I’m Staying
I'M STAYING
Staying Faithful When the Opposition Tries to Provoke You
The Trap Behind the Trouble
"For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me."
Nehemiah 6:13 (NKJV)The goal was not just to stop the wall. It was to make the builder sin.
4 Tactics of the Opposition
When distraction failed, the attacks became personal and moved inside the community.
Distraction
Nehemiah 6:2-4Repeated invitations to "come down" and meet, pulling Nehemiah off the work.
Intimidation
Nehemiah 6:5-9False accusations of rebellion designed to create fear.
Spiritual Manipulation
Nehemiah 6:10-14A hired prophet urging him to hide in the temple, using something sacred to stop God's assignment.
Relational Pressure
Nehemiah 6:17-19Tobiah's family ties inside Judah: praise for Tobiah, reports on Nehemiah.
4 Ways Nehemiah Stayed
He refused to let their tactics determine his character.
Conviction
Nehemiah 6:11"Should such a man as I flee?" He chose character over a fear-based reaction.
Discernment
Nehemiah 6:12He perceived God had not sent Shemaiah. Not every confident voice is from God.
Prayer
Nehemiah 6:14He took the opposition to God instead of lashing back.
Focus
Nehemiah 6:15-16He kept building. The wall was finished in 52 days, and the nations saw God's hand.
Discern Before You Depart
- What is God teaching me here?
- What is God developing in me here?
- What confirmation has God already given me?
Staying never means tolerating abuse or injustice. Speak out, and leave when safety requires it.
Guard Your Alignment
- Relationship does not automatically equal alignment.
- Someone can be familiar and still be a distraction.
- Loving boundaries are sometimes required, even with family.
God often gives confirmation before completion: fuel for the journey.
Jesus Stayed
"It is finished!"
John 19:30
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:14
Christ's work is finished, so we can live with confidence in our unfinished seasons. Do it for His glory, not to prove critics wrong.
Today Is the Day of Salvation
The five steps Dr. Price set before the congregation
Nehemiah: Building What Matters
Barry's Bureau | Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ
In Nehemiah 6, the opposition stopped attacking the wall and started targeting the builder, hoping to provoke him into sin. Dr. Richard Price shows why the enemy wants to damage your witness, how to discern the voices around you, and why Christ's finished work gives you courage to stay faithful in unfinished seasons.
Have you ever been pushed to the edge on purpose? A classmate who keeps poking until you snap. A coworker who baits you in front of the team. A post written only to get a reaction.
Most of us assume the goal is simply to hurt us. But what if the real goal is to change us, to provoke us into becoming someone God never called us to be?
That is the question Dr. Richard Price placed before our young people and young professionals in his message "I'm Staying."
What the Opposition Really Wants
By Nehemiah 6, the wall is almost finished. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem have already tried distraction, but Nehemiah refused to come down from the work (Nehemiah 6:3). So the attack turns personal, and the text reveals the real strategy:
"For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me." (Nehemiah 6:13, NKJV)
As Dr. Price pointed out, the question is not whether Nehemiah can survive the opposition. It is bigger: Can Nehemiah remain faithful while the opposition tries to provoke him into becoming something other than what God called him to be? That same question is being asked of you.
Refuse to Give Your Opposition Ammunition
Notice who delivers the next attack. Shemaiah is not an enemy outside the wall. He lives inside the community, and his counsel sounds reasonable: your enemies are coming tonight, so hide in the temple (Nehemiah 6:10).
But Nehemiah perceived that God had not sent him. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him (Nehemiah 6:12). This was spiritual manipulation: using something sacred to stop something God had assigned. Nehemiah answered with conviction: "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" (Nehemiah 6:11).
Dr. Price drew out the lesson plainly. Sometimes the enemy does not need to destroy your assignment. If he can get you to damage your witness, he has what he wants.
His counsel to our young people applies to every one of us: "Don't give your opposition ammunition. Don't let somebody else's dysfunction produce dysfunction in you." Nehemiah would rather endure an accusation than hand his enemies evidence against his character.
Our children face pressures many of us never did. Bullying has moved from the playground to the phone, and old prejudices have found new platforms. It is a different world, but it is not a different God.
