Acts 4:16-20 - Saying, What shall we do to these men?
for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to
all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us
straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this
name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all
nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter
and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God
to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For
we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Peter and John had healed a man lame from birth….and used
the miracle to show the power of the Holy Spirit. They preached with a boldness that nothing
could touch…and ended up in jail when the religious leaders saw the crowd they
drew. Peter had made a lot of mistakes…but the Holy Spirit gave him power after
Jesus returned to Heaven to stand against any power that satan threw at him. He
internalized the power that God sent him through the Holy Spirit and used it to
never back down again.
What a great reminder to never live in our past. We can make all the mistakes in the world…but
when we let Jesus into our heart…those mistakes can be erased. And when we tap into the power that the Holy
Spirit can give us…we can become bold… courageous apostles that are not afraid
to take a stand for the truth of Christ.
God gives us the power to claim victory over any hold satan eve had on
our heart and life. The Holy Spirit
gives us the power to overcome any adversity that satan means to destroy our connection
with God.
Satan will lie to you and trick you into believing that you
have no power over the world. But the truth is that God will allow you to
overcome anything that weakens your ability to love and follow Him. I admit that it is hard to take a stance in
this world that seems to be passing law after law that is clearly contrary to
what the Bible teaches. I also admit
that there is a very fine line between taking a stance against something and still
loving the people who have been tricked into following the lies. I struggle daily with that fine line ….of
learning to love the people who need Christ and finding a way to stand up for
the truth that the Bible left us to live by.
We are called to love everyone in the world…but not be of the world.
Father thank you for the reminder to let you be in me so
that I can be exactly what you need be to the world you are trying to save.
Forgive me for the times that I never tap into your power….or let the world
control my choices. Help me to be bold
and courageous like Peter and John…because they let you fill them with power
from the Holy Spirit. Give me an ability to love the person who has been
tricked into sin…so that I can let God use me to reveal the truth. Amen.
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