Don't Quit, Be Ambidextrous

"Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other." -Nehemiah 4:17

Ambidextrous (adj): using both hands with equal ease or dexterity

Dear Friend,

Lately, I've been sleeping with the Bible app playing at night. No particular reason other than that I want the Word of God to saturate my spirit. One day last week, as I was waking up, I heard the narrator reading Nehemiah 4:17. Immediately, I sensed what God was trying to show me.

Building anything is hard, especially when you don't have a blueprint because you're a pioneer. Of course, you have to exert more energy because you are breaking up hard ground. You are doing the work. I'm sure God is proud of you.

Yet, just because He's proud of you doesn't mean you won't still have to fight. Unfortunately, what happens to many is that we hear God, step out to do what He's called us to do, feel opposition, and stop. I don't think we stop because we want to, but I believe we stop because "the pressure is getting worsera" (the pressure gets to be a lot). Sometimes, we stop to fight the battle, hoping to return to the work, but that's not what Nehemiah 4:17 shows us.

In Nehemiah, the people building the wall had enemies, just like us. They were doing the work of the Lord, just like us. They had an enemy opposing them, just like us. But, unlike many of us, they learned to fight and work simultaneously. They learned to be ambidextrous. They had their materials and operated with one hand, and they fought off their enemies with the other.

I imagine they expended a lot of energy doing that. I can imagine they thought it wasn't fair, but they did their part. The enemy will resist you when God calls you to do anything for Him. Your enemy is doing his job, but you must purpose to do yours. You must decide to build and fight. You must choose to make progress by any means necessary.

While it won't be pretty, and you might feel like Rocky, you will win if you learn to use both hands.

So, I challenge you to practice using both hands instead of giving up. Do the work that God gave you with one hand, and fight with your sword in the other hand, which is the Word of God.