Well, you've begun the work of rebuilding a critical part of your spiritual life that God has called you to. But that doesn't mean it's going to be all smooth sailing. There will be discouragements and opposition along the way, and Mark Jobe helps us get ready for it with some bold steps.

Well, you've begun the work of rebuilding a critical part of your spiritual life that God has called you to. But that doesn't mean it's going to be all smooth sailing. There will be discouragements and opposition along the way, and Mark Jobe helps us get ready for it with some bold steps.

Whatever God has put on your heart to do to rebuild, there will be opposition to it. And you need to have a mindset to work and not be distracted by critics that may come your way. Amen.

Whatever God has put on your heart to do to rebuild, there will be opposition to it. And you need to have a mindset to work and not be distracted by critics that may come your way. Amen.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Today, we've reached Nehemiah chapter four in our continuing series, Rebuild Your Life, Your City, Your World. And Mark is here in the studio with me. You probably know this principle better than anyone. As a pastor and church planter, Mark acting on any great call of God, you can just guarantee there's going to be some opposition.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Today, we've reached Nehemiah chapter four in our continuing series, Rebuild Your Life, Your City, Your World. And Mark is here in the studio with me. You probably know this principle better than anyone. As a pastor and church planter, Mark acting on any great call of God, you can just guarantee there's going to be some opposition.

There will be opposition. And, you know, Nehemiah reminds the people, don't be afraid it's going to happen. I mean, nothing good happens in life without some opposition. And sometimes we let fear paralyze us. But I also like this the fact that Nehemiah says, fight. Yeah. You know, sometimes we don't hear that enough. We have to fight. There's a battle if you're in a battle right now. Hey, it doesn't mean you're out of the will of God. If you're battling and fighting and it's tough right now, you may be right where God wants you to be. In fact, Wayne, I remember preaching through, uh, one of the parts of Nehemiah where Nehemiah is fighting and gets a little aggressive. And I had this guy that came to Christ. He was £300, six foot six big guy who had come out of a severe cocaine addiction. And he came up to me afterwards. He said, I love that guy Nehemiah, because he grabbed a guy by the beard and pulled it around I love that tough prophet. And so sometimes, you know, we have to fight for what God has called us to achieve.

There will be opposition. And, you know, Nehemiah reminds the people, don't be afraid it's going to happen. I mean, nothing good happens in life without some opposition. And sometimes we let fear paralyze us. But I also like this the fact that Nehemiah says, fight. Yeah. You know, sometimes we don't hear that enough. We have to fight. There's a battle if you're in a battle right now. Hey, it doesn't mean you're out of the will of God. If you're battling and fighting and it's tough right now, you may be right where God wants you to be. In fact, Wayne, I remember preaching through, uh, one of the parts of Nehemiah where Nehemiah is fighting and gets a little aggressive. And I had this guy that came to Christ. He was £300, six foot six big guy who had come out of a severe cocaine addiction. And he came up to me afterwards. He said, I love that guy Nehemiah, because he grabbed a guy by the beard and pulled it around I love that tough prophet. And so sometimes, you know, we have to fight for what God has called us to achieve.

Yeah. What a great story. Well, we know you'll receive encouragement today in the face of attack even. Here's Mark Jobe with some bold steps.

Yeah. What a great story. Well, we know you'll receive encouragement today in the face of attack even. Here's Mark Jobe with some bold steps.

