In Nehemiah Chapter 12 we see good effort from the Israelite people in a cause to turn from foreign influence and dedicate themselves to the Lord's ways. We know, from experience, that this will not last forever and we know that doing it for the purpose of obtaining righteousness is not effective. However, it is part of the Christian life that sometimes we need to remove things or people from our lives that aren't sin but tend to hinder our growth in the Spirit.