8 While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting 9 and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 10 So Paul called to him in a loud voice, "Stand up!" And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
What an amazing miracle! A man who was born crippled that never had the joy of walking through a plush meadow, jogging on a sandy beach or walking in the snow; this man had never stood in church, never walked his daughter down the aisle, but rather had to be carried wherever he went but we find him sitting and building his faith as Paul preached. As the crippled man listened to the preaching, his faith began to grow and Paul, through the gift of discernment, knew he had the faith to be healed; notice what did not happen, he did not even lay a hand on the crippled man but rather shouted “Stand Up” and he jumped to his feet and started walking for the first time in his life! I want to see this happen over and over again in this region. 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, "These men are gods in human form!" 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles. It’s hard to explain a miracle and these local people, who didn’t have a Bible, didn’t know about Jesus except what Paul was preaching to them, only wanted to honor the men of God but they went about it totally wrong. 14 But when Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, As you can tell from Paul and Barnabas’ response they did not want to receive any honor or glory because they knew without Father God working through them, they were nothing and then we read what they said: 15 "Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts." 18 But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. Once again the people were just trying to thank Paul and Barnabas but Father God will not share His Glory. 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. This is so amazing! One moment they were wanting to praise and honor them, treating them like little gods and now some false teaching Jews show up and the crowd turns their back on Paul and Barnabus. In fact they stoned Paul on the spot and dragged him out of town to leave him but he was not dead. The fact was he got up, went back into town and left town the next day. Never accept the praise of man, number one: because only Father God deserves the praise and number two: man can easily turn against you. Whatever you do, do as unto the Lord and not unto man knowing Father God keeps good records and gives our great rewards. Prayer Points: 1. Father God help us to learn to hear your voice and be as close to you as Paul was. 2. Help us to never get our eyes on the praise of man but focus on pleasing you day by day.
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Acts 14:1 The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.
This is what the American 21st Century modern day church is missing. We have more education, we have the best communication tools, beautiful meeting places but yet we are not as effective as the early church. The main reason, I believe, for this deficiency is our preaching is not as effective as the early church because the early church preached with POWER and conviction. They preached with and under the power of the Holy Spirit because they spent quality time in His presence and lived Holy lives for Him to flow through. They also had a total dependency on the Holy Spirit because they did not have all the knowledge available to us today; in fact they didn’t have a New Testament at this time but the power of the Holy Spirit transformed lives when they preached. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God's message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. Remember the Jews at this time were stuck in their past, stuck in the OT because they thought Jesus was not the Messiah and they hated the message the Holy Spirit was preaching through the disciples. They thought they were helping Father God out but they were really opposing what the Holy Spirit was doing. We must never get stuck in our religious traditions that we hinder what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives today. The Jewish leaders tried to keep everyone from believing the truth Paul was preaching because it didn’t line up with their thinking. Today I’m thankful we have God’s Word (Bible) to test our thinking to determine what real truth is. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. The apostles did not back up on preaching on the grace and the truths about Jesus being the Messiah. They kept proclaiming the wonderful news of Jesus coming, Jesus living a sinless life, Jesus dying a cruel death and Jesus resurrecting on the third day and because of these great truths everyone can enter into the Kingdom of God by faith. Now it’s by grace through faith that we are saved not by works. Now the Jews and Gentiles are become one spiritually by the powerful blood of Jesus. The Jews did not like these truths and did everything they could to stop their preaching but I love the last part of this verse which declares that Father God gave them divine power to heal, deliver and to set the captive free. Friends, when we preach the gospel, the Holy Spirit shows up with power. As we obey Mark 16, the great commission; miracles, signs and wonders will take place. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. The problem with false doctrine is this; some will reject truth to believe an untruth. Paul was preaching a gospel that would set them free but some still chose to believe a lie that kept them bound. For every truth there is a false truth and we must be very discerning and studied up in His Word to apply the truth. The truth always draws a line in the sand, dividing sheep from goats. 