I heard of a lady. This is a true story in Darlington, Maryland. Her name was Edith. She had eight. A mother of eight. She came home on Saturday afternoon, walked into her living room and found five of her youngest children huddled around in the living room. When she poked her head to see what they were huddled around, she discovered they were huddled around a bunch of skunks. Little baby skunks. Well, she panicked and she said, everybody go to your room. So they all grabbed one skunk and they all took their skunks to the different rooms they were at. You know, they just. So things go wrong. Sometimes you think you're going to solve a problem and you make the problem even worse. Nehemiah thought things were going pretty well. He has a great job. He's assistant to the King of Persia. Things are going well. He's made his way, climbed his way up the immigrant ladder. His grandparents were slaves. He's living in Jerusalem. He's made a success out of his life. Suddenly he gets news from Jerusalem. 800 miles away. He's never been there. He gets news that it's devastated. The walls are torn down. Something needs to be done. He gets a burden. He can't shake it. He lives with it. He fasts. He prays. He can't get rid of it for 100 days. Finally, he's got to do something about it. He goes to the king of Persia, says, I need to go back to Jerusalem. The King of Persia grants him permission. He goes back to Jerusalem, a city that's been devastated, torn down in ruins for 141 years. And his task is to try to rebuild the wall that's around the city, to try to rebuild the infrastructure of the city, to try to revive the church that's in the city. And he gets there, inspects the walls Mobilizes the people. They all start working and it seems like things are humming well. I mean, people are motivated. Everyone has grabbed a section of the wall. They're working on it. They're inspired. They're rah rah, let's do it. We can do it. And it seems like all his dreams and visions are coming to pass. That God has opened up the door, one after another, after another, after another. Until now. You see if things are going well in your life and God is opening up a bunch of doors and you're trying to do something for God and rebuild something for God, that's good. But don't expect the honeymoon to last forever. Because anytime you try to make progress in life, invariably you will encounter opposition. Anything you try to do, anything you try to build. If it's for God, if it's good, if it makes sense if it's worth pouring yourself into. You will encounter opposition one way or another. It's going to come. So don't be surprised when it's come. Like, God, what's happened? No, it's it's going to come. Remember, pastor Mark told me it's going to come. It's going to happen. Opposition will come your way. In fact, let me tell you this. If you're leading anything, expect opposition. I've been a pastor for 21 years. I said earlier, and let me tell you, I've learned over the years, especially as I train younger pastors and leaders in ministry, I always let them know, hey, if you're going to lead, remember there will be opposition, and if you can't handle opposition, then step out right now because you will be lambasted and bombarded. And you have to realize that's just part of leading. Everyone who steps up to lead anything is going to be opposed. There'll be times where you'll be opposed. And so you have to learn to live and understand that opposition is going to be there. So the question is how do I move forward under attack? How do I move forward when opposition is coming my way? And that's really the question I'm answering today as we look at Nehemiah chapter four. Because Nehemiah chapter four is how do we keep going when people are opposition comes our way. Verse one. When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. You need to realize that some people will not be happy at the progress you're making in life. Some people aren't going to be glad you got that job. They're going to be angry. Some people aren't going to be happy that you have six months of sobriety Some people aren't going to be happy that you had that loan approved to get that house and the mortgage was approved. And finally, you're moving into your own place. Not everybody will be happy. Not everybody's going to be rejoice that you got accepted into college and you're finally progressing. Not everybody's going to be happy when they know that you're starting your own business. And the loan went through. Listen, here's the thing not everybody rejoices when things go well in your life. You will have people that will become angry at your prosperity, because your progress sometimes will mean that they lose influence, control, and power. And sometimes we have a we think that everybody will be happy when things go well for us. But life isn't that way. There will be people that are self-centered, people that have a vested interest in you, not prospering. Sam Bellet did not want Jerusalem to be rebuilt. He wanted it to be a ghetto. He wanted it to be lawless. He wanted the houses to remain torn down, because he was taking advantage of the people that had little protection. He wanted the infrastructures to be broken because he had greater control. He didn't want there to be organization. He didn't want the city to be rebuilt. He liked the ghetto. He wanted it broken down. He wanted people lived up living in boarded up houses. He wanted people to be in debt. His business thrived when other people were in chaos. He loved the way it was, and he opposed any rebuilding. And Sam Barlet is the. He's the image of that person that opposes any rebuilding that God is doing. And he says he became very angry and greatly incensed. And he ridiculed the Jews. And in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, what are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from the heap of rubbles burned as they are? Then Tobiah, his crony the ammonite chimed in, who was at his side? And he said, what are they building? If even a fox climbed on it, referring to the wall, it would break down their walls of stone. Now here we have two men that are not lifting one single finger to help, but yet they're sitting back with their arms crossed, criticizing, using ridicule and sarcasm to discourage the people that are trying to do something about it. Oh, I wish you could hear me, because there's always those that cross their arms. They won't lift a finger, but they watch you try to do something good. And then now they don't roll up their sleeves and say, let me help. They sit on the sidelines with their arms crossed and say, you're never going to do it. It'll never happen. The price tag is too big. You guys don't have the power, the money, the resources. You might as well pack your bags and go home because it's never going to happen. How many of you know what I'm talking about? There's always those that cross their arms, sit on the sidelines when something good is happening, but don't lift a finger to help out in that good that God is trying to do.

