Day 301: The One Name, The One Power To "Break Every Chain"
Read: Acts 12:1 - 11
For those who come to read this, my heart is a heavy one today. My
spirit is greatly grieved on behalf of a dear Christian friend and
brother in Christ. I will call him Jeff just for the sake of this
writing. He is in a hard, tough spot in his faith journey. Until last
Wednesday, he was the Lay Leader (chief Laity representative) of his
church. I have found out through an ultra reliable source that he and
his two young children had come under brutal verbal attack from within
the membership of his church. It had been going on for some time against
him personally and only lately came against the children. He has
resigned his Lay Leader role, and perhaps, like Peter here, feeling imprisoned.
In this text we see that Peter has been placed in a seemingly hopeless
situation. He has been arrested by Herod and placed in prison, awaiting
his trial to take place after the passover. But in the midnight hour,
when it seemed that all hope was gone, God showed up and showed out, and
made a "Miraculous Rescue". I wonder today, how many of us that are
here have been through or in a situation like Peter’s? That is an
extraordinary situation where, for reasons entirely not of our own
doing, entirely on the outside of our ability to control, in spite of
our best efforts to fight it off and settle the matter like 'all good' Christians should, we just find ourselves being rebuked and inevitably spiritually imprisoned.
The truth be told, I believe that many of us, at one time or another, have been exactly where Peter was and where I strongly believe my friend Jeff is right
now. He is so in love with the Lord. I have studied with him and know his
heart, a wonderful father, and a strong leader of his congregation.
However, folks at the church have turned on him. At study last night he
was very distracted. I'm finding myself praying to God for one of those miraculous rescues we read about in the Bible, like the one here
from Acts 12. I am praying for one of God's angels to miraculously show
up, lead my friend away. I'd also ask for God's Church here as well,
just please pray for Jeff's miraculous rescue.
I find myself
wondering, praying about if the greatest thing a human being can ever
experience is to be in a situation where it seems completely hopeless
and doomed, yet God miraculously steps in and rescues you from it? I say
this after prayerfully considering the biblical definition of rescue meaning to
be 'delivered'. Deliverance meaning that we are 'set free' from the
chains securely fastening us to the floor of our prison cell. To be
delivered means you don’t have to deal with the bondage of that issue
anymore! It means to be "loosed from". Peter was loosed from his
chains and his shackles, in a way that could only be done by God. He not
only frees you, but looses you completely!
Let Us Pray: Lord, I ask for Your Church to arise this day in prayer for all those, who like Your servant Peter, find themselves locked behind prison walls for
their beliefs. Lord, I ask for Your Church to rise up in prayer for
those people, like my friend Jeff, who find themselves essentially spiritually imprisoned. Compelled to confront a time of greatest challenge to their's and their families well being. I fervently pray unto You for one of Your angels to come alongside of him in this dark hour. I pray that together with Your angel and by Your great power through which did resurrect Your Son Jesus from the prison of the grave, did roll away the stone, did loose Peter's chain, opened those prison doors, allowed them to walk past the ever vigilant guards, to the outside of the prison where iron gaits miraculously opened to his freedom beyond the prison walls.
Lord, You came to set the prisoners free. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the
Living God, please come to my friend in a powerful and miraculous way,
For Your servant, Jeff, if he has found favor in Your sight set him free
from this hard bondage as only You can. For I steadfastly believe that if You set them free, they are so absolutely free indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNlasvUFNbQ
Break Every Chain w/ lyrics - Jesus Culture
www.youtube.com
Read: Acts 12:1 - 11
For those who come to read this, my heart is a heavy one today. My spirit is greatly grieved on behalf of a dear Christian friend and brother in Christ. I will call him Jeff just for the sake of this writing. He is in a hard, tough spot in his faith journey. Until last Wednesday, he was the Lay Leader (chief Laity representative) of his church. I have found out through an ultra reliable source that he and his two young children had come under brutal verbal attack from within the membership of his church. It had been going on for some time against him personally and only lately came against the children. He has resigned his Lay Leader role, and perhaps, like Peter here, feeling imprisoned.
In this text we see that Peter has been placed in a seemingly hopeless situation. He has been arrested by Herod and placed in prison, awaiting his trial to take place after the passover. But in the midnight hour, when it seemed that all hope was gone, God showed up and showed out, and made a "Miraculous Rescue". I wonder today, how many of us that are here have been through or in a situation like Peter’s? That is an extraordinary situation where, for reasons entirely not of our own doing, entirely on the outside of our ability to control, in spite of our best efforts to fight it off and settle the matter like 'all good' Christians should, we just find ourselves being rebuked and inevitably spiritually imprisoned.
The truth be told, I believe that many of us, at one time or another, have been exactly where Peter was and where I strongly believe my friend Jeff is right now. He is so in love with the Lord. I have studied with him and know his heart, a wonderful father, and a strong leader of his congregation. However, folks at the church have turned on him. At study last night he was very distracted. I'm finding myself praying to God for one of those miraculous rescues we read about in the Bible, like the one here from Acts 12. I am praying for one of God's angels to miraculously show up, lead my friend away. I'd also ask for God's Church here as well, just please pray for Jeff's miraculous rescue.
I find myself wondering, praying about if the greatest thing a human being can ever experience is to be in a situation where it seems completely hopeless and doomed, yet God miraculously steps in and rescues you from it? I say this after prayerfully considering the biblical definition of rescue meaning to be 'delivered'. Deliverance meaning that we are 'set free' from the chains securely fastening us to the floor of our prison cell. To be delivered means you don’t have to deal with the bondage of that issue anymore! It means to be "loosed from". Peter was loosed from his chains and his shackles, in a way that could only be done by God. He not only frees you, but looses you completely!
Let Us Pray: Lord, I ask for Your Church to arise this day in prayer for all those, who like Your servant Peter, find themselves locked behind prison walls for their beliefs. Lord, I ask for Your Church to rise up in prayer for those people, like my friend Jeff, who find themselves essentially spiritually imprisoned. Compelled to confront a time of greatest challenge to their's and their families well being. I fervently pray unto You for one of Your angels to come alongside of him in this dark hour. I pray that together with Your angel and by Your great power through which did resurrect Your Son Jesus from the prison of the grave, did roll away the stone, did loose Peter's chain, opened those prison doors, allowed them to walk past the ever vigilant guards, to the outside of the prison where iron gaits miraculously opened to his freedom beyond the prison walls.
Lord, You came to set the prisoners free. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, please come to my friend in a powerful and miraculous way, For Your servant, Jeff, if he has found favor in Your sight set him free from this hard bondage as only You can. For I steadfastly believe that if You set them free, they are so absolutely free indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNlasvUFNbQ
Break Every Chain w/ lyrics - Jesus Culture
www.youtube.com
Break Every Chain w/ lyrics - Jesus Culture
www.youtube.com
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