5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News. It’s amazing how mean people with a false religious spirit can be. They now decided since they couldn’t stop the gospel from being preached, they would just attack and stone them. The Holy Spirit could have protected them but instead informed them and they went to another region and preached. Never forget it’s still happening today, seemingly those who preach the truth are being stoned more than ever, not with physical stones but with stones of words. Words of criticism, words of hatred, words of complaining, words of tearing down, words of negativity, words which destroy or discredit a ministry but we must continue the course and build the kingdom. I pray the enemy never uses my words to destroy but rather to encourage. Friends, we must be careful with our words because we will have to give an account one day about every idle word that comes out of our mouth. We need to speak words of blessing over our family, friends and enemies. By our fruit we will be known and fruit is known by what comes out of it and the world knows what is in us by our words that come out of us. Let’s use our words for good not bad, for encouragement not to discourage, to build up not tear down. Prayer Points: Father God in Jesus name, help me to use every word to build your kingdom not tear it down, to raise people up not beat them down. I also cancel the assignment of any negative word spoken against me, my family or my church family in Jesus Name. I release your word over us now! Acts 13:13 Paul & his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at Perga. John Mark left them & returned to Jerusalem. Paul & Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from the books of Moses & the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come & give it." So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, started speaking. "Men of Israel," he said, "& you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me.”The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors & made them multiply & grow strong during their stay in Egypt. With a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. He destroyed seven nations in Canaan & gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. "After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, & God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.' "it is one of King David's descendants, Jesus, who is God's promised Savior of Israel! Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins & turn to God & be baptized. As John was finishing his ministry he asked, 'Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon— I'm not even worthy to be his slave & untie the sandals on his feet.' "Brothers this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem & their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, & in doing this they fulfilled the prophets' words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. "When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! Over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
"Now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: 'You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.' For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, 'I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.' Another psalm explains it more fully: 'You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.' This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died & was buried with his ancestors, & his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. "Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful! Don't let the prophets' words apply to you. For they said, 'Look, you mockers, be amazed & die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’”
Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews & devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, & the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. When some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul & argued against whatever he said. Then Paul & Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad & thanked the Lord for his message; & all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. The Jews stirred up the influential religious women & the leaders of the city, & they incited a mob against Paul & Barnabas & ran them out of town. So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection & went to the town of Iconium. 52 The believers were filled with joy & with the Holy Spirit.
This is the gospel that will change people’s lives. I tried to add some commentary but I felt strongly no words, no interpretation of this chapter was needed, just God’s Word (the most powerful devotion I’ve sent out ever)
Prayer Points: Father help us fall in love with your word & guard ourselves from false doctrine & religious traditions that are not of you
Acts 13:1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man"), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
The early church was growing and thriving even under persecution because of many reasons including: daily prayer, daily communion, fasting and giving. Another secret to their power was the five-fold ministry was being recognized and operational in the early church (apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists as described in Eph 4:11). For those who like to research, Simeon is a great man to research. Most scholars believe he was the same as Simon who helped Jesus carry his cross and then his two sons became very instrumental in the early church. Each one of these men listed had great influence in the early church but came from different backgrounds growing up. God wants to use everyone in His Kingdom, there is so much work to be done and a harvest to be brought in. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them." 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. I love the fact that the early church was built on Jesus, and not all the things that people are building a crowd on today during Sunday services. I’m afraid we have gotten away from what church should be about and how His Kingdom should be built. We have just read that as they were praying, fasting and worshipping the Lord, the Holy Spirit (our helper) gave them direction. Even after they heard from the Holy Spirit they prayed and fasted even more before they ordained Saul and Barnabas to go out as missionaries. We are ALL called into ministry and should be doing the work of the ministry to everyone we meet but this was about sending men into full time ministry as missionaries across the known world. Friend, when you step out like this, make sure you have a true call of God on your life. Too many feel a call, which we all have and think it’s a full time ministry, but you must have a Word from the Lord that comes through fasting and prayer or when the storm hits you will have no foundation to stand on. I remember when the Holy Spirit called us to The Bridge. It was confirmed by men of God in prophesy which gave us a foundation to stand on when all hell broke loose. Because of that Word from the Lord we were able to stand strong in the storm and to God be the glory for all that has happened since. 