I heard of a lady. This is a true story in Darlington, Maryland. Her name was Edith. She had eight. A mother of eight. She came home on Saturday afternoon, walked into her living room and found five of her youngest children huddled around in the living room. When she poked her head to see what they were huddled around, she discovered they were huddled around a bunch of skunks. Little baby skunks. Well, she panicked and she said, everybody go to your room. So they all grabbed one skunk and they all took their skunks to the different rooms they were at. You know, they just. So things go wrong. Sometimes you think you're going to solve a problem and you make the problem even worse. Nehemiah thought things were going pretty well. He has a great job. He's assistant to the King of Persia. Things are going well. He's made his way, climbed his way up the immigrant ladder. His grandparents were slaves. He's living in Jerusalem. He's made a success out of his life. Suddenly he gets news from Jerusalem. 800 miles away. He's never been there. He gets news that it's devastated. The walls are torn down. Something needs to be done. He gets a burden. He can't shake it. He lives with it. He fasts. He prays. He can't get rid of it for 100 days. Finally, he's got to do something about it. He goes to the king of Persia, says, I need to go back to Jerusalem. The King of Persia grants him permission. He goes back to Jerusalem, a city that's been devastated, torn down in ruins for 141 years. And his task is to try to rebuild the wall that's around the city, to try to rebuild the infrastructure of the city, to try to revive the church that's in the city. And he gets there, inspects the walls Mobilizes the people. They all start working and it seems like things are humming well. I mean, people are motivated. Everyone has grabbed a section of the wall. They're working on it. They're inspired. They're rah rah, let's do it. We can do it. And it seems like all his dreams and visions are coming to pass. That God has opened up the door, one after another, after another, after another. Until now. You see if things are going well in your life and God is opening up a bunch of doors and you're trying to do something for God and rebuild something for God, that's good. But don't expect the honeymoon to last forever. Because anytime you try to make progress in life, invariably you will encounter opposition. Anything you try to do, anything you try to build. If it's for God, if it's good, if it makes sense if it's worth pouring yourself into. You will encounter opposition one way or another. It's going to come. So don't be surprised when it's come. Like, God, what's happened? No, it's it's going to come. Remember, pastor Mark told me it's going to come. It's going to happen. Opposition will come your way. In fact, let me tell you this. If you're leading anything, expect opposition. I've been a pastor for 21 years. I said earlier, and let me tell you, I've learned over the years, especially as I train younger pastors and leaders in ministry, I always let them know, hey, if you're going to lead, remember there will be opposition, and if you can't handle opposition, then step out right now because you will be lambasted and bombarded. And you have to realize that's just part of leading. Everyone who steps up to lead anything is going to be opposed. There'll be times where you'll be opposed. And so you have to learn to live and understand that opposition is going to be there. So the question is how do I move forward under attack? How do I move forward when opposition is coming my way? And that's really the question I'm answering today as we look at Nehemiah chapter four. Because Nehemiah chapter four is how do we keep going when people are opposition comes our way. Verse one. When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. You need to realize that some people will not be happy at the progress you're making in life. Some people aren't going to be glad you got that job. They're going to be angry. Some people aren't going to be happy that you have six months of sobriety Some people aren't going to be happy that you had that loan approved to get that house and the mortgage was approved. And finally, you're moving into your own place. Not everybody will be happy. Not everybody's going to be rejoice that you got accepted into college and you're finally progressing. Not everybody's going to be happy when they know that you're starting your own business. And the loan went through. Listen, here's the thing not everybody rejoices when things go well in your life. You will have people that will become angry at your prosperity, because your progress sometimes will mean that they lose influence, control, and power. And sometimes we have a we think that everybody will be happy when things go well for us. But life isn't that way. There will be people that are self-centered, people that have a vested interest in you, not prospering. Sam Bellet did not want Jerusalem to be rebuilt. He wanted it to be a ghetto. He wanted it to be lawless. He wanted the houses to remain torn down, because he was taking advantage of the people that had little protection. He wanted the infrastructures to be broken because he had greater control. He didn't want there to be organization. He didn't want the city to be rebuilt. He liked the ghetto. He wanted it broken down. He wanted people lived up living in boarded up houses. He wanted people to be in debt. His business thrived when other people were in chaos. He loved the way it was, and he opposed any rebuilding. And Sam Barlet is the. He's the image of that person that opposes any rebuilding that God is doing. And he says he became very angry and greatly incensed. And he ridiculed the Jews. And in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, what are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from the heap of rubbles burned as they are? Then Tobiah, his crony the ammonite chimed in, who was at his side? And he said, what are they building? If even a fox climbed on it, referring to the wall, it would break down their walls of stone. Now here we have two men that are not lifting one single finger to help, but yet they're sitting back with their arms crossed, criticizing, using ridicule and sarcasm to discourage the people that are trying to do something about it. Oh, I wish you could hear me, because there's always those that cross their arms. They won't lift a finger, but they watch you try to do something good. And then now they don't roll up their sleeves and say, let me help. They sit on the sidelines with their arms crossed and say, you're never going to do it. It'll never happen. The price tag is too big. You guys don't have the power, the money, the resources. You might as well pack your bags and go home because it's never going to happen. How many of you know what I'm talking about? There's always those that cross their arms, sit on the sidelines when something good is happening, but don't lift a finger to help out in that good that God is trying to do.