Choose Focus Over Fear and Test Every Voice
Once Nehemiah recognized the trap, he did two things. He prayed, asking God to remember Tobiah, Sanballat, the prophetess Noadiah, and the other prophets who tried to make him afraid (Nehemiah 6:14). Then he went back to work. The wall was finished in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15).
First, the more grief they give you, the more time you need on your knees. Increased opposition calls for increased prayer and sharper focus, not retaliation. Go to tutoring. Get to practice. Lashing back is exactly the setup.
Second, "Everybody who speaks confidently is not speaking prophetically." Noadiah was a religious voice, yet she worked to intimidate the man God had sent. A title does not guarantee a word from God. Test every voice by Scripture and prayer.
Discern Before You Depart
Should I stay in this school, this program, this job? Dr. Price reminded us that the assignment can be right while the environment is difficult.
So before you quit, ask a better question: God, what are You teaching me while I am here? An ineffective boss can teach you what kind of leader never to become. A hard classroom can build the endurance you will need for the next assignment.
Be clear: this is not a call to tolerate abuse or injustice. Speak out against it, and leave when safety requires it. But discern before you depart.
Watch for confirmation, too. When the wall was finished, the surrounding nations recognized the work was done with the help of God (Nehemiah 6:16). Sometimes God gives confirmation before completion: a grade you did not expect, a professor who sees something in you, an internship that stretches you. These moments are fuel for the journey.
And guard your alignment. Tobiah had married into a prominent Jewish family, and some of Nehemiah's own people praised Tobiah to him while reporting Nehemiah's words back to Tobiah (Nehemiah 6:17-19). Relationship does not automatically equal alignment. Sometimes loving boundaries are required, even with family.
Stay Because It Is Finished
Nehemiah was an ordinary man who points us to an extraordinary Savior. Jesus faced a hostile environment and a painful assignment, and He stayed, not because He was powerless, but because He was purposeful. On the cross He declared, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).
That is why we can live in unfinished seasons with confidence.
Dr. Price closed with a personal testimony. For a season, God would not let him finish his doctorate, because his motive was to prove his doubters wrong. When he surrendered that motive and chose to pursue the degree for God's glory, to serve the church, and to be a better husband and father, the windows of heaven opened. You do not need ammunition for your critics. You need a motive that glorifies God.
"Maybe God has not changed the environment because He's changing you in the environment."Dr. Richard Price
5 Ways to Stay on the Wall This Week
- Name the trap. Identify where someone is trying to provoke you out of character, and decide in advance how you will respond with grace.
- Pray more when pressure rises. Set a daily time to bring both your opposition and your assignment before God.
- Test the voices. Measure every confident piece of counsel against Scripture before you act on it.
- Discern before you depart. Write down what God may be developing in you where you are, and record each confirmation He gives.
- Check your motive. Rewrite one current goal so that its purpose is God's glory, not proving anyone wrong.
Listen, Watch, and Learn More
Watch Dr. Price's full message from September 27, 2026, test yourself with this lesson's quiz and study game, and explore earlier lessons in Nehemiah: Building What Matters.
Where Is God Asking You to Stay?
Where is the opposition trying to provoke you right now, and what might God be developing in you while you stay? Pick one step above and practice it this week.
If you have not yet obeyed the gospel, today is the day of salvation. Hear the Word (Romans 10:17), believe (Hebrews 11:6), repent, confess Jesus as Lord, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38).
Share this post with a student or young professional who needs to hear it, and tell us in the comments: Where are you staying on the wall?
Join us for worship at Schrader Lane Church of Christ or visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources.
Priceless Lessons | Nehemiah: Building What Matters
I'm Staying Quiz
Nehemiah 6:10-19 | Dr. Richard Price | September 27, 2026
"Don't give your opposition ammunition. Don't let somebody else's dysfunction produce dysfunction in you."Dr. Richard Price
Seven questions move from recall to real-life application. You will see an explanation after every answer. Ready to stay on the wall?
Quiz Complete!
Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ
Priceless Lessons Study Game | Nehemiah: Building What Matters
Sort the Wall: I'm Staying
Category Sorting | Nehemiah 6:10-19 | Dr. Richard Price
Twelve cards from Nehemiah 6 and Dr. Price's sermon will appear one at a time. Tap the category where each card belongs. You will see an explanation after every choice.
Wall Complete!
Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