4 So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant. Once again notice the wording; they were sent out by the Holy Spirit who is the guide of the church (Body of Christ) today, who is preparing the Church (Body of Christ) for the soon return of Jesus. 6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, "You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time." Instantly mist and darkness came over the man's eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. We are all called and anointed but you are anointed for the purpose which Father God has ordained. Always stay in the boundary of your created purpose. They were anointed to handle what the enemy would use to stop them, in this case a false prophet and a sorcerer (both bad news). When you are anointed and appointed there is no power of hell that can stop you as long as you remain hungry for more of the Presence of the Lord and humble in the Lord’s sight. We are too dependent on our strength and ability but we must learn to be totally dependent on the Lord and know that through obedience the victory comes. Prayer Points: 1. Ask the Holy Spirit to confirm the calling He has upon your life and then begin to spend even more time in the Father’s presence waiting for further direction. He is God and He will show us all things. Acts 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold
their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. We have been studying the miraculous escape of Peter the night before he was to be executed for loving Jesus. The angel had showed up in his prison cell and led him out of the prison supernaturally and Peter had gone to Mary’s house where he thought they might be meeting and praying and they were. Rhoda came to the door when Peter knocked and was so excited she ran back into the house without letting Peter in and they didn’t believe it was Peter until they saw him. Now in verse 17 Peter begins to tell them about the goodness of Father God and his prison deliverance. That is what we are called to do, testify about what God has done for us. Every one of us has been in a prison of some kind in our lifetime and we are called to tell others of the good news of our deliverance. Our testimony encourages others because they know if God did it for us; He will do it for them. There is great power in personal testimony. Our job is to tell and then the Holy Spirit will do His part after that but we must go and tell. Someone in the same prison you were in is waiting for a word of HOPE and we must not hold back any longer but rather share the good news of what Father God has done for us. 18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. Peter became the talk of the town, this news spread like wildfire. The guards were there, the prison cell still shut, the prison gate shut, but where was Peter? 19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode. A sad commentary for the guards and their families but when a miracle happens, people will believe or they will become hardened in their hearts. When people become hardhearted they will begin to kill those around them (most of the time spiritually with negative words of doubt and unbelief). Friend, continue to be careful who speaks into your life. Words are powerful and the most dangerous words that can penetrate your heart are words of doubt and unbelief. In the next few verses we see the darkness inside of Herod and it was simply PRIDE. 20 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. 21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. Pride, the downfall of so many; pride, an enemy we must all learn to hate and destroy in our lives. Greater than the false gods of this world is pride that tries to set up a kingdom in our heart. Many times we make fun of those worshipping Buddha but we worship ourselves. Pride is what caused Lucifer to get kicked out of heaven. Pride is what caused Adam to disobey. Pride is what caused Samson to go where he shouldn’t go. Pride in Saul’s heart caused him to miss his destiny and we could go on and on proving pride (selfishness) is the root of all sin. Pride is centered around self, in fact the middle letter in pride is “I”. Pride is when it’s about what I want, what I thought, what I perceived to be true instead of what does Father God want for me, what does Father God want me to do, what does Father God say. Then we read this truth; 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. The early church is being persecuted BUT God’s Kingdom grew and multiplied. The persecution had taken the church from daily addition to multiplication. If we are going to multiply then we must be willing to be persecuted for the gospel but it’s worth it. Prayer Points: Father God, help me with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus to destroy pride in my life. Help me to yield myself fully to your Kingdom in Jesus Name! What a supernatural and divine deliverance we have been reading and studying in Acts 12! Peter, about to be beheaded the next day, is visited by an angel and delivered from the prison supernaturally. The Holy Spirit reminded me of this truth early Tuesday morning; when it seems like you are the closest to total destruction with no hope, it’s then that you are really closest to your greatest breakthrough. Three Hebrew children about to be burned alive, it was too late seemingly but God had already made a way. Friends, the good news is this, God has already made a way for you also.
