And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” (Nehemiah 4:2, ESV)
Have you ever had someone who was critical of you? They made you question your ability, your value, and your aspirations.
Sanballat was that critical voice. He questioned if the Jews could rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And he intended to sabotage the work. A critical voice will keep us from doing what God has called us to do. It will hold us back from experiencing the fullness to which God has called us.
Sometimes those critical voices come are the voices of strangers. Sometimes those critical voices are those closest to us. But often the most critical voice comes from inside ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy and sabotage our work.
To what voice are you listening? Are you listening to the right voice? Do you listen to a voice that speaks truth or do we listen to a voice that has a different agenda? Who do you have speaking into your life?
The most important voice is the voice of God. You need the voice of God spoken in your life and over your life. Do you have people who will express his Word in your life? Do you have people who will speak the voice of truth? Do you have people who will lift you up? Or do you have people who will tear you down?
Reflection
- Do you have critical voices in your life? Do you listen to those voices?
- How do you find voice that to speak truth, encouragement, and godly guidance?
Prayer
Lord, you are the voice of truth. Help me to be discerning of our Word. Guide my life in your paths of righteousness. And when I am confronted with a critical voice, give me the wisdom to see it for what it is. Help me to learn from it when I need to learn from it and dismiss it when I need to dismiss it. Amen.
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