THURSDAY 8 SEPTEMBER - WHEN DISCOURAGED, STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE

The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!” So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.

Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. What has the most potential to make you feel discouraged? I guess most of us would say the difficult situation we’re in. But consider this for a moment: entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once famously stated, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

The people you spend most time with have the most potential to make you feel discouraged. If they are negative people, you will feel discouraged. If they are positive people, they will likely encourage you to be positive, even if your situation isn’t. To avoid feeling discouraged and fearful, the best thing you can do is avoid negative people as much as you can.

Nehemiah saw the impact the people of Judah’s enemies were having on them. They were angry about Jerusalem’s walls being rebuilt. They mocked the people’s efforts. They suggested they weren’t up to the job. They made fun of what they had achieved, suggesting it wouldn’t last five minutes before it collapsed again. And suddenly the people of Judah were discouraged. They started to complain. They lost confidence in themselves and in God. So Nehemiah placed armed guards around the wall and kept the enemies away.

Don’t listen to the negative people in your life. Don’t let them drag you down. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He will enable you to keep going.

THINK IT OVER

Think about the following:

Is there anyone in your life who drags you down? Are there ways you can avoid their negativity?

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