As a nation, we are courageously foraging our way through the new undergrowth of the aftermath of September 11thÖand which was once 3000 miles away is now at our doorstep here in Hawaii with lowered tourism, furloughed pilots, and laid off workersÖ and still questions surface everywhere we turn:

?What about my current job?
?When will our economy bounce back?
?Will there be other terrorist attacks?
?Will we be able to laugh again?
?How long shall we mourn?

Itís an ambivalent time of trying to know what is appropriate and what is not. At gatherings when there is an attempt from a speaker at humor, I find myself waiting for others to laugh first so if it is inappropriate, they get in trouble instead of me.

But I think there is one thing we will all agree on and that is this: Itís time for us to raise the fallen emotions out from under the rubble of the ground zero and start to rebuild!

But this time, to rebuild with a new zeal toward vigilance, courage, and patriotism. Resilience is not just bouncing back. It is bouncing back with a greater understanding, a deeper sense of mission, and a wisdom learned that is greater than when we went down to the mat in the first place.

And like the New York skyline, the psyche of the American people has been permanently changed. Manhattanís GROUND ZERO will always be hallowed ground for generations to come. It will live on as a time to remember Ö not when Americans lost their freedom, but rather when America became aware of her freedom. What a gift!

So where can we turn for help? Where can we find the answers to the begging question: HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?

In the Old Testament is the story of a nation trying to rebuild after an attack. But as noble as their attempts to rebuild were, not everyone was pleased about it. Most angered were their enemies. The parallels you will see today are ironic.

The book is Nehemiah, and the time was about 450 BC. The people, who were once in exile, return to Jerusalem to rebuild. The buildings are in disrepair, houses collapsed, and walls destroyed. Patriotism surges and everyone got involved, not just those in charge. Families worked side by side, and because of so great a cause, every person jumped in and a new spirit of patriotism was birthed. Often in times of crisis, a new unity emerges Ö just as we have seen all over America.

The terrorists could not have predicted that, nor could they have foreseen that people are turning to God in soaring numbers! Being led by our President in his speech of September 20th.

"Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty have always been at war, and God is not neutral between them." And then he continued, "In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may He watch over the United States of America."

Suddenly it was right and very acceptable to call out to God. Breaches between church and state dissolved. Prayer returned to the places of government as our leaders sang together "God Bless America" on the capitol steps. Storeowners put "God Bless America" signs in their windows, the sales of Bible has skyrocketed. And hereís a miracleÖ the Congress is united! People are awakened and vigilant.

Now, back to Nehemiahís story.

Right in the midst of Nehemiahís great effort to rebuild, the enemy rears its ugly head again.

You see, the enemy cannot stand seeing any nation where the people of God are succeeding and becoming fruitful. Listen to Nehemiah 4:1Ö

"Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews."

Verse five tells us that his goal was to "demoralize the builders," and it enraged him even more when in verse 6 it says the people had "a mind to work."

Verse 8: "And they conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. Now it came about when Sanballat and Tobiah the Arabs, the Ashdodites and the Ammonites, when they heard that we were rebuilding, and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry."

It is an ironic observation about these enemies Öwithout drawing any conclusions against any ethnicity.. But maybe Ö just maybe, Godís Word is more alive than we realize!

But we continue to read, God gives us instructions as to how we are to live in this new season.

Neh. 4:15-16

And it happened when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. [16] And it came about from that day on, that half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.
Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.

Did you catch that? Even though they were under attack, they were not to stop what God has assigned for them to do. But this time, they'd have in one hand a trowel, and the other hand, a sword.

Question 2: What is one thing that you resolve to continue doing even amidst the current uncertainty?

As I was praying for this church, New Hope, I felt so strongly that this is a word to us. We too must rebuild, but this time with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.

We must be about the relentless in our pursuit of Godís best while being vigilant in warring against the enemyís attempts to destroy. Vigilant against the compromises to our faith, the tolerance of broken relationships that cause internal wars. But it will require both hands, a trowel and a sword for the days ahead.

A trowel is a little scoop that held a portion of mortar so the bricks would adhere solidly as they built. And in their other hand, a sword. This is the symbol of a vigilant, alert heart of readiness, defending their freedom.

Nehemiahís reply to us is prayer balanced with faith and practical action. We will find such phrases in Nehemiah like: "We prayed" and we "set a guard." Or "Remember the Lord" and "Fight." A balance of effort to build and to defend. We find in 1 Peter 5:8.

"Submit to God. Resist the devil. And he will flee from you."

Submit to God, Ö but thatís not enough. In order for the devil to flee, we must alsoÖ "Resist the devil!"

Submit to God. Resist the devil. A trowel and a sword.

And this was a call for the involvement of every single person!

Let me get practical and give you three areas of rebuilding and warring that God shows us from Nehemiah. This will help us to apply His Word right where we live.

REBUILDING WITH A SWORD AND A TROWEL:

The first thing we must do is: REBUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE AND WAR AGAINST FEAR.

The Scripture in Nehemiah 4:11 tells us:
"And our enemies [Sanballat and Tobiah] said, ëThey will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to their workí."

The modus operandi of terrorism is deception and stealth. Letís read on..

"Öand they sent letters to frighten us" (Neh. 6:19).

The goal is fear because fear makes you cower and go on the defensive. It makes people victims rather than victors.

