Stay Focused

By: Lisa Boisvert

Thursday, November 5, 2026

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. Nehemiah 4:7-8

Nehemiah was a Jewish exile who was the cup bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. This position allowed Nehemiah to speak to the King regularly. God used this relationship to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. But when God moves, He provides. God prompted Artaxerxes to provide all the required building materials, and to return the sacrificial instruments that had been removed.

With Artaxerxes consent, Nehemiah began the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. Nehemiah was following God's plan, but the enemies of God tried to thwart those plans. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab were Nehemiah's main antagonists, and they wanted to disrupt the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its walls. They used threats, insults, and slander in their attempts to distract the Israelites from completing God’s work.

Under Nehemiah’s strong leadership, the Israelites stayed focused and continued to build. Nehemiah set a high standard, teaching us how to respond when the enemy tries to derail our efforts to serve God. Like Nehemiah, we must stay focused on God and not let the enemy distract us! As Christ followers we should expect to be attacked, but we must also know this:

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

When Sanballat and Geshem learned the walls were completed they changed their tactics. They asked to meet with Nehemiah in person, but their real intention was to harm him. God protected Nehemiah and kept him focused on the work. God also guided Nehemiah's reply to his attackers:

...they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:2-3

We must stay focused if we want to complete God’s work. Being distracted isn't helpful, and neither is looking back. Following Jesus means keeping our eyes on Jesus and never taking our eyes off of Him. Jesus covered this in Luke 9.

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Christ follower, don't get distracted! We can stay focused on God's work by always keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus!