How To Keep Going When Change Feels Impossible

Rebuilding what’s broken in your life won’t be easy.

Nehemiah’s team didn’t just stack stones—they held swords.

In this Father Like the Father episode, Alec unpacks Nehemiah 4:17, showing why real fatherhood means building with one hand and fighting with the other.

📖 Nehemiah 4:17

“Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.”

This message is for the dad who:

• Feels attacked when he tries to change

• Is tired of old habits trying to creep back

• Wants to protect what God is helping him build

If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so hard to change your family’s future—this is why.

Name one area you’re building in your family.
And one area you need to fight for.

Write them down.
Pray over them.
Hold both in your hands.

Because legacy isn’t built without battle.

You don’t have to fight alone.
Join Rooted in Brotherhood—a free community of faith-filled dads who are growing together, breaking old cycles, and protecting what matters most.

👇 Click here to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/282732511309028

🔨 Weekly Challenge:🌱 Join Rooted in Brotherhood (CTA):

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
What do you do when the enemy doesn't want you to rebuild?
Hey, welcome back to father. Like the father, I'm Alec.
And today we are continuing our series on Nehemiah rebuilding.
What's broken last week was whathappens when we pick up the
first brick and we start to rebuild.
This week is what happens when we try to rebuild and everything
pushes back. So let's be honest, you know,

(00:20):
change isn't easy for anybody. And when we try and rebuild our
family, our faith, our, our habits, sometimes we're going to
face opposition. Nehemiah, 417.
It says those who carried materials did their work with
one hand and held a weapon in the other.
Nehemiah's team was not just stacking stones they were

(00:43):
building, but they were also battling.
And that's reality of fatherhood.
We're not called to just construct something beautiful
for our kids. You know, we have to protect it.
We have to do what it takes fromthings that come to destroy it.
It's really easy to get discouraged when you realize
parenting isn't just about love.It's about warfare, spiritual

(01:06):
warfare, cultural pressures, theold habits trying to creep back
in. And that's why Nehemiah didn't
say stop building because there's a threat.
He said, pick up your sword. You don't have to quit just
because it's hard. You learn to do both.
You know, a lot of us as dads try to fix things in our family
and while fighting old patterns,it might feel impossible.

(01:30):
And then you know how we think. How do we be patient when we're
exhausted? How do we show our love when
we're fighting our own anger? And you know, sometimes God is
just going to show you that you're not called to choose one.
It's called to hold both. Build, fight, repeat.
This week, I want to challenge you.
I want you to name 1 area that you're building for your family

(01:53):
and name 1 area that you're fighting for your family.
Write them down, pray over them,and see what God says to you.
And I want you to commit to holding both things in your
hands because as dads, that's how we build this legacy.
And this is going to be built with this battle.
Hey, if this hit home, don't fight alone.

(02:14):
We're building something different and rooted in
brotherhood. It's a free community for dads
who want to lead well and protect what matters and break
old cycles. Click the link in the below and
I'd love to see you in there. We'll see you guys in the next
episode.