Knowing how to respond to evil has been and continues to be a very difficult challenge for God’s children. Should we respond to evil by trying to bring justice in our human strength or should we remain in a place of trust and steadily seek to overcome evil with good? (Ro 12:21). Some times it looks like evil is gaining the upper hand. However, no matter what we face, we must demonstrate God’s love for all, trust the Lord, and pray for wisdom, because when God rescues his people, justice will prevail. Remember, God writes the future for his children, as well as for the wicked.

In our passage today, David sings about two different futures awaiting humanity. Nothing good awaits the wicked in the future; only destruction. It may look like they are flourishing, but that success is short lived. However, for the righteous who make the Lord their refuge, they are rescued and brought into a place of peace. “While trouble overthrows the wicked, it only drives the righteous to their strong Helper, who rejoices to hold them (Spurgeon). David reiterates the value and power of a person placing his or her trust in God. Do you trust the Lord with the challenges you may be facing?

Psalms 37:34-40 NLT
34 
Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.
35 
I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 
But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 
Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 
But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.
39 
The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 
The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping us trust and rest in your provision of grace and strength. We will follow and do things your way as we praise you for your love. May our hearts be filled with gratitude, today, as you deliver us from evil. In Jesus’ name.

Friends, today’s devotion directly connects to yesterday’s sermon from Pastor Mary. If you recall, or if you were not able to join us, we spent time in Hebrews 5:1-10. The Apostle Paul is attributed, by many, to have written the epistle (letter) to the Hebrews, which is recorded as the book of Hebrews. At the time, Paul’s letter was meant to encourage the Jewish members of the Church, but God intended for His message through Paul to be an encouragement to the entire Church. A message that we are to maintain our faith in Christ Jesus and to not return to our former sinful lives or wander away from our new created life of salvation found in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Mary has been guiding us through “The Revelation of Jesus” as taught through the Spirit filled message of the Apostle Paul in Hebrews. Yesterday Pastor Mary talked about how as believers we are constantly faced with crossroads. Decisions that have to be made, where the goodness of God and His grace is on one side, and the darkness of Satan and his evil is on the other side. These decisions are crucial. It might not seem that way during certain decisions, or at certain times, or with certain people, but we are constantly choosing between God and Satan. Think about this, what if you find yourself on the wrong side of a choice, and in that very moment Jesus returns for His Church. You might be thinking come on, Jen, it’s one choice and the other 99.9% of the time I chose Jesus. I don’t know what that will look like, only Jesus does, but gosh, I would hate to be on the wrong side of things when Jesus returns. So, that leaves me with the question for myself and for you, so why is it ok then to be on the wrong side at any point in time. As believers, we know the answer is, it’s not ok.

Today’s passage reveals to us the importance of our continual spiritual growth and formation. Paul encourages us in verses 1 – 3 to move past the basics of our Christian walk. We know that our faith is found in the One Who gives us our faith, and in order to grow closer to Him we must be rooted in His Word (the Bible), daily, so we can know exactly Who Jesus is, how much He loves us, how He wants to use us to grow His Kingdom, and how He wants to prepare us for His return and eternity. Paul goes on within verses 4 – 8 to assure us that our lives will backslide if we fall into spiritual complacency or laziness. Our faith is directly connected to Jesus, Who is the Word, and so we must be growing (studying) His Word for the remainder of our earthly existence. In verses 9 – 12, Paul points to our salvation in Christ being connected to our love and care of others as we work hard to grow God’s Kingdom. Working hard for the Kingdom and caring for others should be a top priority for all believers as it reflects our spiritual growth and our formation to be more like Jesus and an extension of His love.

Hebrews 6:1-12 (NLT)

1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely, we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.

9 Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Please help each one of us, as believers, to grow up in our faith walk and to grow closer in relationship with You as we deepen our biblical knowledge. We want to be ready for Your return and we know that it will take each one of us spiritually ready and mature. Holy Spirit, please guide us with Your daily wisdom to open Your Word and to know where You need each one of us to be as workers for Your Kingdom. We continue to lift up to You, Lord Jesus, all of those who are healing and rebuilding from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Please guide each of us to reflect Your love, care, and support during these difficult times. We love You, Jesus, and ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

God is the perfect designer of nature; he has built creation by his supreme power and wisdom. Everything works in synchronicity by his commands. Recently, multiple states were overwhelmed by the powerful water of Helene and the intense winds of Milton; yet, friends we should be in awe and filled with respect for the One who actually sets the boundaries for nature. Science has limitations to explain some things regarding creation; the Creator God who is Wisdom itself does not.

