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Case Study:
Rebuilding Walls –
Nehemiah
The story of Nehemiah in the Bible and the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls is an
excellent model for how Christians can rebuild their walls of defense against
pornography. To best digest this study, we recommend that you read the book of
Nehemiah in the Bible first, then follow along for the more in-depth study below.
Setting: Our initial state while we are addicted to porn is basically defenseless
and broken down. That’s how Jerusalem was when Nehemiah started his campaign
to rebuild the city’s wall and the city: "Jerusalem is broken down, and its
gates have been burned with fire." Jerusalem had been defeated, pillaged and
abandoned in 586 BC, and it took until 432 BC for the effort to rebuild the city’s
walls to begin.
Nehemiah, as the cup-bearer to the King, held an honored position with King Artaxerxes,
the King of Persia. Although he no doubt enjoyed the luxuries of working for the King, his
heart was in Jerusalem, the city of his people.
Initial Actions:
- Nehemiah sat down, wept and mourned for many days, after hearing of the broken
down state of Jerusalem (Neh 1:4)
- He next fasted and prayed before God for many days (Neh 1:4)
- He praised God (1:5)
- While praying,
- He affirms God’s faithfulness to those that love God and observe God’s
commandments (1:5)
- He asks God to hear his prayer
- He confesses he and Israel’s corporate sin (1:6-7)
- Identifies the specific sins that were committed (1:7)
- Reminds God (respectfully) of his promise to the Israelites (1:8-9) that God has
redeemed them by His great power and His Strong Hand (1:10)
- Request’s God to grant him the King’s favor
The above initial actions paint so vivid a picture of an effective approach,
confession and petition to God for help. You can do these very same things as you approach
God to ask Him to help you break porn addiction.
- Results:
God answers Nehemiah’s prayer and approves the project (2:6)
- Credit Given Where Credit Due:
Nehemiah gives God the credit for gaining the
King’s favor (2:8)
Rebuilding the Wall (Chapter 4)
- Many different families involved – it was a group effort (chapter 3). You
will find it very helpful to plug into a group of Christians for prayer support and mutual
accountability to help each other walk a God-pleasing life.
- Enemies angrily mocked and ridiculed them (4:1), so the people’s response
was to pray to God for protection against these enemies (4:4-5). While escaping the
pit of porn addiction, you will undoubtedly encounter mockery and ridicule from people
that don’t see anything wrong with porn, masturbation and/or lust. These people could
be friends, family, coworkers or complete strangers. Satan will use these people to try to
convince you that you are a fanatic, freak, Bible thumper, etc.. Stand firm in your quest
and pray for protection.
- Enemies conspired to attack and to create confusion among the workers (4:8) and
again, the builders prayed for protection (4:9). Another tactic of the enemy is confusion.
This can come in many forms, including self-doubt, conflicting feelings, doubting
God’s provision, doubting you can get free, uncertainty of what is sin and what
isn’t, uncontrolled thought-life, people telling you that you can’t get free,
and many others. Nehemiah’s response to his situation was to point the people to God
and remind them that God is sovereign and will protect them. You should keep your eyes
fixed on God and pray to Him for protection against confusion and/or deception.
- Nehemiah set watchmen day and night along key parts of the wall (the lower parts
of the wall that were the weakest and most vulnerable) (9 &13). Prayer groups can help
serve the watchmen role for you in providing prayer support when you need it most, over
your weakest areas. They can ask you the tough questions about how things are really
going. Since you know they’ll ask, you may be less likely to fall to temptation.
- Nehemiah encouraged the people to fight for their families and friends, reminding
them about God’s power and protection (14). I find that encouragement from close
Christian brothers combined with prayer support is very helpful. Additionally, I turn to
the Bible for God’s Words of encouragement and inspiration. Psalms, for example, has
many passages written by David, who was frequently under attack from spiritual and
physical enemies. His words point me to God and help me gain perspective in the deepest
and most difficult struggles.
- Half the people guarded while the other half worked on the walls (16).
