For Wednesday 11/7/20 Prayer and Fasting – Sacrifice
Daily PBJ Reading (1 Samuel 30, 1 Samuel 31, Acts 16:26-40)
Paul had been miraculously freed from jail before (Acts 5:19) and he knew of Peter being freed (Acts 12:7) so he could have easily assumed God was giving him an opportunity to go free. Instead, he chose to remain in prison resulting in the jailer and his family becoming followers of Christ.
Acts 16:27-34 (NIV)
27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.
Sometimes God asks us to make sacrifices and take a difficult path in life so that others will be saved.
For Tuesday 10/6/20 Prayer and Fasting – Listen
Daily PBJ Reading (1 Samuel 28, 1 Samuel 29, Acts 16:1-25)
Paul’s ministry was often marked by unexpected diversions. In today’s reading, he is directed through a God-given dream.
Acts 16:9-10 (NIV)
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
God speaks to us in many ways including His written Word, through dreams and visions, through wise council, and sometimes by a whisper. We need to be flexible and open to quickly respond to what He is telling us.
1 Kings 19:11-13 (NIV)
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
For Monday 10/5/20 Prayer and Fasting – Power of Testimony
Daily PBJ Reading (Psalms 35, Psalms 63, John 15:18-27)
As part of the final lessons Christ is giving to His disciples, He explains to them that the Holy Spirit would come to help them to testify about the message of Christ.
John 15:26-27 (NIV)
26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
The Holy spirit works through us to proclaim the message. The disciples (and we also) need to share the testimony of what God has done in our lives. In this, there is power to overcome the enemy.
Revelation 12:11 (NIV)
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.