Our passage today from the Psalter is to remind us to praise and worship the Lord for all he has created and given to us as his children. We praise our Creator who loves and gets involved in his creation. As science cannot encompass and adequately explain the supernatural Creator, we do not always understand the boundaries God sets for certain acts of nature. Humanity was to love and care for nature. We have to answer for our sin against God’s instruction and command. However, no matter how our lives may be affected by the adverse cause of natural disasters, we will sing and praise the Lord.

Psalm 104
1 
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
O Lord my God, how great you are!
    You are robed with honor and majesty.
2 
    You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
3 
    you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
    you ride upon the wings of the wind.
4 
The winds are your messengers;
    flames of fire are your servants.
5 
You placed the world on its foundation
    so it would never be moved.
6 
You clothed the earth with floods of water,
    water that covered even the mountains.
7 
At your command, the water fled;
    at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
8 
Mountains rose and valleys sank
    to the levels you decreed.
9 
Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
    so they would never again cover the earth.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this beautiful and wonderful world you have created for us to tend and enjoy. We cannot control nature; it is yours to command. Natural disasters are more than cause and effect. Our problem is sin and it goes way beyond not taking good care of your creation; the world has displaced you as Creator, the rightful Ruler, Authority, and Lord. We ask for mercy and forgiveness. Help us to remember the salvation you offer the repentant, as well as the personal responsibility that is ours to love and serve you and your purposes for our lives. We praise you with every aspect of our beings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Accepting people must be a part of every Christian’s life. Although some folks are much easier to accept, it does not change the truth. Jesus mercifully accepts people without preference and we must do the same.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul writes to remind the Roman believers (and us) to work toward unity. I’m not sure how you might define unity, but for me I always come back to the word “connection.” A Christian is to remain in oneness or unity with other believers because of his or her connection to Christ—we remain in a bond of love. We accept others based on Christ’s love. We may not be able to affirm their personal life choices, but we can certainly accept them and welcome them into God’s family.

The beauty of God’s family is we should all be thinking about Jesus the same way; as the One to Whom we owe our lives. With that mindset, we are filled with a spiritual hospitality and compassion. We run to listen and heal others. We seek to understand things that wound or break the heart of others. We are salt! We are light!

Romans 15:7-13 NLT 7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8 Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing praises to your name.”
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people,
    you Gentiles.”
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
    Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
    and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Father, thank you helping us as your children embrace the right attitude about others. Continue to grow us to be people who accept others the way Christ accepts us. Holy Spirit, help us to be tolerant and respectful when we meet other believers who do not see things the way we do. Convict us when we try to make others in our image; rather than accept others made in your image. We rejoice in your love and we seek to share it with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In our Tuesday discussion following The Chosen (season 4; episode 6), we explored how human beings can have preconceived notions about God and his perspective of life that are not clarified in his Word. For example, we might choose to believe that God will prevent traumatic things from happening in the lives of believers while on earth if we simply love and trust him; however, traumatic things happen all the time to those who are pure in heart. We might choose to believe while on earth God will spare us heartache and disappointment based on the power of our faith; however, God is near to the brokenhearted. We must align our theology of God with the Truth of his Word.

I believe we serve a very powerful God who loves us, but our belief’s may not always align with God’s purpose and plan for salvation. We need to ask for understanding when we face difficulties. According to Scripture, God did not spare the suffering of his own Son, but gave him up for all of us (Ro 8:32). As well, Jesus prepared his disciples for the challenges ahead of them, “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith…so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:1, 33-34). Jesus was seeking to convince his disciples about the truth of a life beyond this world and the need to press on in hope while on earth.

In our passage today, Jesus shares a case history about two people and their experiences in this earthly life with wealth, poverty, and their eternal destination. In the passage, we meet an unnamed rich man, as well as a poor man named Lazarus [no connection to the Lazarus Jesus raised from the dead]. The rich man parades his wealth, feasts on delicious foods, and enjoys the finest things in life while he knowingly allows his neighbor, Lazarus, to remain hungry and suffer. He thinks only of himself and his pleasures. Lazarus begs for simple crumbs, is met with indifference, but presses on in faith. Then, both men face death.

The roles then reverse and Lazarus is the recipient of the blessings of Abraham and the rich man finds himself in a place of torment and punishment. Lazarus was not saved because he was poor; nor was the rich man sent to Hades because of his wealth. Both men had a vastly different earthly life, but Lazarus was a descendent of Abraham—a person of faith.