This is bold steps with Mark Jobe, and he's talking about your mindset and the need to safeguard that vision of what God has called you to do. More coming up in a moment. Just a quick pause, though, in the message to remind you to head over to Bold Steps. Org for more on our current teaching series. In the book of Nehemiah, it's called rebuild along with other faith building resources and opportunities, of course.

This is bold steps with Mark Jobe, and he's talking about your mindset and the need to safeguard that vision of what God has called you to do. More coming up in a moment. Just a quick pause, though, in the message to remind you to head over to Bold Steps. Org for more on our current teaching series. In the book of Nehemiah, it's called rebuild along with other faith building resources and opportunities, of course.

Hey and Wayne while they're on our website. Bold steps. Org I want to invite you to leave a message, a testimony, put a question, a prayer request. We read all of them. When I get the prayer request in front of me, I take time to pray over each prayer request that I get as well. And so we love hearing from our listeners and we read all of the comments, share them. Celebrate in our team. Oftentimes, some of the comments that come through as well.

Hey and Wayne while they're on our website. Bold steps. Org I want to invite you to leave a message, a testimony, put a question, a prayer request. We read all of them. When I get the prayer request in front of me, I take time to pray over each prayer request that I get as well. And so we love hearing from our listeners and we read all of the comments, share them. Celebrate in our team. Oftentimes, some of the comments that come through as well.

Here's a letter from a listener named Sunitha. She's in India. And Mark, we know that India is really a gospel hindered country right now. We're praising God that our message on bold steps has broken through. This is Sunitha's note. One of my friends sent me a bold step link one day and from that day onwards, I am your regular listener. 30 years before I was completely into Christ, I converted wholeheartedly and even wanted to become a nun. But I left God and got married to a Hindu man. I went through hardships which I cannot describe. Now I have come to my Christ. You are my teacher and I am a new person. I am learning about God, and I'm glad to have so many episodes to listen to and much more of your teaching on YouTube. Thank you pastor for being my mentor and guiding me in the right path. I'm glad I am in the right direction. That precious.

Here's a letter from a listener named Sunitha. She's in India. And Mark, we know that India is really a gospel hindered country right now. We're praising God that our message on bold steps has broken through. This is Sunitha's note. One of my friends sent me a bold step link one day and from that day onwards, I am your regular listener. 30 years before I was completely into Christ, I converted wholeheartedly and even wanted to become a nun. But I left God and got married to a Hindu man. I went through hardships which I cannot describe. Now I have come to my Christ. You are my teacher and I am a new person. I am learning about God, and I'm glad to have so many episodes to listen to and much more of your teaching on YouTube. Thank you pastor for being my mentor and guiding me in the right path. I'm glad I am in the right direction. That precious.

Hey Sunitha, you have a powerful testimony, a testimony of redemption, and I'm so glad that God brought you back to himself. And so glad that we're able to encourage you in your walk with God. May God give you the power on this new chapter of your life to serve him wholeheartedly.

Hey Sunitha, you have a powerful testimony, a testimony of redemption, and I'm so glad that God brought you back to himself. And so glad that we're able to encourage you in your walk with God. May God give you the power on this new chapter of your life to serve him wholeheartedly.

And just like Sunitha, if you have a bold steps testimony to share with us, or maybe a Bible question you'd like to ask Mark, contact us today by going online to Bold steps.org or use our new app for that purpose. You can also call us and leave your message on a recorded line by dialing 312329 21 13123292011. Now let's return to our message. Mark says that there's a critical moment that occurs when discouragement and opposition come together. What action should we take? Let's rejoin the message now on bold steps with Mark Jobe.

