Acts 4:29-31 (NIV) 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your
servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your
hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name
of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they
were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and spoke the word of God boldly.
Peter and John were warned by the hardhearted religious leaders not to
speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter’s bold response was that they
had to obey God. When they gathered with the other believers, they
reported what the religious leaders had told them.
They lifted their voices together in prayer and asked God to consider
the threats against them. They asked for great boldness to continue in
the face of those threats. Jesus’ last words had sent them out into the
world to teach and preach the good news. They asked for healings, signs
and wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus to fulfill Jesus’
instructions.
After the prayer, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit. The fear was gone. They spoke boldly. These
were some of the same people that were filled with the Holy Spirit in
Acts 2. We see that God can refill us when we face fear or feel
defeated. They recognized the need for the empowerment to continue in
the face of threats and prayed according to the will of God. God answers
that kind of prayer.
Is something keeping your from obeying Jesus? Have threats or
discouragement or even defeat robbed you of that fullness you once had?
Ask again! Ask in His name and for His sake, and expect God to answer.
Remember: He pours the Holy Spirit out and fills us up when we ask according to His will, in obedience to His word.
No comments:
Post a Comment