After Jesus died for the sins of the world, eternal life opened to humanity. At death, human beings either find themselves in the presence of God or in the place of torment. The spirits and souls of both the rich man and Lazarus were transported. In this passage, Jesus reminds us of eternal realities and we should not see this as a parable; but rather the truth according to the Living Word.

Luke 16:19-31 NLT Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.[a] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead.[b] There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this lesson about the heart. You have assigned to us different experiences and we must find our faith in you and trust you no matter how difficult things may be at times. As well, we need to find ourselves filled with compassion and learning to share your blessings with others. Help us ponder this lesson today and put your love into practical acts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Life has changed for many of us; so we must change in how we perceive the things before us each day by embracing the true wisdom of God. By God’s decree, worldly wisdom has been rendered worthless. Unredeemed humanity has lost true common sense and has become even more blinded by evil. However, this is the time for the children of Light to shine in the darkness. Be courageous…God is with us!

There is nothing eternal about the scope of worldly wisdom. I need much, much more than a temporary fix these days. Actually, every day we should be searching for godly wisdom. We don’t need to search far; for our benefit God has connected us to Christ and made him to be wisdom itself (1 Cor 1:30). I am so grateful to have my connection to Christ! What would we do in this chaotic mess without Jesus—our living HOPE?

Today, our Scripture reading comes from the Book of Job [Wisdom Literature]—Job is a righteous man of integrity and prosperity. One day Job is doing really well and life is good; the next day he faces one disaster after another that tests his faith. Job begins to deeply suffer in spirit, soul, and body. Why? Unbeknown by Job, Satan wants to prove to God that Job will stop being a righteous worshiper [obediently honor the authority] of the Most High if God temporarily ceases to protect and bless him (Job 1:11). The biggest test we will ever face will be the temptation to curse God and cease our worship of him when we do not understand the challenges we face. We must remain faithful and reveal Christ!

In our passage today, Job’s witness reminds us we cannot seek divine wisdom through human effort. We must learn to look at life the way God sees it; in wholeness. Addressing suffering through panic is fruitless. We cannot see or hear divine wisdom without choosing to remain in peace. We cannot discern truth over lies unless we remain in God’s integrity. We must forsake evil and the work of Satan. God can be trusted to restore us even when he allows our faith to be tested.

Pain is ever present and no one is exempt from suffering—even the righteous. However, our relationship with God is enough to keep us grounded in hope, filled with peace, and overshadowed with his never-failing divine love. Life is really all about perspective. How we view things matters. Let’s ask for Wisdom [Christ] and his perspective [Way, Truth, and Life] of God’s Kingdom as we move forward each day. Rejoice, because Jesus in on the throne!
Job 28:12-28 NLT
12
“But do people know where to find wisdom?
    Where can they find understanding?
13 
No one knows where to find it,
    for it is not found among the living.
14 
‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
    ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
15 
It cannot be bought with gold.
    It cannot be purchased with silver.
16 
It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
    greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 
Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
    It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
18 
Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
    The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
19 
Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it.
    It’s worth more than the purest gold.
20 
“But do people know where to find wisdom?
    Where can they find understanding?
21 
It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
    Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
22 
Destruction and Death say,
    ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’
23 
“God alone understands the way to wisdom;
    he knows where it can be found,
24 
for he looks throughout the whole earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
25 
He decided how hard the winds should blow
    and how much rain should fall.
26 
He made the laws for the rain
    and laid out a path for the lightning.
27 
Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
    He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
28 
And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
    to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Prayer: Father, your children cry out for divine wisdom, because we need your perspective to move forward through the present challenges of life. Thank you for knowing all things and for giving us Jesus who leads us in the way we should go. We are listening and seeking in all we do, because we know this world is void of genuine wisdom. We worship you and bow down to your authority today, as well as every day that will follow. We confess our past sins against your wisdom. We thank you for your forgiveness and miraculous restoring grace. Make us strong and courageous in Christ our King. Holy Spirit, please keep us following and focused on the Truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friends, we just wrapped up our 10 Days of Prayer on Saturday and that time should have encouraged our hearts to “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Bible mentions prayer over 650 times and so let’s recall what has transpired over the last couple of weeks surrounding the 10 Days of Prayer. I agree with Pastor Mary that this is a time we all must enlarge our theology, faith, confession, and understanding of God, as Jesus leads the way, and prayer should be at the center of it all.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 –
It was a week prior to the start of the 10 Days of Prayer, and it was also the day that Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. It was the perfect prayer motivator for all believers to “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” – Colossians 4:2

