READ: ACTS
16:27-34
God has
several ways He deals with the enemies of His children. He can destroy them:
turn them against each other, turn them into friends, or turn them into our
servants. This year the Lord will cause your oppressors to serve you. Also
Psalm 18:43-44 says because the Lord has made you the head of the ungodly,
strangers will willingly come and serve you. Every stranger in your life and
family will willingly submit to you this year.
For God to turn your enemies into your servants, you have to meet up with five conditions. According to today’s reading, the jailer who threw Paul and Silas into their inner prison, and bound their feet was the same person who later treated their wounds and served them food in his own house. The first condition is that you must be willing to stay in the perfect will of God. There is a difference between the permissive and perfect will of God.
The Lord had asked the disciples to go into all the world to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and Silas desired to go to Asia to fulfil that commandment but the Spirit forbade them. If they had gone ahead, they would have been out of God’s perfect will. Later, they had a vision to go to Macedonia and were allowed to. This means that as a child of God, your day to day activities must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you are where God wants you to be at all times, the Lord will make your enemies to become your servants.
Similarly, you must not tolerate Satan. Paul and Silas were grieved with the spirit of divination operating in a young girl and cast it out. This led to their imprisonment. James 4:7 says we should resist the devil and he will flee from us. Besides, you must be ready to suffer for Christ. The duo did not grumble for being thrown into prison. In fact, Paul in Acts 21:10-14 says he is not only ready to suffer but also be prepared to thank God in all situations, whether pleasant or not (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and be ready to preach both to friends and foes. Are you now ready for God to change your enemies into your servants?
For God to turn your enemies into your servants, you have to meet up with five conditions. According to today’s reading, the jailer who threw Paul and Silas into their inner prison, and bound their feet was the same person who later treated their wounds and served them food in his own house. The first condition is that you must be willing to stay in the perfect will of God. There is a difference between the permissive and perfect will of God.
The Lord had asked the disciples to go into all the world to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and Silas desired to go to Asia to fulfil that commandment but the Spirit forbade them. If they had gone ahead, they would have been out of God’s perfect will. Later, they had a vision to go to Macedonia and were allowed to. This means that as a child of God, your day to day activities must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you are where God wants you to be at all times, the Lord will make your enemies to become your servants.
Similarly, you must not tolerate Satan. Paul and Silas were grieved with the spirit of divination operating in a young girl and cast it out. This led to their imprisonment. James 4:7 says we should resist the devil and he will flee from us. Besides, you must be ready to suffer for Christ. The duo did not grumble for being thrown into prison. In fact, Paul in Acts 21:10-14 says he is not only ready to suffer but also be prepared to thank God in all situations, whether pleasant or not (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and be ready to preach both to friends and foes. Are you now ready for God to change your enemies into your servants?
MEMORIZE:
ACTS 2:37 –Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said
to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?
