“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:16 NKJV
RELATIONSHIP:
Do you already have a relationship with a powerful God who cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen
BIBLE READING:
Dear Heavenly Father – Please give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who you are, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. Open the eyes of our understanding, please, so we may know the hope of our calling and the vast sovereignty and power of the grace of the cross. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your word and our sound mind. And please keep us and bless us and shine your face upon us and pour out grace over us and give us peace! Thank you! – In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 3 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).
A Lame Man Healed
3 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to [a]ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Preaching in Solomon’s Portico
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the [b]Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send [c]Jesus Christ, who was [d]preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since [e]the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also [f]foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Footnotes
- Acts 3:2 Beg
- Acts 3:15 Or Originator
- Acts 3:20 NU, M Christ Jesus
- Acts 3:20 NU, M ordained for you before
- Acts 3:21 Or time
- Acts 3:24 NU, M proclaimed
MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:
Matthew 5:16– “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
STUDY/DEVOTIONAL
We are half way through February. We have rumors of wars. We have truckers shutting down the supply chain. (Correction, we have oppressive mandates and evil agenda’s shutting down the supply chain.) And truckers are warning us to stock up – March will be worse. Stock up? I am not in a position to.
We have a new super variant in China – which is in news headlines but unconfirmed. Which is keeping our Olympians locked in isolation with meal rations, without their normal diets for competition and normal exercise routines. But more importantly China passed a new law – NO BIBLE and church gatherings (which was already super restricted). But now they cannot any longer even access it on the internet. And as an interesting side note – I thought I was getting pinged with Chinese autobots because a machine in China stopped by this blog daily, sometimes a few. Since the law passed last week, we have had NO visits from any computers in China. I am starting to think they weren’t autobots.
Perilous times of offence and fear. That is what Jesus said these days would be like in the beginning – and things will just get worse. I am reminding you to prepare you, not scare you… because at the same time…
In Florida there is a church God is raising up to be the Joseph! They have a farm of food and an agreement with the regional food bank and they just need to manage it and they will have enough food to feed the entire state. But I believe God will do exceedingly abundantly above all of that. Because that is what God does. That church is also seeing healings, visitations from God that cause immediate transformations and financial miracles. (Anyone want to take a road trip to Florida to get prayed over and fed?! Lol)
There is a Baptist preacher in Tennessee, who had an experience with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge and revelation – Who is no longer in the Baptist church because he is spirit filled and casting out demons, having deliverance services, and seeing souls delivered, saved and baptized by the 100’s each week.
There are many traveling evangelists with ministries of healing, saving and spreading revival. The fields are ripe for harvest! Pray for workers. So at the same time that it is perilous – it is also gloriously harvest time! The best and worst of times – as I have heard a couple pastors say.
You see today’s reading is happening. Live Fires of God are walking into dead and sleeping churches and healing the lame man at the door. And everyone marvels and wonders. Everyone wants to see the actions of God! Woo-hoo! He is alive!! But then some think it is man, others treat it like a circus show, and other just do not understand.
Other notable things about this healing was – He had looked with expectation. The lame man expected to receive something. Many times God is pouring out but you aren’t expecting NOR are you receiving.
Give. Giving and offerings to God and planting your seeds in heaven is NOT always financial. Actually, many times, when people have little to none financially, they begin with stewarding the gifts and prayers that God gives them and they return and eventually the return become financial provisions.
Always enter the temple with thanksgiving! Walking, leaping and praising God! (See Psalm 100)
Peter became such a quick thinker and so wise – so fast. He seems like a different person since the Holy Spirit came. So He quickly thinks, all these people are coming over to us and now I need to introduce them to the healing Jesus – but these are the same people who yelled crucify him. How do I say this so they will understand? So He releases them from their guilt – by explaining that these things had to happen to fulfill prophesy. And uses scripture to back his claim.
This is a great way to show the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness even today. As our sins yelled out: “Crucify Him!” not caring if it was me or Jesus who was killed, but someone had to die for these sins. It is mercy, love, and forgiveness that draw us to God. Some wish “rock bottom” on people saying it is the only way people turn to Christ… well, that has changed! The fields are ready for harvest AND many of us were just not taught the right way to harvest. It is great to say go – but how? HERE. Peter is teaching us. First, you and I are sinners. Second, Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, died for our sins because He loves you and has mercy on you and wants to forgive you. What’s next? Faith! And faith comes by hearing so let’s read this out loud:
“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Verse 16
Peter builds their understanding of faith and God, through it gives them faith. And finally – a call to action: Repent!
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Verses 19-21
Peter being an amazing witness of who Jesus is, and being so in love with Him, Peter then continues with more description of Jesus fulfilling prophecy, saving us and turning us away from our iniquities. Yes turn away from iniquities. You need to stop sinning. It is a process or growth. We all get there when we get there. Sometimes we give us stuff later then we should and miss out on some things. But we at least get there. And I we do not, then we slowly wax cold and slide away because holding onto sin is wrong – and sin separates us from God. That is the whole point of all of this.
We are sinners and were separated from God. But God wants a relationship with us. So He sent Jesus to live with us, teach us what he really wants. Then to die as the final sacrificial lamb for all the sins of the world. But we must ask for forgiveness and ask to be washed clean and we must turn away from sin – then we can have a relationship with God. And yes, there is a process of removal of sins every day for the rest of your life. Jesus said to pray for forgiveness and repent daily! Not because of the old sins – but because as we grow new things are forbidden to us and as we grow we shed off more of the ways of man and take on more of the ways of God. We MUST change. We MUST separate from the world and from our sins. And we can only do it in grace and with the help of Jesus, and faith in His Name.
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Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!
If Not For Grace 