12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. Peter is now standing outside the prison on the street and finally decides that he will go to Mary’s house because if anyone is up at this time and praying for him, it will be Mary. Aren’t you thankful for the Marys in your life that you know are praying for you? As a pastor, it is such a blessing to know there are people praying for us daily and if you are not, please do so. We need your prayer covering and so do others in your circle. Let them know you are covering them in prayer; it will greatly encourage them in their spiritual walk. Then this story gets a little comical, let’s read; 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. 14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. It’s dark, probably after midnight, and Peter is standing at Mary’s house trying to get in without waking up the neighborhood or bringing attention to himself. They are in the house praying for Peter’s deliverance when Peter knocks and Rhoda comes to the door and knows it’s Peter’s voice and she is so excited she runs back to the room where they are praying and tells them Peter is out of prison and standing at the gate. Imagine what Peter is thinking, someone please let me in. 15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. This is so amazing to me, they are praying for this deliverance and now it has happened and they are having trouble believing it! Someone should have run to the door doing a Holy Ghost dance but they stood there having a discussion whether it’s Peter or Peter’s angel. This part blows my mind; if I can muster up the faith to believe its Peter’s angel knocking on my door, then surely I can believe its Peter! It’s so amazing that we can pray in faith but react in doubt. Friends, if you are going to pray, pray in faith knowing God is going to bring to pass what you are asking for. As long as you ask in faith according to God’s Word then you have the right to expect it to come to pass. Faith simply believes God’s Word to manifest in your life when you ask in faith. Continue to picture the scene, it’s dark, it’s late and Peter is still standing there waiting for someone to let him in; 16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. I must ask would they have been less astonished if it had been Peter’s angel. Friends, we should never lose our awe of Father God and His Presence and his power but at the same time we should be expecting the miraculous to take place in our lives. We must firmly believe this, if God said it, then it’s settled so I need to believe it. If the Bible declares we can lay hands on the sick and see them recover then we need to believe it when we lay hands on the sick (Mark 16). We have been called to the miraculous so we must not only believe it but expect it. Expect cancers to fall off, expect the blind to see, expect the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, expect families to be restored, expect the intervention of God’s power when it seems like all is lost and there is no way out. I’ve said it before and many others have said it but Expectation is the Breeding Ground for Miracles. There has never been a day in which you have awakened that a miracle was not available. Learn to expect miracles in your daily lives because we serve a God of miracles who loves us so much and who desires to demonstrate his power in our lives. God is not short on miracles and there is never a shortage in His miracle working power. Prayer Points: Father God help us to believe your word to the point where we wake up each day expecting you to perform it. Remove any doubt or unbelief in our life that would block your word from coming to pass in our lives in Jesus Name. For the past two weeks we have been discussing the supernatural peace of God we can live in even during the storms of life. In Acts 12 Peter found himself imprisoned for nothing he had done wrong but due to the fact that someone wanted to kill him because it pleased the religious people, He was about to be martyred the next morning but the church prayed and then we read this: 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
As the body of Christ (the church) prayed, the prayers allowed an angel to be dispatched from heaven to deliver Peter from the prison which his enemies had assigned him. Many times in the Bible we read where people would pray and angels would be dispatched. I’m thankful for the angelic fighting force of heaven that God sends for the defense and deliverance of His children. Abraham prayed and an angel led Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus prayed in the garden and angels came down and minister to him. Jacob had a dream in Gen 28:12 and we read; And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. This shows the activity in the heavenly realms, angels coming and going from this people planet but it’s all activated by believing prayers of the saints of God. I’ve always believed in angels even though I have never physically seen one but I’m thankful for so many who have literally seen the angels especially recently in our family church services. More than one person has seen four angels whom I believe have been assigned to The Bridge Family. The heavens are open and the river is flowing. God’s presence is so powerful! I believe every church has angels assigned to help each body fulfill the Kingdom purpose of each local body but they are activated by prayer. An angel showed up in the prison where Peter was being guarded; the devil cannot construct a prison which keeps God out. God got in the fiery furnace, God got in the den of lions, God got in the tomb of Lazarus, God got in the tomb of Jesus and Father God can do the same for you. The angel got in the well guarded, well secured prison and found Peter sleeping and had to hit Peter on the side and even help raise him up. I love picturing this, Peter in a peaceful sleep and felt someone tugging on him and finally helped him up and when he got up, the shackles fell off of him. Friend, the first step in getting out of your prison is getting up. Sometimes (not in Peter’s case) when we are caught in the middle of the storm and the waves are splashing and the wind is howling louder than God’s voice, that you are trying to hear, it’s easy to stay down or stay under the circumstance but you must get up. We are made to trample on the demonic forces of hell not for hell to trounce on us. Listen carefully, many times the storm comes when you are