September 2

who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me. — Neh 4:17-18 BSB

We should all work on building God’s kingdom, each of us contributing near our own door. We should never slack in our efforts because there is always a task for every moment. But we are surrounded by enemies! There are those who oppose us, ready to stop us from serving. The young Christian at work, school, or college constantly faces temptation. Not all of their companions follow Christ. Some may even try to pull them away from their faith. And within our own hearts, there are forces fighting against the good striving within us, threatening to lead us astray. So as we work, we must also be prepared to fight at any moment.

Every Christian should always have their sword at hand. The sword for us is the Word of God. The best preparation for facing the world's challenges is to fill ourselves with Scripture. Many times in life, a single verse can be like a drawn sword against an enemy. This is how Jesus defeated the tempter—each time, He drew out a word from God and struck down the adversary with it.

We, too, must learn to fight this way—building our character while constantly pushing back the enemy that seeks to destroy us.