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.
Your Home Is Your First Ministry
It’s easy to want big change.
To focus on the world’s problems.
To look out at what’s broken and think, "Somebody needs to fix that."
But you can’t build a strong city with broken households.
Too many people try to be heroes in the streets while being strangers at home.
They’re fixing their communities but neglecting their families.
They’re trying to rebuild the world but ignoring the brokenness under their own roof.
But real revival starts at home.
Before you fix the world, build your home.
Before you lead others, lead your own family.
Before you defend the city, make sure your walls are strong.
The Hidden Gaps Where the Enemy Gets In
A wall without a gate keeps everything out.
But a home without walls lets everything in.
Nehemiah’s people understood something fundamental: without walls, their homes were vulnerable. They weren’t just rebuilding houses—they were reinforcing their lives against intrusion, compromise, and invasion.
Today, those walls don’t look like stone and mortar. But they’re just as critical.
Walls are practical boundaries that protect what matters most.
🛑 A wall is deciding that husband and wife go to bed at the same time—so there’s no room for distance, distraction, or temptation to creep in.
🛑 A wall is unplugging the WiFi at bedtime—so kids aren’t mindlessly scrolling YouTube or wandering into dangerous content when no one is watching.
🛑 A wall is keeping work emails out of family dinner—so your children know they come before your job.
🛑 A wall is intentional family prayer—so your household isn’t just coexisting under one roof but thriving under God’s covering.
🛑 A wall is teaching discernment—so your home isn’t infiltrated by influences that erode your values.
What are the practical things your family can do to prevent snakes from getting into your garden?
The enemy doesn’t always come through the front door—sometimes, he sneaks in through compromise. Through screens left unchecked. Through relationships left unguarded. Through exhaustion that leaves you too tired to fight for what matters.
A home without boundaries is like a city without walls—completely exposed.
Nehemiah’s people didn’t just build homes—they fortified them. They made sure their families were protected, covered, and aligned.
So before you focus on building big things out there, take a moment to secure what’s happening inside your home.
Where are the gaps?
What needs to be reinforced?
What practical walls need to be built to protect what God has entrusted to you?
Because if the enemy can infiltrate your home, it doesn’t matter how strong your city looks.
🔥 Build the wall.
🔥 Rebuild where you live.
🔥 Then—and only then—change the world.