Nehemiah 6:11
"And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."
Opposition is always going to be a part of the ministry. The enemy is never thrilled when God's work is going forward. Nehemiah figured that out early in the project of rebuilding the walls. Two of his chief opponents were Sanballat and Tobiah. These men were evil and were bent on stopping the rebuilding of the walls.
One of their attacks was to falsely accuse Nehemiah of rebuilding the walls so that he could rebel and become king of Israel. Of course, they spread this rumor trying to scare Nehemiah into quitting. Then they asked Nehemiah to come and meet with them to discuss this accusation. Nehemiah wisely asked himself, "Should such a man as I flee?" Not knowing whether their threats were real, Nehemiah kept on building and did not allow the threats to deter him from what the LORD called him to do.
One of the ugly parts of serving the LORD is dealing with threats. Nobody likes to deal with the threats of the enemy. Sadly, many times these threats come from Christian brethren. As much as we would like to change this from happening, it is part of the ministry and you will have to deal with it. Dealing with these threats will literally make or break your success. Let me give you some advice on what to do when threats come your way.
First, don't run! If you run, then the enemy's threats have succeeded. Their purpose is to get you to stop doing the LORD's work. If you run, you will never know how the LORD will deliver you. Imagine if Nehemiah would have run. The walls would have never been finished, and the motivating story of the Book of Nehemiah would not be here to read. When threats come your way, dig your heals in and decide to stay. You don't know if the threats are empty or real, but most of the time they will be empty threats.
Second, stay focused on the work at hand. In the midst of threats, Nehemiah kept building the wall. He didn't become sidetracked with the threat and pull the workers from the wall to hold their swords; instead, they simply put a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other and kept on building. When threats come, keep doing the LORD's work. Don't stop soul winning, preaching, praying and helping lives to fight the threats. Let the LORD take care of the threats while you keep doing His work. What better way to get the LORD to fight for you than to continue doing His work.
Third, don't negotiate with the opponent. When threats come, part of what they want you to do is to change. Nehemiah kept building the wall and would not meet with these wicked men to discuss the threats. When threats come, there is nothing to talk about. What are you going to discuss; how to compromise? You must determine that you are going to continue doing what you have always done. Don't ever sit at the negotiating table with the opponent. If you do, they win and you lose.
Friend, as much as we don't like this subject, this is a real part of the ministry. I have had to deal with these threats several times in my ministry and have had to help others deal with threats. These three steps have helped me and will help you to keep doing the LORD's work. In the midst of threats always remember 2 Chronicles 20:15, "Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." Let God fight the battles while you continue doing what the LORD has called and commanded you to do.