FAITH CAPSULE: Watch and pray to deny the assignment of the adversaries.

Ezra 4

Every opened door is bound to engage challenges from the adversaries.
God alone opens and shuts doors.
He alone is God, who cares for His children.
Unquestionably, God is God, and there is no other God but Him. 
While the Israelites were in captivity, the Lord opened the door for them to go back and rebuild the temple when the Lord stirred the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia. 
The Bible records, “…when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.’” (Ezra 4:1-3) 
Know that adversaries did not present themselves as adversaries, but their intention revealed them as adversaries. 
Those adversaries wanted to join with the children of Israel in helping to build, not because they loved them, but rather to tear down their attempt to build. 
What happened was that the Lord opened a great door, but adversaries were in place to deny the open door. 
When the children of Israel denied their adversaries from joining to help them build, the adversaries turned to discourage them. 
Ezra 4:4-5 records, “…they troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”  
The people of the land (the adversaries) had no good plan in their attempt to join with the children of Israel who were coming out of captivity. 
The point here is that every opened door is bound to engage challenges from adversaries.
Always pay attention to adversaries in all endeavors.
One who gets into prayer not to be a victim of adversaries should get to watch in addition to praying.
Paul, the apostle, testifies his experience by stating, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) 
In every attempt of your build-up for the glory of God, your adversaries will pretend and persist, but you will respond and resist, just like the children of Israel. Some adversaries persist for long, but all are to resist by praying. 
Luke 3:21 records, “…and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”  Jesus prayed, and heaven opened. Any closed heaven that experiences opening through prayer is bound to prevail regardless of adversaries or not. 
Are you experiencing any agents of adversaries in your building process? Pay close attention in your building process; adversaries will pretend and persist. Be encouraged in the word of God, resist, and you shall prevail. 

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver and defend you from all adversaries at your open door.