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Jumping to Conclusions!

“And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.’”Acts 16:27, 28.

Have you heard the story of Paul and Silas in the prison? They were the two apostles, called by Jesus to spread the Gospel, but along the way they got into a bit of trouble and were arrested. The Romans were pretty upset that these Jews were ruffling feathers by preaching in the Name of Jesus, and not observing the customs of the Romans.

Particularly, they had just cast a demon spirit out of a slave girl who had the power of divination, or fortune telling. She had been following Paul and Silas for days, continually bothering and mocking them and, being weary of it, they finally told the spirit to come out of her. This made those that owned her very upset because they no longer had an income. So they took hold of the two apostles and put them into prison, made sure they were beaten with rods many times and then securely put their feet in stocks.

Now the cool thing about this story is the escape. Paul and Silas were not planning one!

But they were praying, maybe for their safety, maybe because they were in pain, maybe just because they couldn’t sleep. Whatever the reason, the Bible says the other prisoners were listening to them when they prayed. It doesn’t just say they heard them, it says they were listening to them!

They were intrigued by the spirit of these two men who had just been beaten within an inch of their lives and were now praying and singing hymns to their God. Why? What could they possibly have to sing about? They were bruised, battered and bleeding. But they kept singing and praying.

Then at about midnight something changed. “Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.” Acts 16:26,27 NKJV.

This jailer knew the responsibility that was upon his shoulders. If these prisoners escaped he would immediately be executed, so he was prepared to take his own life. He was jumping to conclusions before he even knew what was happening around him.

Paul steps in. “But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.” Acts 16:28-33 NKJV.

Paul literally saves this man’s life and then proceeds to give him life eternal!

Jumping to conclusions almost cost him everything. He was too quick to think that all was lost and he was sure he was going to come out the loser.

Aren’t we all a little like this jailer? Do we think tragedy lurks behind every corner? Are we waiting for the BIG ONE to strike? And when it does, are we ready to cave? Are we going to throw in the towel before we even find out if we can make it through the difficulty?

We let our imaginations run away with us, worrying over every little and big thing in our lives. But Jesus told us specifically, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34 NLT.

Let Him take care of it!

[Tweet “When we stop assuming to know everything and let God be God, our whole demeanor will change.”]

“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” Psalm 3:3 NKJV.

He can, and will, take your worries away. Worry can be a sin because we let it consume us! We are saying we do not trust our God enough to take care of our lives, our problems, our families. But when we start handing things that are out of our control to Him, we will find rest, comfort, and peace of mind. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” Jeremiah 17:7.

[Tweet “Put your sword back in its sheath, there’s no need to hit the panic button. God is in control.”]

And having done all…STAND!

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“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;

courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” ~ Winston Churchill

When Rosa Parks boarded the same city bus that she did nearly every day as she left her job as a seamstress in Montgomery City, Alabama, she may not have been intent on changing history. But that is exactly what she did. When she refused to give her seat demanded by a white man, which was the normal rule and procedure, she was standing up for the black population everywhere. She instantly became a national hero; and fortunately, for many, life was never the same.

There is so much power in this scripture; it will show us how to STAND.

We can see that we are in a real battle with real forces of evil.
It offers strength from the Lord to be able to stand.
And gives us the armor to protect ourselves in the evil day.

All of us have come to times in our lives when we have done all WE can do. We are exhausted, physically, mentally, and even spiritually. We have tried everything we can think of to either fix a situation, or to get ourselves out of a mess.

We are spent.

We are over it.

We’re done.

Now what?

David, the great king, a man after God’s own heart, has been in your shoes.

“David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6 NLT.

He knew where his strength came from. He went straight to the One who gave him what he needed to get through his darkest hour. David had known despair, had faced giants, ran for years from King Saul who wanted to take his life, and would even one day see his own son try to take the throne from him in jealousy and anger.

David also knew what it was to fail.

He looked when he should have turned away and his sin with Bathsheba cost him the life of his newborn son (and the life of Bathsheba’s husband!).

In all of these sorrows, whether through his own downfall or the attacks of others, David kept returning to his God.

He put on that full armor of God so he could continue to STAND.

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” Ephesians 6:14-17.

