Bridge Family Devotion (June 30, 2013)

Acts 5:  Revival is happening, people are being saved, demons cast out and miracles are a common daily occurrence.  Expectation is in the air! Never forget this important truth, when revival comes to town so does persecution.  The anointing not only draws the lost and hurting but the religious who hate a real move of the Holy Spirit and so it was with the early church.

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 

“Filled with indignation” can be interpreted in the south as “downright mad” but their anger came out of ignorance and jealously. These religious leaders were so full of anger that they forcefully had the apostles (anointed by God) put in prison. A religious spirit or Jezebel spirit will make you think you are right when you are one hundred percent wrong. Those spirits will blind you to truth and have you coming against God’s anointed.  David told his warriors, even though Saul has done wrong and I could have killed him, I will not touch God’s anointed. Let’s be careful not to be influenced by a religious spirit.

19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 

Don’t you love it; the devil has never made a lock for which Father God doesn’t have a key. Prison doors for God’s people are gateways for the supernatural to show up in our lives. I believe the closer we come to the rapture of the church, the more angelic visitations we will have. I know Sunday Morning the Holy Spirit said that dreams and visions were about to increase.  Time for the supernatural is here.

21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. 

When you are full of the Holy Spirit you will obey Father God rather than man.  I love their boldness.  They didn’t wait until midmorning but early in the morning they showed up teaching God’s Word with power. It’s time that we take a stand and obey the Lord even when it goes against religious tradition and the mainstream culture.

21b But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 

I always have to chuckle when I read this passage, “The prison we found and it was shut up but there was no one inside”.  Glory to God, supernatural deliverance! I believe we will begin to hear about this again in our day.  Christians are being tortured, beat, whipped, murdered around the world for their faith but God is about to show out just like He did in the book of Acts.

I24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

 Doesn’t that charge your spiritual battery? These apostles were saying, regardless of what you do to us we will still serve the Lord. Threaten us, beat us, kill us but God is our King and we will serve Him. That’s the type of attitude we must have when it comes to serving Father God. The truth is we can’t do it by ourselves; it happens as we daily fill our lives with His Presence, the power of the Holy Ghost.  They remembered what Jesus had told them, do not fear them that can only destroy your body but fear Him that can destroy both body and soul. Friends, let’s see what God has promised us by daily filling ourselves with more of the Presence of Jesus and less of us!

Prayer Points: Lord fill us with a fresh touch of your presence and power.  Never let us lose our zeal for more of your presence.