do as you find yourself finished but still fighting. Number one: stay focused. Victory invites new forms of vulnerability. So guard your heart after the high. You finished your wall, but are you guarding your heart? Stay focused.

Number two: stay clean. Compromise often starts with conversations. We tolerate sin and it leads us to compromise. Discern the voice behind the flattery. You block the enemy, but did you invite compromise? Some of you have built the wall, but you've let the wrong people in the gates. Third and finally: stay strong. Celebrate the victory, but stay spiritually awake. The enemy may come back with letters, but you've got truth and armor. Craig Groeschel said finishing strong is more about what you do after the wall goes up than how fast you build it. God's raising up people who finish and keep fighting after they do.

Announcer: We're so glad you joined us for Connect with Skip Heitzig, today featuring Pastor Skip's son, Nate Heitzig. Before we go, remember, your generosity helps share God's Word with people all around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it's needed most. And this month, we'd love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Nehemiah seven-message CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's booklet, Overcoming an Anxious Mind.

These resources will help you see how God rebuilds what's broken in your life and gives you peace, even in the midst of pressure and uncertainty. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. We'll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.