And just like Sunitha, if you have a bold steps testimony to share with us, or maybe a Bible question you'd like to ask Mark, contact us today by going online to Bold steps.org or use our new app for that purpose. You can also call us and leave your message on a recorded line by dialing 312329 21 13123292011. Now let's return to our message. Mark says that there's a critical moment that occurs when discouragement and opposition come together. What action should we take? Let's rejoin the message now on bold steps with Mark Jobe.

The Sam ballots and Tobias. And they'll always be there. You might as well just get used to it because life is full of Sam ballots and Tobias that crossed their arms and ridicule what you are trying to do. The good that is coming in your life, the good that you're trying to embrace. You'll never graduate from college. Your brother dropped out too. Your mom never made it through. You might as well quit now and get a real job. Make some money because you're not smart enough to make it through. There's always a balance. There's always the Tobias around us. And the Bible says. The Bible says that they ridiculed them. And I believe that you need to understand the whole aim of the opposition and jot this down if you're taking notes, because this is super important. The aim of most spiritual attacks. Listen to me well is to weaken your mindset in order to stop the progress of what God is doing. You see, most battles are not lost because we can't do it. Most battles are lost because we don't think we can do it. Most battles are not lost because we can't. Most battles are lost because the way we think, because we become distracted or discouraged. Most sport teams, it's not just about their physical conditioning, it's about their mental state. People win or lose because of how they're thinking. But people succeed in life or fail in life because of their thinking. People bail out of Christianity or grow in Christianity because of their thinking. And so if your thinking can become demoralized, if your vision can become blurred, if your faith can be squelched if your expectation of the future can become smaller, then you have lost half the battle right there. Are you tracking with me? Because really, it's your thinking. It's your thinking. And notice what happens I love I love what Nehemiah does. You see, the enemy is all about stopping the progress in your life. The moment that you stop working on what God has called you to do, it's the moment the enemy has won. The moment you stop doing what God has called you to do, it's the moment the enemy has already gained a victory in your life. They were trying to stop Nehemiah and his progress. I love what Nehemiah did. Look at in verse four. Nehemiah prays he doesn't go to talk to Sam, Balak and Tobiah. He doesn't say, well, let me argue with you because no, no, I think we can do it. And we have an army and we have a strategy. We have a plan. He doesn't talk to them. He ignores them. He goes to God. He says, God, see what they're saying about us? God, do you hear them? How they're trying to demoralize us. and I kind of like his prayer in fact, too. He says, turn their insults back on their own heads. I like that prayer. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight. For they have thrown insults in the face of your builders. By the way, he's not the only one that's prayed a prayer like that. Um, do you remember in Psalms 58 what King David says? King David says, break their teeth in their mouth. Now, that's not that doesn't sound like a nice prayer. Or does it? I know some of you have prayed stuff like that before. Don't. Don't act like you haven't. I think there's a time when our prayers are God. You need to fight for me because I'm not going to. I don't have time to fight. I need you to be my defender I don't I got a job to do. And it's the job you've called me to do, God. And I'm not going to quit doing the job that you've called me to do, to try and go to fight my critics on my opponents. So, Lord, I'm calling you to stand up and defend me. You fight my job. You thwart the attacks of the enemy. You mess up their schemes, you confuse their mind. You stop the opposition. Lord, I'm asking you to fight my battles for me because I can't stop. I have a call on my life. Hello? And then verse six is my favorite verse at this point because he says so. We rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half of its height. Remember, the wall is about 15ft high, so it reached about 7 or 8ft. We rebuilt it to half its height for the people worked with all of their heart. I like the version that says for the people had a mind to work. You see, the enemy was trying to get them off track. He was trying to discourage him and was trying to stop them from working on what they were supposed to be working on, but the people had a mind to work. They didn't stop to answer their critics. They didn't stop and argue about what was right or wrong. They just kept doing what God had called them to do.