A recent letter by Osama Bin Laden, was printed in the San Diego Tribune September 25, 2001. He is an extremist who has confused the sovereignty of God with his own sovereignty, selfishly distorts the term for holy war. If you take a "David Koresh" and a "Jim Jones" of Guyana, wrap them into one, and multiply it by 50, you have a Bin Laden. He is an extremist hiding behind the justification of religion. He has declared a holy war on Christians and Jews. Here he speaks of those, like the hijackers, who died for their deceptive cause and writes:

"We hope that these brothers are among the first in Islamís battle in this era against the new Christian-Jewish crusade led by the big Crusader Bush under the flag of the CrossÖ

Now notice how he uses fear even to motivate his troops:

"We incite our Muslim brothers to give everything they own and are capable of to push the American crusade forces from invading Pakistan and Afghanistan. The prophet said, "Whoever didnít fight, or prepare a fighter, or take good care of a fighterís family, Allah will strike him with a catastropheÖ"

While our God works with truth and in the light, the enemy operates on deception and lies and fear.

So what did Nehemiah do?

"When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses" (Neh. 4:14).

"Remember the Lord" he said "and fight, be strong and courageous."

Some have said that in this new season, with the increased security, we have "lost our freedom."

No! We may have lost a few of our conveniences, but not our freedom. Never make the mistake of equating freedom with convenience.

Trust the Lord, stay vigilant, keeping building families, taking trips, build relationships, love your families, but at the same time, we are not slumbering anymore, we are not asleep.

You will notice with me that this dual tipped responsibility of a trowel and a sword became not just the responsibility of the leaders but every single person, every family, every member of the household.

It was not to stop the building, but only add vigilance Ö

1 Peter 5:8 says: "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

The phrase "be on the alert" defines a fighterís posture of "keeping your dukes up", stay alert, keep your guard up against the enemy of your soul, your family, your relationships, your faith. If we let it down, that will be an "opportune moment" for the devil to strike.

We honor those of Flight 93 who took the initiative to foil the enemyís attempt. They didnít wait for somebody else. One of the passengers called his wife and said they were going to do something about it, and the last words she heard before he hung up was him saying to the other passengers, "Letís roll." I like that! "Letís roll!" They took ownership. When Jesus calls us to action that should be our response: "Letís roll."

Thatís the cry of people who refuse to be victims, but will courageously rebuild confidence and fight for their families, brothers, sons, daughters and wives. If you are going to be rebuilders, you must have not only grace, but also a little bit of spit about you when it comes resisting the devil. I think that should be the motto!

The second mandate to rebuild is:

2.REBUILD HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND WAR AGAINST TAKING OFFENSES.

"Öthen I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows" (Neh. 4:13).

Work really hard at healthy relationships. Build them well, and war against the adversary who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. In a lagging economy, sensitivities may rise, stress levels may increase, and we will have a tendency to pick at those around us. We will have the tendency to express our discomfort onto others who really love us the most, our families. We can project our discouragement in tones of complaining onto our friends, families, fellow Christians.

Here is what the Lord is saying: In exposed places where we my be most vulnerable, we need to station ourselves to protect one another, not kill one another!

And if you have damaged relationships, broken connections or collapsed friendships that you are responsible for, when God tells you to repair, say, "Letís roll." Thatís the only way we will avert the enemies plans.

Snagged friendships will not repair without your involvement. We cannot stand idly by any more. It is when we do that complacency settles in. And when we begin to tolerate unresolved offenses, thatís when the enemy begins to make plans of terrorism.

Why? Because thieves often steal you blind when their victims are Ö. asleep.

Question 4: Think of a relationship that you want to rebuild. What can you do to change it for the better? Name something (no matter how small) that youíll do tomorrow!

3. REBUILD YOUR FAITH AND WAR AGAINST COMPLACENCY!

"And it came about when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God" (Neh. 6:16).

We must stand closer as families, stronger as a nation, awakened and vigilant. We must return to our faith in God and the realization that without His hand, we would quickly collapse. The candles from the vigils will flicker to dark, but our renewed faith must not.

Last Friday night, much of America watched celebrities in "A Tribute to Americaís Heroes" to raise over 150 million dollars for the relief fund. It was underwritten by CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX.

Taking calls was a star-studded cast including the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Whoopy Goldberg, and Kevin Costner. But in a short interview with George Clooney, he mentioned how that in a weekís notice, these celebrities came together to help. Movie stars were helping to set up tables, sweep floors, serve sandwichesÖ no one came for their own advantage, no premadonnas, no image conscious people vying for the camera. Everyone became an instant, willing servant without thought for himself or herselfÖ

What caused such a willing hearted transformation?

Why? Because the cause was so great!

And then I thought, "Lord, there is no greater cause than Your cause to bring redemption to men and women who have no eternity! To hold to a great faith, to build healthy relationships, to show someone the way to the Father, to heal breachesÖ

I remember praying, "O God, help us in our church to realize how important it is for us to have a greater commitment, a greater intensity to Your cause. Increase its importance in our hearts and minds.

So where are you today? Waiting for "Someone else" to do it? Someone else to give? Someone else to help or get involved? Someone else to say "Yes" to Jesus Christ?

Donít. Instead, wage war on complacency. When Jesus summons you and me to obey, let our response be "Letís Roll."