The Wrestle on the Wall: Fighting the Good Fight of Faith in Daily Life

Evening Reflection and the Need for Light

On the night of December 11, 2025, at about 9 p.m. to be precise, I had gone through the day attending to issues of different purposes and aims throughout the day. The day was fully invested in meeting some of the tasks I had pushed down the scale of preference because of school and projects.

As the day slowly faded into its initial state of rest, my heart felt the need for time with God. This came after taking the kids through their night devotion, where we read the consoling words of Jesus in John 9:5: “I am the Light of the world.” Such a needed word for the moment—just as one is in need of light in the seasons of life when the days are dark and gloomy with all sorts of unpredictability.

For me, it feels like night all around—a prolonged season of career transition, spiritual confrontations, demanding schedules, family matters from the extended side, and many other burdens carried for friends and loved ones. The Light is what can help, and there it was, mentioned in the devotion we read to the kids. Yes, the night is here, but the good news is that the Light is ours, and we are His little lights.

Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

It was through this word that God moved me to pick up the Bible and continue my journey with Nehemiah, reaching chapter 4. In this passage, I observed the true meaning of fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). The fight is “good” not for the sake of conflict, but because it is a contention for what is needed—a relentless wrestling for the wall that has been broken by the enemies. Since the destruction of the wall was their main project, the enemies would do everything to keep the status quo.

Without the inspiration and motivation given to Nehemiah by God to embark on the historical wall-building, there would be no contention at all. This is similar to the law of motion, which states that an object will remain at rest until an external force acts on it. The enemies would not show up strong until there is an unsettling demand for what belongs to one. The devil will not fight fearlessly until one knows what belongs to him or her in God. It is the realization of God’s divine will and eternal purpose that attracts demonic opposition.

Prayer as the Foundation of Action

What should one do then? Nehemiah faced the same challenge, and he followed what has been said from ages past: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” He prayed—and so must we pray when faced with similar attacks from the enemy.

The work of the wall continued as the people worked with all of their heart. It is always prayer that can bring fervency to the field of life. Nehemiah did not rely on his management and leadership skills alone. Though they are important, human ability has limitations that only prayer to God can mitigate. The natural needs the supernatural to confound the will of the wicked.

Facing Escalating Opposition

This was not a one-time situation. As one reads further, the attackers changed their tactics from verbal intimidation to creating chaos and trouble. Now 2 Thessalonians 1:6 comes to life: “For it is justice for God to pay back trouble to those who are troubling you” (CJB). Without the troubling of the troublers, wall-building would amount to wasted effort and absolute failure. It is the will of the enemy to discourage the work and frustrate the workers. Thank God that they prayed, and God showed up to strengthen His people.

The enemies thought they were winning, but the persistence of the workers made them furious, escalating their tactics further. The enemies of our time are not different. If things are not going as they expect, watch for small troubles that may emerge from work, family, church, environment, health, finances, children, colleagues, and others. This is an attempt at proxy fighting, and if one is not careful, one could be fighting people who are not the root cause of the matter. It is like stirring water to cause destabilization to all elements in it.

Understanding the Enemy’s Agenda

The enemies are explicit with their threefold agenda: steal courage or strength, kill the workers, and destroy the wall. This reminded me of the archenemy’s agenda, as exposed by Jesus in John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”

No one will be subjected to unending trouble on every side without becoming tired. The people became weary, which required a renewed strategy to understand exactly the positioning of their enemies. The Bible puts it well: “Then the Jews living among our enemies came and said this to us ten times, ‘Our enemies are all around us. They are everywhere we turn.’”

Strategic Leadership and Vigilance

Nehemiah was intentional and strategic in responding to the information delivered to him. He listened, trusted the informants, and acted promptly. He applied a principle similar to computer networking: “the network is only as strong as its weakest or most vulnerable point.” Nehemiah positioned men at the lowest sections of the wall and in places where there were holes. He also empowered the people in these positions to make the right defensive decisions whenever there was a threat. “I put families together, with their swords, spears, and bows” (The Promise Bible).