The Sam ballots and Tobias. And they'll always be there. You might as well just get used to it because life is full of Sam ballots and Tobias that crossed their arms and ridicule what you are trying to do. The good that is coming in your life, the good that you're trying to embrace. You'll never graduate from college. Your brother dropped out too. Your mom never made it through. You might as well quit now and get a real job. Make some money because you're not smart enough to make it through. There's always a balance. There's always the Tobias around us. And the Bible says. The Bible says that they ridiculed them. And I believe that you need to understand the whole aim of the opposition and jot this down if you're taking notes, because this is super important. The aim of most spiritual attacks. Listen to me well is to weaken your mindset in order to stop the progress of what God is doing. You see, most battles are not lost because we can't do it. Most battles are lost because we don't think we can do it. Most battles are not lost because we can't. Most battles are lost because the way we think, because we become distracted or discouraged. Most sport teams, it's not just about their physical conditioning, it's about their mental state. People win or lose because of how they're thinking. But people succeed in life or fail in life because of their thinking. People bail out of Christianity or grow in Christianity because of their thinking. And so if your thinking can become demoralized, if your vision can become blurred, if your faith can be squelched if your expectation of the future can become smaller, then you have lost half the battle right there. Are you tracking with me? Because really, it's your thinking. It's your thinking. And notice what happens I love I love what Nehemiah does. You see, the enemy is all about stopping the progress in your life. The moment that you stop working on what God has called you to do, it's the moment the enemy has won. The moment you stop doing what God has called you to do, it's the moment the enemy has already gained a victory in your life. They were trying to stop Nehemiah and his progress. I love what Nehemiah did. Look at in verse four. Nehemiah prays he doesn't go to talk to Sam, Balak and Tobiah. He doesn't say, well, let me argue with you because no, no, I think we can do it. And we have an army and we have a strategy. We have a plan. He doesn't talk to them. He ignores them. He goes to God. He says, God, see what they're saying about us? God, do you hear them? How they're trying to demoralize us. and I kind of like his prayer in fact, too. He says, turn their insults back on their own heads. I like that prayer. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight. For they have thrown insults in the face of your builders. By the way, he's not the only one that's prayed a prayer like that. Um, do you remember in Psalms 58 what King David says? King David says, break their teeth in their mouth. Now, that's not that doesn't sound like a nice prayer. Or does it? I know some of you have prayed stuff like that before. Don't. Don't act like you haven't. I think there's a time when our prayers are God. You need to fight for me because I'm not going to. I don't have time to fight. I need you to be my defender I don't I got a job to do. And it's the job you've called me to do, God. And I'm not going to quit doing the job that you've called me to do, to try and go to fight my critics on my opponents. So, Lord, I'm calling you to stand up and defend me. You fight my job. You thwart the attacks of the enemy. You mess up their schemes, you confuse their mind. You stop the opposition. Lord, I'm asking you to fight my battles for me because I can't stop. I have a call on my life. Hello? And then verse six is my favorite verse at this point because he says so. We rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half of its height. Remember, the wall is about 15ft high, so it reached about 7 or 8ft. We rebuilt it to half its height for the people worked with all of their heart. I like the version that says for the people had a mind to work. You see, the enemy was trying to get them off track. He was trying to discourage him and was trying to stop them from working on what they were supposed to be working on, but the people had a mind to work. They didn't stop to answer their critics. They didn't stop and argue about what was right or wrong. They just kept doing what God had called them to do.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, the first part of a message titled Moving Forward Under Attack. Our spiritual health is tied directly to our physical health when it comes to the rebuilding process, and we'll pick that up next time. Remember to listen again or to find more content from Mark, just go to Bold steps.org. Mark, you have a guest with you.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, the first part of a message titled Moving Forward Under Attack. Our spiritual health is tied directly to our physical health when it comes to the rebuilding process, and we'll pick that up next time. Remember to listen again or to find more content from Mark, just go to Bold steps.org. Mark, you have a guest with you.

Hey thank you Wayne. I'm so excited about this month's book premium that we have for Bold Steps. I've known this author, Lina Abujamra, for quite some time now. She's written, I think, a book that is going to be a help to a lot of people. Have you ever asked yourself this question, Where is God in my pain? Or maybe you've looked around the church and wondered, is this how Christians are supposed to act? These are the types of questions that Lena struggled with in her faith when she was on the verge of collapsing her faith. So. Lena, I'm so grateful that we get a chance to chat with you today. And I think this book, fractured Faith, is just a relevant topic and message for today. There's a lot of people struggling with their faith and maybe pushing away, and that's a difficult road to travel our way back to God, isn't it?

