The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 772
The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 772
Today’s Kick Start! – (NKJV) Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Personal Obedience—Walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out the deeds of the flesh.
Acts 12 5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
JESUS CHRIST: He IS the same Yesterday, He IS the same Today, He IS God Forever!
A correction for yesterday: the guards or squads of men guarding the apostle were tetrads and as such there were four men to a squad.
Again we see the timing and the urgency of God to deliver Peter out of the hands of sixteen plus guards. But the apostle seems to be in no hurry, sound asleep, he is nudged by the angel to wake up and get up. Being in Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work and we must always remember that; Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
To read about an event like this happening in the life of Peter, some of us find things to doubt about and in the fleshly mind we can do muster up a doubt or two. Yet, God provides enough evidence for those who ‘walk by faith and not by sight’ to believe. The first problem to overcome is faith itself, if one’s faith waivers; what might this say concerning our so great salvation?
1 Timothy 3 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. All of the Spiritual elements of faith are found with Peter’s encounter of being freed from prison and death that are found here if this 1 Timothy 3 passage.
Prayer is offered to God by the church for Peter’s release, an angel was dispatched from heaven to answer the prayers of godly people for Peter’s release. We might like to see some humor in the fact that the angel had to wake Peter up. But I am not sure that angels think like we humans. The angel is there because the Messiah has assigned him to the task of freeing Peter from the cell and certain death in the morning. I see the angel as ‘militarily minded’ so he has but one command. Go and release Peter from the prison and free him from the clutches of evil. The power of one angel is greater than the sixteen plus guards assigned to keep the apostle locked up.
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