by yourself and there is no one to pick you up, it’s then that you must pick yourself up. Change your atmosphere by charging the atmosphere with the Word of God and the power of Praise & Worship. When you feel the least like reading the word and praising Father God is when you need to do it the most. Paul and Silas at midnight prayed and sang praises in the prison and God sent an earthquake to swing open every prison door and to destroy the foundation of the prison ensuring it would never imprison them again. There would have been no earthquake except for the fact that Paul and Silas got up. So Peter gets up and then we read in verse 8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. Let me explain this verse, the angels said, “Get your clothes on, we are getting out of here and put your coat on also”. Friends, sometimes we are just not ready to get out of our pouting prison because we like the attention our prison brings to us. It’s time we get sick and tired of being sick and tired and begin to walk in the deliverance God has promised us and sent to us. What a sight! Peter bound but yet sleeping between soldiers and sleeping so soundly, he has to be awakened and told to get dressed. Can you imagine the thoughts Peter was thinking? Is this real? Go back to sleep, it’s just a dream? Regardless of what he was thinking God had shown up and listen my friend He is showing up for you in your storm also. Your best is here, revival is exploding, believe it now! Prayer Points: Father never allow me to live in the prison of doubt and unbelief, but remind me to get up in faith so You can get me out of this prison I’ve been living in. Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
I want to continue our weekly devotion on the thought of supernatural peace in the storm. We find Peter who was about to be martyred the next morning full of peace, sleeping bound between soldiers with chains. What he was facing did not keep him up at night because he knew God was up working on his behalf. As we get in full swing of the holiday season, it’s joyous, it’s exciting, it’s beautiful but if you begin to focus just on the season it can be stressful. Our bodies were not built for stress and it has been proven by medical science that stress can cause the following in our bodies; ulcers, hair loss, pain, heart problems, sleep problems, digestive problems, obesity, skin conditions, auto-immune disease and with more possibilities. The devil uses stress to steal, kill and destroy what God want us to have according to His word which is a peace that passes natural understanding according to Phil. 4:7. Once again the promise of Phil. 4:7 is boxed in with conditions to be met. In verse six, we find the conditions of prayer, presence, thanksgiving, trust while verses 8 commands us to only think on Godly things. We must learn to turn our stress into rest, relying fully on the power and presence of the Lord. Because of God’s promises we do not have to live in stress! I feel a need to go deeper, let’s talk about stress for just a moment: Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or that upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response. The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life—giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. I found this chart our about stress as I studied for this devotion and felt a need to share it: Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms
Stress is a killer, a robber of time, energy and life itself. Learn to destroy stress before stress destroys you and robs you of what Father God wants you to enjoy. Just as Peter slept the night before his scheduled execution and just as Jesus slept in the midst of the storm on the boat, so too can we enjoy the life God has given us despite our dilemma. Nothing or no one is greater than the God you serve but the battlefield is the mind. Over four hundred times the word peace is mentioned in God’s Word and I want you to be convinced of this truth; God is for you and His desire is that everyone of His children walk in peace regardless of the storm they are facing. Jesus even while on the cross had peace. Stephen while being stoned had peace and so can we. Prayer Points: Holy Spirit help me to control my thoughts instead of my thoughts controlling me. Help me to walk in the promises of Father God’s Word and live in supernatural divine peace in Jesus Name. Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
I absolutely love this story because it shows the supernatural peace that Christians have available to them. Peter was about to be be-headed the next day and where do you find him? Sleeping! Most would have been so uptight and even spiritually deflated but not Peter because he knew he was about to be promoted or delivered. Whom shall we fear, since God is for us who can be against us? Peter knew either way he won this race of life. Friends, when your eyes are on the prize of seeing Jesus, death is not a threat but a reality of seeing Jesus. Peter wasn’t blaming God for his condition because Peter knew his position in Christ. When you know your position in Christ, you can laugh at the face of adversity, you can shout in the face of danger, you can worship your worry away because God is your anchor in the storms of life. Peter probably remembered when they were in a storm in Mark 4:35-41 when Jesus had told them, let’s go to the other side. Jesus was on the boat with them and on the journey to the other side (right in the middle of the perfect will of God for their lives) a great storm arose. The wind was blowing, rain was filling the boat, it got dark and stormy and the disciples (including Peter) got afraid. Even though they were professional fishermen, this storm was larger than normal. Friends, it’s the larger storms of life that allow us to testify of God’s goodness. They started looking for Jesus and they found him SLEEPING in the storm. No storm can disturb the peace of God inside of you when you learn to walk in it. They woke him up accusing him of not caring about them in their storm but he arose, rebuked the storm and the storm ceased. Peter learned this lesson in life (from his Master, his Mentor, and his Savior) that you can sleep in the storm. Before we move on, I feel a need to talk to you about Sleeping in the Storm. Even in the Old Covenant, God promised mankind peace. Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Friend, Father God is saying if you will do this, then you can have my peace that never changes. Never forget this basic eternal truth, with every God given promise there is a condition to the promise. Even John 3:16 has a condition; it is to everyone that believeth that has the everlasting life God promised. To have this perfect peace you must #1 keep your mind stayed on him. When the storm hits, remember it’s a distraction to keep you from the promise. The storm is not as powerful as the promise but you must stay focused on the promise or the storm will lie to you. What we focus on we become! Secondly, we must put our complete trust in Father God, who has never failed and never will fail His chosen people. Peace is a gift to be obtained by trust (faith) and you have to speak it to have it. When the storm hits and you want to dwell on, talk about the storm it’s then you must choose your words carefully. Never praise the storm but rather praise the Promise Giver. Remember the promise is more real, more powerful than any storm. Once again Peter was about to die the next morning but yet he was sleeping because of the supernatural peace of God he had learned to walk in. The anointing is not just to heal the sick, set captives free, loose those who are bound but the anointing also removes burdens and destroys yokes. What used to destroy your peace now is destroyed by the anointing, allowing you to walk in peace. We will never live in a stress free world on this side of eternity but we can choose to live stress free because we have citizenship in another world and we trust God is every area of our life. 2 Peter 1:2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. Peter is wanting the believers to walk in greater grace and greater peace and then tells them how; by growing in the knowledge of God and Jesus which comes through studying the word and spending time in His Presence. Then Peter goes on to say this, that as we grow in grace and peace we have everything we need to live a Godly life, or we have everything we need to live in His Kingdom on earth including supernatural peace. Prayer Points: Holy Spirit show me how to live in the divine peace for which I was created to live in. I want to live in supernatural peace even while I go THRU the storms of life. Acts 12: 4 and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod’s intention was to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.
Last week we discussed some different prisons we find ourselves in but the good news is this, there has never been a prison lock for which God does not have the master key. He is able to unlock any prison door you might find yourself in. As long as we humble ourselves, fast, read His word and seek His face in prayer, the prison door will open. As God gets greater in you, the prison door loses its power to confine you. Remember the desperation of the situation, James beheaded and now Peter imprisoned and surrounded by 16 soldiers and about to be martyred but there was an answer, the answer then is still our answer today…PRAYER! Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. The early church family made up their minds that what they couldn’t do, God could do when they prayed in faith. So they set up people to pray around the clock for this desperate situation. Peter was an influential leader of the early church and they needed him. Prayer changes things; we must never forget that simple powerful one liner. That’s why we are commanded in Phil 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. NLT Friend, worry will weaken your faith or faith will destroy your worries but we must learn not to worry but to PRAY. If it’s big enough to concern you, then it’s big enough to pray over. Nothing is impossible to the man or woman who believes in the power of prayer. No one is more powerful when they are on their knees in prayer. Through the power of prayer the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dumb talk and lives are transformed. Prayer is AMAZING! George Muller is a prime example of a man who believes in the power of prayer. George Müller (German) (1805 –1898), a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life. He was well known for providing an education to the children under his care, to the point where he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station in life. He also established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of them being orphans. So pastor what is so amazing about George? It’s simply this; everything he accomplished and did was accomplished by the power of prayer. Let’s talk about some of his accomplishments in Father God’s Kingdom. Müller moved to Bristol on May 25, 1832 to begin working at Bethesda Chapel. Along with Henry Craik, he continued preaching there until his death, even while devoted to his other ministries. In 1834, he founded the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, with the goal of aiding Christian schools and missionaries; distributing Bible and Christian tracts; and providing Day-schools, Sunday-schools and Adult-schools, all upon a Scriptural foundation. By the end of February 1835, there were five Day-schools – two for boys and three for girls. Not receiving government support and only accepting unsolicited gifts, this organization received and disbursed $2,718,844 – around $144 million in today's terms – by the time of Müller's death, primarily using the money for supporting the orphanages and distributing about 285,407 Bibles, 1,459,506 New Testaments, and 244,351 other religious texts, which were translated into twenty other languages. The money was also used to support other "faith missionaries” around the world, such as Hudson Taylor. His secret was private prayer. He never solicited any money or help from anyone. He simply prayed it in and God honored his faith. Friends, prayers prayed in faith can still move mountains, heal the incurable, give hope, bring peace, and supply needs supernaturally! Many times the orphans would have no food and God, at the last moment, would send food supernaturally. One time God allowed a milk truck to break down in front of the orphanage when they had no milk. That is the power of prayer! As the church prayed for Peter, we will see in next week’s devotion that what they could not do, God did for them in sending an angel to rescue Peter from his prison. Believe God for the IMPOSSIBLE! Prayer Points: Father in Jesus Name I ask you believing that you will deliver my loved ones from spiritual prisons that hold them captive. |