[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Are you surrounded by destiny derailers? (2)

By Oke Chinye

Read: Nehemiah 4:1-23

Meditation verse: 

“But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall,  that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews” (Nehemiah 4:1).

The third category of destiny derailers are: Contenders: A contender is an opposing individual or group of individuals bent on ensuring that your dream  does not see the light of day. They will do anything within their means to  frustrate your efforts. God had put the dream of rebuilding the walls of  Jerusalem in the heart of the prophet Nehemiah, but he faced severe opposition  in the hands of Sanballat and Tobiah. Both men plotted to stir up trouble against  Nehemiah and the labourers.  

Contenders will often use wicked or forceful means to oppose you. Usually  driven by envy, hate or wickedness, their intention is to prevent you from  accomplishing or becoming. They are the backbiters, gossips, manipulators,  slanderers, and character assassinators, who say: “who do you think you are?  Afterall, you are not the only one here”. Remember Joseph’s brothers? They did  all they could to prevent him from actualizing his dream: “And when they saw  him from a distance, even before he came close to them, they plotted to kill him”  (Gen 37:18 Amp). By their fruits, you will always know them. Be very careful  about divulging your dreams to this category of people.  

Lastly, you have Friendly Enemies: These are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Appearing as friends who love you but are enemies who hate your guts. They  are usually very close to you: your friends, colleagues, associates and even relations, but they can betray you for a morsel of porridge. The bible states that  a man’s enemies are those of his household (Mathew 10:36). Judas Iscariot was  amongst the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He ate from the same plate as Jesus  and followed him closely, yet he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matt  26:23, NIV). You need to be very discerning wherever you find yourself. Always  ask God to expose your friendly enemies, as they can do great damage due to  their proximity to you.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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