Loins girt with Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Feet shod with the Gospel of Peace
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation

What a blessing that the Lord gave us this suit of protection that we would be able to STAND in the evil day. We are NOT unprotected. We have the Word of God and we have the Holy Spirit, alive and living inside of us!

Let’s take advantage of it and grab hold as David did. When we come to the end of our rope, look up! When we don’t know where else to turn, call on the Lord. Run to Him!

Let us take a STAND for the Name of Jesus. We serve a LIVING GOD; One that is COMING BACK AGAIN!

God is still working for us, in us and through us. Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

Having done all….STAND!

Shut the Front Door! Pt. 5 Gossip & Prayerlessness

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We are also back into our Warning Signs for Christians today…Part 5 is our final installment and we go out with a bang. If you are just joining us, or missed any of the series you can catch up! Part one is here, Part 2 Lethargy & Rebellion, Part 3 Modesty, and Part 4 Pornography, Fornication & Adultery.

Shut the Front Door! Pt. 5 Gossip & Prayerlessness

Gossip

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

Does anyone benefit from gossip? No, absolutely not. In reality, everyone involved is harmed. The one who brings the news has hurt their reputation, the one who decides to stay and hear “the dirt” has done the same and also possibly endures shame and embarrassment, depending on the content.

Then there is the subject of the gossip. If they are innocent, lies are being spread about them and they may not even know it. Even if they are guilty, it is their business and between them and God, the gossip is doing no one any good. It only stirs up more trouble.

The Bible speaks very plainly about those that gossip, only it calls them talebearers. It speaks of younger widows that have cast off their first faith, “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.” 1 Timothy 5:13.

A person that gossips cannot be trusted. Proverbs 11:13 tells us that, “A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.”

[Tweet “If so-called friends share secrets about others WITH YOU, they will talk ABOUT YOU to others behind your back!”]

“A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.” Proverbs 16:28. Here the Word shows us that gossip will literally destroy friendships.

Proverbs 20:19 NKJV. “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.”

When you are betrayed by a talebearer it is difficult to trust again and when you are The Whisperer, and gain that reputation, it is something you are likely to never overcome.

[Tweet “If we didn’t carry gossip, it wouldn’t go very far.”]

The Bible tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:4-9.

Prayerlessness

Finally, the most dangerous pitfall for any Christian is to neglect their prayer life. Like the physical body cannot live without water, the spiritual body cannot survive without prayer. We have to have that communication with our Lord. The more time we spend with Him, the more time we will want to spend with Him!

To go without prayer is to display the attitude that we don’t need God in our lives…we can make it without Him. Oh, we don’t think that in our brain but it is essentially what we are saying with our hearts and living out with our lives! We can handle this God. In the book “How to Pray”, by Ronnie Floyd, he says, “Prayer occurs when you depend on God”, and “Prayerlessness occurs when you depend on yourself.”

Our Lord set the standard in His ministry for our prayer lives.

“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16 NIV.

If Jesus showed us how important it was to pray, and even spent 40 days and nights praying and fasting, shouldn’t we heed His example in our own lives?

The answer to every problem, every challenge, every dilemma that we will ever face, can be found on our knees. There really are no excuses, everyone has time. We have to make time, it’s all about our priorities. We have good intentions but we allow other things to get in the way, to take precedence. But the bottom line is that nothing is more important than spending time with the Creator of the Universe!

It is like charging up your cellphone or iPad every day, you have to be “plugged in” to the Source to survive!

The pressures we face in our generation are unprecedented. The coming of the Lord could very well be in our lifetime. The signs are all around us, His return is imminent! Without a relationship we risk hearing Him say, “Depart from Me, I never knew you…”

The enemy literally is working around the clock to distract the Christian like never before. He knows that the more we pray, the more in tune we are with God. And the more in tune we are, the more power we have! When we tap into that power, we are unstoppable. The Bible says even Satan believes and he trembles. If we ever truly get hold of what God intends for us then we can move mountains.

If we want to be a part of the Church of the Living God we know it starts in the prayer closet.

“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31.

Pray in the Spirit! When we forget about the time and start praying in the Holy Ghost, Heaven takes notice. Souls are dying lost every day and going out into eternity. Are they worth our time?