Hey thank you Wayne. I'm so excited about this month's book premium that we have for Bold Steps. I've known this author, Lina Abujamra, for quite some time now. She's written, I think, a book that is going to be a help to a lot of people. Have you ever asked yourself this question, Where is God in my pain? Or maybe you've looked around the church and wondered, is this how Christians are supposed to act? These are the types of questions that Lena struggled with in her faith when she was on the verge of collapsing her faith. So. Lena, I'm so grateful that we get a chance to chat with you today. And I think this book, fractured Faith, is just a relevant topic and message for today. There's a lot of people struggling with their faith and maybe pushing away, and that's a difficult road to travel our way back to God, isn't it?

Yeah, it sure is. I went through the hurt. Maybe in 2013 ish was when, you know, to two years leading up to it is when the, you know, I kind of the culminated into me leaving a church that I dearly loved and a community that I dearly loved, and I didn't write the book til close to, what is it, 2000, maybe 20. And it came out to 2021. And so that entire almost decade feels like it was dedicated to picking up the pieces of the faith. And I honestly, I think part of the difficulty of making our way back to God is that we expect in our culture. Today. I was going to say an American culture, but I think globally now we expect that if I have a need, God's going to meet it in that second in this way. Like we are in immediate service people, like if we order it on Amazon and if it takes three days to come, it's too late, you need it that afternoon. And honestly, I really think when it comes to pain, that's exacerbates our disappointment because we come to God thinking that, God, I'm yours, I'm your daughter. Like, why aren't you fixing this problem? And yet God is on his own schedule, right? Who hasn't followed the Lord and understood that like he sees things completely differently and he's doing a deeper work and a longer work and a cleaning up the mess. And, you know, I should know that because I'm a doctor and I see the process of healing, it's not immediate. And it does take time. And and there's a lot of wounds that get uncovered as you're in the healing business and the Lord is faithful and will bring you back to a place of healing, but you have to give him the time to do it. So it is hard work.

Yeah, it sure is. I went through the hurt. Maybe in 2013 ish was when, you know, to two years leading up to it is when the, you know, I kind of the culminated into me leaving a church that I dearly loved and a community that I dearly loved, and I didn't write the book til close to, what is it, 2000, maybe 20. And it came out to 2021. And so that entire almost decade feels like it was dedicated to picking up the pieces of the faith. And I honestly, I think part of the difficulty of making our way back to God is that we expect in our culture. Today. I was going to say an American culture, but I think globally now we expect that if I have a need, God's going to meet it in that second in this way. Like we are in immediate service people, like if we order it on Amazon and if it takes three days to come, it's too late, you need it that afternoon. And honestly, I really think when it comes to pain, that's exacerbates our disappointment because we come to God thinking that, God, I'm yours, I'm your daughter. Like, why aren't you fixing this problem? And yet God is on his own schedule, right? Who hasn't followed the Lord and understood that like he sees things completely differently and he's doing a deeper work and a longer work and a cleaning up the mess. And, you know, I should know that because I'm a doctor and I see the process of healing, it's not immediate. And it does take time. And and there's a lot of wounds that get uncovered as you're in the healing business and the Lord is faithful and will bring you back to a place of healing, but you have to give him the time to do it. So it is hard work.

Yeah, and when people get hurt, you know, pain tends to push people. Some people are pushed towards God and some people are pushed away from God. Can you give me your insight into what you think makes the difference whether someone is pushed towards God or away from God?

Yeah, and when people get hurt, you know, pain tends to push people. Some people are pushed towards God and some people are pushed away from God. Can you give me your insight into what you think makes the difference whether someone is pushed towards God or away from God?

I think reception humility to receive healing. You know, now I impose my experience as a doctor, like the patient that wants to get better, that will trust the provider, is the one that ultimately will get better. But again, when it's issues of trust with God that are fractured, yeah, it takes time. And and now I know why I feel like this has been such a difficult era for Christians, is that the people we used to go to for healing is the church and Christians. And yet so much woundedness is happening now at the hands of leaders and Christians. And so honestly, if, you know, if I didn't believe in the sovereignty of God, I do immensely. Now, I think there's a bigger process happening where God is, you know, we think we are driving the bus, but we're not. God created this world. God loves us. God chases us. God is at work in our lives and I think we judge things too soon. We look at situations. Oh man, I can't believe you know. We look at families all the time. You know, couple people in the family follow Jesus. One of the kids doesn't. And you go, what happened there? And and I think, you know, the problem is we're not waiting till the yet. Wait. Like God is at work. Still, there are many people in our lives right now that we look at and go, man, I don't know what happened to them. Well just wait. God might still be saving them, helping them, reaching them like it's not over yet. Breathe. And I think this has been sort of the biggest gifts of grace in my life, is to understand that grace functions at its own drumbeat, controlled by the loving hand of our father.

