Way back in 1994, I wrote a song called ‘What If’ and our youth ministry’s rap/evangelistic group took the tune and added a rap within the chorus. In that rap, a brilliant young artist asked the question, “Who’s the real enemy?” She challenged many of the negative issues in the urban community, but she kept taking her listeners back to the question: Who’s the real enemy?
Now, 21 years later, we find ourselves still asking the same question. We’re in a city that’s 800 miles from where we started, but God is moving in a powerful way as HE leads us in the fight for our families. This week we want to answer that question and identify a few of the enemies of our families.
Nehemiah 4:7-8 reads: Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
Let’s take a closer look at these guys.
Sanballat was a Moabite. The Moabites were descendants of Lot, who had a child by one of his daughters and the child that was born was named Moab; Thus began the Moabite people. The Moabites worshipped Chemosh (ke-mosh). This god was honored with cruel and perverse practices like child sacrifices (burning babies alive) and heterosexual, homosexual and bi-sexual orgies.
Sanballat represents the acceptance of heterosexual perversion and homosexuality.
He represents the willingness to sacrifice our children for wealth and personal success.
He represents those family secrets like molestation, incest, rape and abortion. These are major evil spiritual forces that are opposing your efforts to rebuild your family.
Tobia was an Ammonite. They were descendants of Lot also. Ben-Ammi was the child born to Lot after by his younger daughter. The resulting people group, the Ammonites, opposed the Israelites when they attempted to pass through their land in the Exodus. They had a history of making unreasonable demands in order to allow passage or when attacking others around them. They were bullies.
Tobia and the Ammonites represent those people and influences that seek to hinder your family from achieving goals and fulfilling purpose. They are constantly harassing and bullying anyone who is trying to do the right thing or live a Godly life. This is especially true when we observe this type of spiritual opposition to your efforts to rebuild your family.
The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham from his wife's handmaiden, Hagar. Jews are descendants of Abraham's son Isaac from his wife Sarah. Therefore, Arabs and Jews both came from Abraham. Most Arabs, believe that it was Ishmael who has the birthright as Abraham’s first born. Jews and Christians hold to the understanding that Isaac has the birthright because he was the promised seed that came through Abraham’s wife.
In the context of this exhortation today, the Arabs represent the spiritual forces that contest your birthrights. They contest and fight against your rights to raise your children, your rights to protect your family, your rights to freedom of expression, and your rights to freedom of religious practice.
The last group we’ll talk about is the Ashdodites. They were Philistines and their name referred to the city in which they resided. The city’s name means, “I will spoil" The spoiler is that person who knows they can't defeat you, but they will do everything they can to cause as much hurt, harm and damage as they can anyway.
In sports, there are teams who have lost so many games that they no longer qualify for the playoffs or any championship bid. They take on the role as spoiler: to knock out other teams and put them in the same position.
Ashdodites represent the people who allow this evil spirit to work through them. They live in defeat. They aren’t going anywhere and aren’t going to do anything with their lives, yet they become envious and do all they can to prevent others from accomplishing their goals and dreams. That's the attitude and motivation of satan and demonic powers. They blew their chance with God, and now they work to spoil your life and your family. They know how things will end when all is said and done. However, they want to drag down as many people as they can.
As you can see, these are some formidable forces that are opposing us as we seek to fight for our families. Just remember that the human individuals or groups who are conspiring against you are not your real enemies. They are merely tools being used by satan and demonic powers. They have been so influenced by these evil spirits that they are convinced that they are right and you are wrong.
Now can you see how you and your family are being attacked? These are the spiritual forces that are at work against us. Please understand that the moment you decided to rebuild, restore and renew your family, these attacks were launched against you to create confusion and discouragement. But here is our response. Nehemiah 4:9 says - Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
We're not going to launch political protests and campaigns. We are not advocating bashing anyone who is gay. We’re not approving the bombing of abortion clinics or the shooting of abortionist. We are not going to organize protests at city hall, the state capitol or at school district buildings. We're just going to set a prayer-watch against the enemy, day and night. Will you join with us this prayer campaign?
God didn’t tell us to come to Harrisburg and try to win, rally or revive the entire city. God sent us to Harrisburg and told us to bring FAMILIES together. That doesn’t mean all families will physically come to Urban Life. It just means God has given us a mandate to call the members of families to come together. God sent us to Harrisburg to share our lives and the Word with YOU. Our calling is not to necessarily reach ALL of Harrisburg. Our calling is to reach YOU. And then we are to equip you to reach your family. We’re just trying to do all that we can to help you and your household. We’re all in this battle together.
That’s why we encourage you to keep pressing through all the opposition and continue to take advantage of our Sunday Life Coaching sessions. They are small gatherings, but they have proven to make a big impact on our hearts and homes.
Let’s keep pressing forward.
---Chris and Carol Green
