Praying for Boldness – Acts 4:29

Good morning readers!

One of the classes I am currently taking, is a class on the book of Acts. It is an incredible class and an absolutely amazing study.

Something that has stood out to me so far in my study of Acts is the amount of time the early church spent in prayer. Every where you look, or so it seems, they were taking their praise, concern, request, etc., to God. The verse below has always stood out to me, especially in light of the context!

Acts 4:29 (ESV)

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.

Read this verse and then read the entire chapter. What stands out to you? What do you notice?

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Love Never Ends

This morning I had something happen to me that I have heard other people talk and write about. As I was praying this morning God opened my eyes to understand something more than I ever have in the past. This was not during meditation on a verse, or during the study of a verse or passage. This was through prayer. God opened my eyes to just how crazy in love he is with us.

If you don’t mind I am just going to write what I wrote in my prayer (I tend to write my prayers instead of speak them verbally):

Lord, you are a God who helps in times of need. You help those that you have called to yourself eternally and you also help us as we need it on this earth.

(even now, I need your help in this early hour to free my mind from all of its distractions).

You even help us when our love for you is not where is should be.

Your love compels you.

You love compels you so that even when we fight your call, you continue to pull us toward you.

If you were not compelled by your love, then whatever else compelled you would not be as great, as eternal.

“Love never ends.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8

Your love sent your Son.
Your love sustained Him.
Your love nailed Him to the Cross.
Your love allows us to participate.
Your love gives us the hope of nailing our sins to that cross.
Your love allows us to beat death with your Son.
Your love promises a future resurrection because of His.
Your love promises eternity with you, through your Son.

Words alone cannot adequately express the thankfulness in my heart.

“But be doers of the word.” – James 1:22a

Lord, I am beginning to understand.

Thank you for helping me to understand why you require and desire action from us. Thank you for sticking around while it took me a wile to see this truth.

God, please forgive me for a lifetime of not demonstrating love towards you!

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

God, help me to walk this way for you. Help me to not only demonstrate love for you through my thoughts and words, but also through my actions. Help me to be bold.

-Amen.

You Are A Mountain

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Psalm 125:1-2 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.”

If you ever doubt for a minute that God does not protect you and give you strength and power beyond this world, then come back to this passage. TRUST in God and you will be unmovable like Mount Zion. Your faith will be steadfast and you will have eternal life (not death).

I trust in God and I believe that His Son Jesus Christ died for me and my sins and has given me the gift of eternal life. I have faith in that, in the eternal life part. That is not to say that my faith does not come and go, per se. My faith is 100% with God and the fact that when I die, I leave this world to spend eternity with Him. BUT, on a day to day basis, I lose sight that He is my savior.

I cannot even count for you the times that I have turned my back on God and walked in the direction I knew He did not want me to walk. I also cannot count the times that I made decisions without talking it out with God first and TRUSTING Him to make everything work out. I cannot count the times that I lean on Him to come through for me, and once He does I give the credit to myself and don’t have a conversation with Him and read His Word for months….until I’ll need Him again for something and come right back to Him.

My goal, the goal of every believer, should be to have the type of relationship that leans on God every minute of every day. Good or bad times, walk with Him.

And you know, the wonderful thing about God, is that even when I am not talking with Him and trying to build a relationship with Him, He is still there. He is still protecting me and is waiting for me to come back to Him. And when I finally do, He is there, He never even left. I am one of his children, I trust in him, and ultimately try to live my life for Him. He has plans for me, and has an ultimate place for me, so he will not EVER leave me.

He is the mountains surrounding Jerruselam, which is you, me and every other believer out there.

Strive for the type of relationship that meets with God everyday and is constantly listening and looking for Him. Don’t just TRUST in him when you need him, TRUST in him when you “don’t” need him; because even then, YOU NEED HIM.

Seek After Him

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Psalm 121:2,7 “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth…The Lord will keep you from all evil, he will keep your life.”

As humans we are naturally inclined to do two things: 1) try to do things without God and 2) turn towards evil. Both of these faults are met head on with verses 2 and 7 of Pslam 121.  But they require more than just seeing them written out, they require action from us.

We have to proactively give everything to the Lord, especially if you want it to succeed or having lasting effects. If we go through life and do not give things “in our control” over to Him, we are going to fall down so many ties that it will begin to hurt. And if we are blind to what is going on, may turn away from God for letting us fall so many times. This is when you will fall the hardest. It will be a huge fall (followed by a big bounce, thanks to the Lord) to bring you back to Him and to relying on Him.  If we give things in our lives up to him first, it will not take a huge fall, but a trip or a stubbed toe to get us to realize that we took it back again (the control) or did not seek him out.

The other side of the coin, or set of verses, is that God can keep us from evil. Key word is GOD. Try it on your own and you will fail miserably. Try it without trusting God to deliver you, without asking him to keep Satan and his forces away from you, and you will get no where. If you ask God to protect you, ask God to keep Satan from you, and ask God to deliver you from temptation, He will do it. But YOU play a large role in that equation. He wants to see you come to Him.

Go to Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Only He can keep you from evil and help you.

Growing on Purpose

Mark 4:24-25 (New King James Version)

24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

You will reap what you sow. That is what I see here. Ever wonder why God never seems to speak to you? Here’s your answer! Have you been speaking to Him, putting forth effort?

“With the same measure”, MacArthur notes, is speaking to the spiritual growth the disciples had noticed. This growth is a direct result of their efforts. “They would reap as they had sown.” The second part is even more encouraging, “Whoever has” taken spiritual truths and applied them to their life, “more will be given.” Take spiritual truths, apply them faithfully and more truths will be given to you…to apply faithfully!

This is the spiritual growth equation!

Effort+Faithful Application=Growth

This is exactly what I want.

Pray. Follow. Live. Lead.