The 10 Days of Prayer –
It was 10 days – 100 cities – 50 countries – who all came together to form 1 global upper room. We will talk about the “upper room” later. So, our 10 Days of Prayer began on Wed, Oct 2nd which also began the Jewish high holiday period. Rosh Hashanah (or the Day of Trumpets) began on the evening of Oct 2nd and it is the first of the ten-day period which God’s people enter into a time of self-examination and repentance, known as the Ten Days of Awe (or Ten Days of Repentance), in other words they pray throughout the 10 days. This period concludes on the evening of Oct 12th with Yom Kippur (or the Day of Atonement), a time when God’s people abandon everything to purse God and His heart. There is typically fasting and extended prayer. “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” – Matthew 26:41

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 –
One week into the Jewish high holiday period, one week into our 10 Days of Prayer, and almost two weeks after Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida. Matthew tells us that God cares about our heart, He does not care about fancy words or public displays of good deeds, or the consumerism of this world, God longs for us to cry out to His Holy Name and to build His Kingdom here on earth, NOW, in preparation for the time when Jesus will return, which seems to be soon, and so that each of us is ready to spend eternity with Jesus. – Pray The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-14

The “Upper Room” and the “Global Upper Room” –
If you recall, in Acts 1, after Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples are together for 10 days in the “upper room”, and through prayer, worship, fasting, and repentance, they were all in one accord, and as the Father promised – 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out onto them and the Church was born.

What began in that upper room, over 2,000 years ago, with 120 believers is now a global upper room with 2.4 billion Christian believers (which includes you and me). As the global Church we embody every nation, from every tribe, and included is every language. Our time of prayer did not end on Saturday night, no we have every reason to pray, worship, fast, and repent, EVERY DAY, and especially on the heels of these hurricanes.

I don’t know about you, but the prophetic messaging through the Apostle John that Jesus gives to His entire Church in the book of Revelation stirs within my heart and makes me realize that I must be spiritually ready for Jesus’s return. To quote Pastor Mary, “This life we now live is about the Revelation of Jesus!” It is as simple as that, and today’s passage should make you and I want to be a part of the Great Crowd.

Revelation 7:9-17 (NLT)

Praise from the Great Crowd

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.

16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.

17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for making it very clear throughout Your Word, that we are to commune with You all of the time in prayer. Help us, Holy Spirit, to be better prayer warriors, who trust You with every aspect of our lives and with the lives of our loved ones. Help us to grow close with You and to deepen our understanding of Who You are through Your Word every single day. We want to be ready when You return, Jesus. We continue to pray for all who have been impacted by hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Please continue to restore power and hearts, rebuild homes and broken spirits, repair damages and relationships with You and with loved ones. Thank You for bringing people together to help one another. Strengthen the linesmen, the workers, and all who are a part of restoring our communities. May hearts grow closer to You, Jesus, through these difficult times. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, Peter begins by giving praise to God for the gift of being born again. This new inherited life is our faith that is only found through our salvation in Christ Jesus, and it should be something that each one of us not only treasures but wants to share with everyone we meet.

Our faith is what brings us true joy, the joy of the Lord; but our faith is also what moves us through this world’s trials. Pastor Mary taught about this during yesterday’s heartfelt sermon. She mentioned that Jesus did not die to take away our trials, rather He died to take away our sins, and He wants to use our trials and times of suffering to help others experience His eternal love. She also mentioned that the trials we face are designed to get us ready, ready to help others, and ready for when Jesus returns. Peter reminds us that through our faith, God is protecting us up to when He reveals Himself in the last days for all to see.

Friends, we cannot find ourselves, as believers, in despair, we must find ourselves living by faith and sharing the joy of our salvation and Jesus’s eternal love with EVERYONE!

1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT
The Hope of Eternal Life

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the resurrection in Christ that holds Your promise of the gift of eternal life with You. May our faith and hope in You grow as each one of us faces trials. Please continue to be with everyone who was impacted by Hurricane Helene. Help hearts to see the work of Your Family in the midst of such destruction, and to be drawn to You and to the priceless inheritance of spending eternity with You in heaven. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Although some people may think God’s love means no boundaries, in Scripture there are times our sovereign God communicates to a sin-living people and says, “Enough!” Obviously, that reveals a divine boundary has been set by God’s Word. God does not share space with sin; there is no sin within him (1 John 3:5). Therefore, if we really want a relationship with God, we must allow righteousness to be our Master (Mat 6:24). Grace has been given to the humble for this purpose; God opposes the proud (James 4:6). To think there will never be consequences for our sin is the epitome of the spiritual arrogance that leads to death. God IS LOVE, so rejecting him is sin (1 John 4:8).