I think reception humility to receive healing. You know, now I impose my experience as a doctor, like the patient that wants to get better, that will trust the provider, is the one that ultimately will get better. But again, when it's issues of trust with God that are fractured, yeah, it takes time. And and now I know why I feel like this has been such a difficult era for Christians, is that the people we used to go to for healing is the church and Christians. And yet so much woundedness is happening now at the hands of leaders and Christians. And so honestly, if, you know, if I didn't believe in the sovereignty of God, I do immensely. Now, I think there's a bigger process happening where God is, you know, we think we are driving the bus, but we're not. God created this world. God loves us. God chases us. God is at work in our lives and I think we judge things too soon. We look at situations. Oh man, I can't believe you know. We look at families all the time. You know, couple people in the family follow Jesus. One of the kids doesn't. And you go, what happened there? And and I think, you know, the problem is we're not waiting till the yet. Wait. Like God is at work. Still, there are many people in our lives right now that we look at and go, man, I don't know what happened to them. Well just wait. God might still be saving them, helping them, reaching them like it's not over yet. Breathe. And I think this has been sort of the biggest gifts of grace in my life, is to understand that grace functions at its own drumbeat, controlled by the loving hand of our father.

Yeah, that's so good. The final chapter is not yet written, and grace does function at its own rhythm. So if you're struggling right now with your faith, maybe you come out of church hurt, or have been disappointed by a leader, or maybe disappointed with God. Or maybe you know someone in your life that's really struggling with their faith right now. We would love to put this book in your hand. It's called fractured Faith by Lina Abujamra. Yes.

Yeah, that's so good. The final chapter is not yet written, and grace does function at its own rhythm. So if you're struggling right now with your faith, maybe you come out of church hurt, or have been disappointed by a leader, or maybe disappointed with God. Or maybe you know someone in your life that's really struggling with their faith right now. We would love to put this book in your hand. It's called fractured Faith by Lina Abujamra. Yes.

Just give a gift of any size and ask for this book, fractured Faith by going online to Bold Steps. Org or calling us at 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. And as always, you can send that gift through the mail. Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Be sure to tell us you want a copy of fractured Faith when you write. And right now, you can step up from being just a listener of bold steps and actually become part of the team by signing up as a bold partner and supporting the ministry on a monthly basis. And when you give a monthly gift of $30 or more. You'll also receive a number of personal benefits as well, including discounts on moody publisher items, special content from Mark, and more. Becoming a bold partner is quick and easy when you go to bold steps.org plus with your gift of any amount right now, we'll also send you a copy of our brand new Bold Steps with Jesus devotional. It's a 30 day guide from pastor Mark designed to help you take bold steps of faith and obedience in Christ every day. You'll find the Bold Steps with Jesus devotional online at Bold Steps org. Well, I'm Wayne Shepherd and from all of us at Bold Steps. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We'll see you on the other side for part two of our message titled Moving Forward Under Attack. That's the lesson coming up Monday on Bold Steps with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

Just give a gift of any size and ask for this book, fractured Faith by going online to Bold Steps. Org or calling us at 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. And as always, you can send that gift through the mail. Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. Be sure to tell us you want a copy of fractured Faith when you write. And right now, you can step up from being just a listener of bold steps and actually become part of the team by signing up as a bold partner and supporting the ministry on a monthly basis. And when you give a monthly gift of $30 or more. You'll also receive a number of personal benefits as well, including discounts on moody publisher items, special content from Mark, and more. Becoming a bold partner is quick and easy when you go to bold steps.org plus with your gift of any amount right now, we'll also send you a copy of our brand new Bold Steps with Jesus devotional. It's a 30 day guide from pastor Mark designed to help you take bold steps of faith and obedience in Christ every day. You'll find the Bold Steps with Jesus devotional online at Bold Steps org. Well, I'm Wayne Shepherd and from all of us at Bold Steps. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We'll see you on the other side for part two of our message titled Moving Forward Under Attack. That's the lesson coming up Monday on Bold Steps with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.