When anyone endeavors anything for the Lord, there is a fair (or unfair) amount of opposition. As we talked about in the Equipping:Prayer event, our enemy has very few new tactics. He has been far too successful using discouragement, intimidation, mockery, gossip & hearsay to really develop something new.
Nehemiah and his workers had a need for resources, and were tempted to take advantage of the poor to get them. Legit need - illegit means. But I love how he resists the temptation in 5:9, "Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?" Couldn't we all use that kind of admonishment? May our attention be so focused on the spiritual need of those around us, that we would not do anything that would cause an unbeliever to reject the Gospel. If we have no moral compass, how can our Gospel be true? Let God take care of what you need, and do nothing that would make our message of no credibility.
In my years of serving the Lord, I've never seen a leader or spiritual influencer "fall" with out seeing the full affect of these weapons in their ministry. They become discouraged, they no longer seek to work whole-heartedly out of intimidation or because the blow back that comes from making changes. I would even say, all moral missteps begin this way, and all fall under one of three temptations. Study of Scripture will reveal that Saul, David, Jesus and in our study of Nehemiah the people building the wall were tempting three ways. They are common temptations of not only pastors, but of anyone with spiritual influence or fervor, anyone with a desire to do a work for the Lord, anyone including you.
Temptation Number 1 - Self-Providing
Temptation Number 2 - Self-Promoting
God save us from leaders who mission is their own following. Nehemiah's team had an opportunity to lord over their people with heavy requirements and usury. Nehemiah resisted the temptation to build his own portfolio, to build his own kingdom, to use those he led to increase the prosperity of Jerusalem at the cost of its people. He could have really made Jerusalem into more of a success than he did by simply increasing its protective wall. He wouldn't do it - verse 5:15-16, "But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that. Instead I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land." His focus was the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of Self. His job was the wall, not a kingdom unto self.
Temptation Number 3 - Self-Seeking
This temptation also requires an eternal perspective. Like the first where we must consider the eternal implications of our testimony, and the second where we must consider the Kingdom of God before our own kingdom, the third temptation requires that we focus on eternal reward. Do you do what you do for the rewards people see or for the unseen rewards? Those seen rewards can be our own position in the community, our income, the generosities of the people we serve; and if we focus too much on those fleeting rewards, we look for ways to reward ourselves. This is the leader who skims a little off the top, or misappropriates funds, or even spends the money of the ministry recklessly. It's the self-seeking, what's-in-it-for-me kind of leaders. But Nehemiah again resisted the temptation in 5:18-19, "I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people."
I think we could all use a bit of a check-up on our motivations for ministry, even a seemingly-unseen ministry such as prayer. Any of these diversions from the mission, from the Kingdom, and from the King's own system of reward makes us absent without leave from the battle the King has called us to fight. Stay on the wall. Let's keep our heads and hearts clear and serve in all that the King is calling us to do.