In Acts 12, Herod Agrippa has successfully killed James [John’s brother] and plans to do the same to Peter until God miraculously helps him escape from prison. Not only does Herod persecute the early church of believers, by his attitudes and actions, he allows the people in his charge to see him as a god with authority and great power for their good.

Think about the statement Peter made in our passage yesterday, ““Do you think God wants us to obey you [human authority] rather than him?” (Acts 4:19). We note a distinct difference in how Peter and Herod Agrippa viewed divine authority—Peter is humble. Certainly, there are consequences to sinful and prideful leadership and we see it in Herod Agrippa’s fate.

Satan always uses people-pleasing leaders to pander to human flesh. Even though leaders may prove untrustworthy, people listen for what they want to hear in order to meet their desires. Such is the case with Herod Agrippa and the people of Jerusalem. The sin against God’s righteous glory always leads to horrendous consequences.

The Truth must be within us; otherwise, we are vulnerable to deception. These days are challenging, but we will only know how to navigate this fallen world when Truth—Jesus—is our Master. By the help of the Spirit, we must tenaciously live in the integrity of Christ who has been made Wisdom for us (1 Cor 1:30). “The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence” (Pro 14:16).

Acts 12:20-25 NLT The Death of Herod Agrippa
20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, 21 and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”

23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

24 Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them.

Prayer: Lord, today, we humble ourselves before your throne of grace. We pray for mercy and protection each day. Holy Spirit, keep us focused on Jesus the Author of our faith and help us to remain within the divine care of your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spirit-filled and courageous leaders always capture my attention. The boldness and confidence of these leaders to effectively and faithfully witness for the cause of Christ is absolutely inspiring to me. No matter what comes against them, these men and women of faith stay focused on the Truth and never waiver.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus promised to develop this kind of leader—ones who rested in the power of the Holy Spirit—to keep them focused despite their personal weaknesses. Peter and John demonstrated this type of Spirit-led leadership which should not surprised us, because Jesus promised to send the Helper (Acts 1:5).

Peter and John started out their faith journey with Jesus by actually having a default state of fear. They struggled to remain faithful to Jesus; the disciples abandoned him at the cross and hid after his death. This fear continued until the Spirit of God rested like tongues of fire upon them. Pentecost was a day of change. Courage took down fear!

In our passage today, Peter and John are being questioned by the Sanhedrin council, because a lame man—sitting outside the Temple begging for money—experienced healing; he began leaping and praising God (Acts 3:7-8). Peter and John were asked by the Sanhedrin to be silent; no more conversation about the saving grace of Jesus. However, Peter’s response is, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?”

Everyday in this fallen world we have a similar decision to make; who will have the highest authority over our lives. God, the fallen world, or our flesh? Will we ask God for more courage and continue to be a mouthpiece of Truth for the Lord? Or, will we cower in fear, step back, and allow evil to be the loudest voice to the nation? The battle with evil is real! Evil is anything that diminishes life with the Lord by rejecting the Truth of God’s Word. Make sure you listen to the Voice of Truth, because some leaders lie to promote their power.

Peter, John, and the rest of the disciples chose to pray and ask God to increase their courage. Please note they did not ask God to remove the challenges or to stop the political pressure from the Romans or the religious leaders. Instead, they wanted God to change and equip them to champion the challenges. Inspiring leadership! Amen?

Acts 4:13-31 NLT
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber [Sanhedrin] and conferred among themselves.

16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

The Believers Pray for Courage
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
    Why did they waste their time with futile plans?

26 
The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
    the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
    and against his Messiah.’[Anointed One—the Christ]

27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Prayer: Lord, there is so much going on in our world right now; things that seek to rob us of the peace you died to provide. Your peace is not of this world; it’s supernatural to calm the heart. Thank you for the peace you give—a peace the world cannot taste or understand. Believers can have your peace right now as we face a tropical storm, because you have promised to be with us and protect us. We can have your peace right now in the face of political rhetoric, because we know your Voice and we refuse to follow evil. Help us to take a deep breath and reach for you, Lord! And, while we reach for you, we pray for unbelievers to want you, be willing to turn from sin, and enjoy your peace, as well. In Jesus’ name.