We love the idea of building.

The thrill of starting something new. The excitement of vision, calling, purpose. The sense that we’re participating in something bigger than ourselves.

But what happens when opposition shows up?

What happens when the enemy sees what you're building and decides it’s worth tearing down?

Most people hesitate. They assume that if an idea is truly from God, it shouldn’t require a fight.

Nehemiah knew better.

You are where you are because of the fights you were willing to have—or the ones you avoided. It’s that simple.

Somewhere along the way, we bought into the lie that keeping the peace is the goal. But Jesus didn’t call us to be peacekeepers. He called us to be peacemakers. And there’s a big difference. Peacekeepers avoid conflict. Peacemakers step into it, take ownership, and build something better in its place.

In Nehemiah 3, as the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt, the workers weren’t assigned random sections of the city. They built opposite their own homes.

Their own neighborhoods.
Their own streets.
Their own front doors.

Why?

Because before you build anything significant, before you restore what’s broken in the world, you have to secure what’s happening in your own home.

Nehemiah’s people understood something we often forget: a city isn’t strong if its families are weak.