A leader has no business delivering motivational talks without due diligence in praying, planning, and programming. Motivation alone, as commonly practiced in the world, is a short-term fix that quickly loses effectiveness. Motivation without prayer is like caring for cancer with just one hospital visit. True motivation requires continuous prayer, because the matters facing the people are often beyond the human realm. Only after prayer can motivation work effectively, as God provides the words needed in season.

Encouragement from God’s Word

Nehemiah went through the checklist and observed that he and the people had done everything needed as God’s people. He then proceeded with the Word of God to encourage the people, as found in 1 John 4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (KJV). Nehemiah told the people: “Don’t be afraid of our enemies. Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful! You must fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters! You must fight for your wives and your homes!”

The wrestle for the wall is not for inanimate benefits but for the people who matter to us. Engaging in wall-building is engaging in a battle for people.

Prayer and Responsibility

Pray for the people because:

People will do the work on the wall People will fight for the wall People will provide for the wall People live around the wall People will lead the work of the wall People will lead people working on the wall

The building of the wall is the work of all Christians. Truly, we are all wall-builders, and that is why the battle each of us faces is fierce and rough. The broken walls must be rebuilt—the wall of prayer, the wall of communion, the wall of devotion, the wall of service, the wall of time for the family, the wall of unity, the wall of righteousness, the wall of faith, the wall of fasting, the wall of denial, the wall of carrying the cross, and many others. The enemies of these walls surround the people of God. Their mockery and intimidation are real and daunting.

Vigilance and the Armor of God

The idea of putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18) is practically evident in Nehemiah 4. Being builders does not excuse us from vigilance (1 Peter 5:8; 1 Corinthians 16:13). As in the days of Nehemiah, so it is for us: we keep working and keep fighting—one hand on the block and the other on the sword. The demands of parenting should not excuse one from the discipline of praying. Kingdom wall-builders have lived with this reality for centuries.

Intelligence must continually be gathered to uncover the plans of the enemy. Where does this intelligence come from? From communion with the Lord, because God shares deep things with His children (Psalm 25:14). The body of Christ lives to serve each part. Daniel and his friends prayed to God for revelation, yet God chose to give the final answer to Daniel, who in turn used it to save his friends and himself. Intelligence does not always have to reach the one who needs it directly; God can deliver it through another member of the body. That is why unity is essential.

Staying in Christ and Finishing the Work

As in any combat—or any potential combat zone—watching must match working. This brings to life the principle of “watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 21:36). The enemies do not back down, and one should not turn his or her back to them. As the work progressed, Nehemiah positioned people to watch the backs of those who were working. Such positioning remains a wisdom for us today.

The builders, workers, and helpers must stay in Jerusalem at night to help guard the wall. Our Jerusalem is Christ Jesus; we must remain in Him for Him to remain in us. Jesus explicitly stated this in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (NKJV). The enemies are like roaring lions who, without vigilance, will devour not just the wall but everyone working on it.

At the end of the chapter, Nehemiah and the people never took off their clothes nor their weapons as they continued working on the wall. We must do the same every day, as the wall in our own time is our entire sojourning on this earth. There is no room for slackness or lukewarmness. The spirit of being one brother’s keeper is not a sign of weakness but a necessary spiritual effort to fortify loopholes and vulnerabilities. Apostle Peter’s words in 1 Peter 5:8 are classic in this regard:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (KJV).

Conclusion: Staying Faithful in the Wrestle

The wrestle on the wall is not just about labor, strategy, or overcoming opposition—it is about faithfulness, vigilance, and dependence on God. Each of us has walls to rebuild in our own lives: walls of prayer, devotion, unity, righteousness, and service. The enemies will challenge us, stir trouble, and test our perseverance. Yet, as Nehemiah showed, persistence, prayer, strategic action, and trust in God’s Word make all the difference.

We are called to fight the good fight of faith daily, keeping one hand on the work and the other on the sword of God’s truth. We must watch, pray, support one another, and remain in Christ, our true Jerusalem. And through it all, we remember that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

The wall is not built by one person alone, but by a community committed to God’s purposes—living as His light in a dark world, and persevering until the work is complete.