- The workers carried weapons in one hand and building materials in the other. (17)
- The trumpet was used to rally the people together in case of attack. The people were
very spread apart along the wall. (19-20) The whole picture of workmen working and
guarding is important to keep in mind. You must live with God daily, whether at work, at
home or on the road. You must constantly be on guard against the enemy’s schemes!
Chapter 5 – Nehemiah deals with oppression
- Purification: Nehemiah looks inward to how the Jews are treating each other. After
identifying usury, slavery and greed, he persuades the people to commit themselves (before
God) to stopping the sinful practices (1-13). We need to identify areas of sin (not just
in porn and sexual sin) in our lives as we rebuild our walls, commit those areas to God
and start resisting the temptations to fall into our old habits.
- Fear God and Set the example:
Nehemiah was appointed governor over Judah, yet
refused to partake of the luxuries of the kingdom that were available to him while his
people continued to work under heavy burdens (14). Nehemiah did not lord his governorship
over the people because he "feared" God (15). This fear shows that Nehemiah
understood exactly who God is and had a healthy respect and grasp of God’s
expectations for those who claim to follow Him. We too should examine our hearts and ask
ourselves if we know God. He, as the perfect, all-powerful and all loving Creator has
instructed us to love Him and keep His commandments.
Chapter 6 - 10 – Last ditch efforts from the enemy – Wall completed
- Fear Tactics: Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem attempt to instill fear in Nehemiah and
disrupt the rebuilding of the walls.
- Threatened to tell the King false rumors and discredit Nehemiah (6:6-7)
- Hired a spy to persuade Nehemiah to sin by hiding in the temple (he was not a priest and
therefore not allowed to enter the temple) (6:13)
- Nehemiah’s response:
Nehemiah, because he closely walked with God, saw right
through the enemy’s schemes to defeat him. God protected him and helped him see the
enemy’s plan. (6:8-13) As you rebuild your wall of purity, Satan will attack you in
every way possible, both through your old avenues of sexual temptation, as well as new
ways. Stay close to God during this time and you will be able to see the enemy’s
plans against you. A simple formula for this is the four P’s – Purity, Prayer,
Praise, People (fellowship/accountability) – by attending to each of these areas,
you’ll drastically speed up the rebuilding of your wall.
- Wall Completed
: There is power in a completed wall. When Nehemiah’s enemies
heard of the wall completion, they were all "disheartened in their own eyes"
because they perceived God had performed the work. (6:16) Satan and his workers of evil
will be disheartened when you finish your wall. His attacks will not penetrate to your
core like they did in the past and you won’t fall to sin but resist instead,
mandating Satan’s retreat.
- Post Completion Actions:
- Worship: All the people gathered to worship God and to hear the reading of the Holy
Scriptures (chapters 7 & 8). I am still worshiping God for the deliverance he gave me
a year and a half ago. It is very important to get in the habit of worshiping God in song,
word and spirit.
- Confession: They confessed their sins and their forefathers’ sins (Chapter 9).
Confession is also important, as it helps us to receive Christ’s payment for our sin
over and over again, as we could never be good enough to earn our way to Heaven by living
a "good" life. Confessing your ancestors’ sins helps bring healing to us
from consequences we might be experiencing resulting from their sin.
- Commitment: They took oaths to serve God only (Chapter 9 & 10). An oath is a
very serious commitment. Serious porn-breakers need to be very committed to getting free.
- Celebration and dedication of the wall to God (12:27) – the gathering
emphasized praise, using many choirs. This underscores what our natural response to God
should be, as our sinful bondage is lifted from our shoulders.
- Reform: Nehemiah made legal reforms to ensure that the Sabbath was kept and that the
Israelites did not intermarry with people of pagan religions. You will need to reform
areas of your life to avoid falling into tempting situations. One example from my life is
our family’s agreement to not view any rated "R" movie. Another may be to
not surf the internet alone.
We hope this case study gives you special insight for rebuilding your spiritual
wall of protection. God will help you build this wall one brick at a time. He will give
you the good mortar that will hold your bricks in place, no matter how fierce the
enemy’s attacks become.
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