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Mary Oberg Mary Oberg

Acts 12 - 9.17.24

SCRIPTURE:  Acts 12:11-16  " Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected."  When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying.  He knocked at the door in the gateway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.  She recognized Peter's voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway.  "You're crazy!" they told her.  But she kept insisting that it was true.  Then they said, "It's his angel!".  Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded."

OBSERVATION:  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this story!  

Even though Peter had been bound with, not one, but two chains, and was being guarded by two soldiers who were next to him while he was sleeping, and sentries were guarding the prison door, God miraculously freed Peter from his chains, and set him free!  God had sent an angel to free Peter from his chains, and led him past the first and second guard posts, and then past the iron gate that led him back to the city. 

The prison guards never heard the angel talking to Peter.  They never heard the chains falling off of him, and no one saw him escape the prison door!  

Some might ask, why did God even allow Peter to have to go to prison in the first place?  Why didn't He protect him from the whole ordeal?  As we read on in the story, we are clearly able to see that because God is sovereign, and that He  knows all things, He allowed Peter to prison to to prison because He knew the end of the story!  God already knew that Mary, and the others who were assembled at her house would be praying for Peter's release.  He graciously chose to hear and answer their prayers, and He did it in a supernatural way that left NO DOUBT that this was indeed a mighty act of God!  How interesting that even while the believers were praying for Peter's, release, when they saw how God had answered their prayer, they were astonished!

APPLICATION:  Sometimes when we pray, we are more focused on our limitlessness, more than on God's unlimited power!  When things appear to be impossible to us, we tend to "limit" God's miraculous ability - by not praying.  

This story is SO encouraging because we serve a God Who is all powerful, and He not only has the ability to do the impossible, He is willing to do it for us, even when we need a miracle!  

PRAYER:  I pray I will put my faith in God's unfailing, unlimited power and ability to do the impossible!  I thank Him that He is always present, and is always willing and available to hear and answer our prayers.  No matter if we need healing, encouragement, strength, direction, protection, or provision, our sovereign and gracious God loves to answer when we pray in faith according to His will.  

- Robin Orefice

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Michelle Gaddi Michelle Gaddi

Deuteronomy 14 - 9.16.24

Scripture

Deuteronomy‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT

“You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.”

Observation

In this particular passage, the author is reminding the people of Israel that they are God’s chosen people. They have been set apart from all the other nations. Therefore, God calls them to be holy and live holy lives, abiding in Him, and following His ways.

Application

We who call ourselves Christians, are called by God to a higher standard of living.

But how does that look like in today’s world? What are some practical steps that I can take in my life to ensure that I’m living a life that is holy, and set apart for God? 🤔

•When the world tells me to take revenge on someone who has wronged you, I will choose to forgive.

“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”-1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭15‬ ‭

•When the world tells me that success is all about how much “stuff” we obtain, I will remember that I can’t take any of this “stuff” with me to Heaven.

“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”-Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭15

•When the world encourages a “it’s all about me” attitude, I will remember it’s all about putting God and others before myself.

“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”-Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭

These are just a couple of examples of how we can be set apart, as holy for God and His purposes for us. We need to remember that once we accept Jesus in our heart as Lord and Savior, and we repent from our sinful ways, the old is gone, and the new has come. We are a new creation, born again through the blood of Christ and we should live our lives according to His will and purpose. 😊

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

‭‭-Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‬‬

Prayer

Father God, even though I am in this world, You called me to not be of it. You have saved me from my sins and have called me to live a life that is pleasing and honoring to You, a life that is set apart and holy. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that guides me to live that life for You. Forgive me for the times I do not listen to Your promptings. I pray that You may give me the discernment to know Your voice. May You give me the strength to trust and obey Your ways above my own. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

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Kenneth Lee Kenneth Lee

Psalm 47 - 9.13.2024

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Psalm 47:1-2

Clap your hands, all you nations;
    shout to God with cries of joy.

For the Lord Most High is awesome,
    the great King over all the earth.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

It is tough when you feel like things are finally looking up, and it feels as if “life” throws you a bunch of curve balls. Personally whenever this happens, I am able to trace the curveball to something I did 99% of the time. But sometimes tracing the root cause of life’s issues isn’t so easy to trace. I tend to wonder if it’s the enemy, or God, or none of the above. My greatest struggle however is rarely wondering who or what caused my situation, but how to deal with it.

Even after all these years of victories as a man of Christ, I still somehow managed to let depression get the better of me. Again. And so as I was reading these bible verses Psalm 47 stood out to me in the midst of that frustration and bitterness beginning to take root.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

I clap my hands today. And I shout to God with cries of joy! Why? Because the Lord Most High is awesome!

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Lord, I thank you for reminding me Who the Source of my joy is! It is mind boggling to me that such a simple exercise can eliminate the beginnings of bitterness and depression. I am so thankful for Your word that seems to always guide me when my vision of this world grows dim. Thank you so much for such a simple yet powerful exercise today, Lord! Continue to fill me not with just any positivity, Lord but fill me with the joy that only comes from my belief that you are an Awesome Lord, King over all the earth! Amen and Amen!

In the name of Jesus do I pray!

-kenneth lee


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