Acts 12:11, “And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.”

Hello OTP family! The innocence of life. We go about our day doing what God has called us to do , as we are simultaneously living in our daily lives. Working our jobs, shopping, visiting friends and family. Just the normal activities of daily living. Yet at the same time, we are walking our walk with God. The enemy sees this and he sets traps to try to prevent us from doing what God is called us to do.. 

And Peter’s case he is going about doing things that God has called him to do but find himself thrown into prison because of sharing the word of God . He was not just thrown in prison, he was swarmed by a large number of guards. He was even chained to them, even as he slept. 

But God is faithful! Even in this harsh circumstance, God never leaves us nor forsake us. He does not forget about us. He has a way of walking through the midst of all of that and setting us free.

Just picture the circumstances that Peter found himself in, just being in a scary, dingy prison is intimidating enough, but beyond that he was overwhelmed with prison guards. Not just the standard number of guards for the average prison he had four times as many. The guards just weren’t keeping the prisoners. These additional guards were added just to keep watch over Peter and chain to him . 

Herod wanted o ensure that he could have his fun by torturing Peter just a curry favor with the Jews. But God has a way of upsetting the expectations of your enemies! 

Our God is so amazing that he knows how to deliver out of impossible situations. Or rather situations that seem impossible. 

A couple things about this situation sticks out to me: 

-We cannot be afraid to do what God has given us to do. We must understand that there’s nothing that could happen that God will not deliver us from.

-No matter what happens we can have rest (the peace of God) knowing that God has our back. I believe this is why Peter was able to sleep so soundly while in prison.  

There is a certain peace in doing the will of God that the enemy cannot shake.

The things that we are going through daily are not too big or too small for God to handle. You may not be facing a huge circumstance as Peter did, but you are still facing circumstances that the enemy means to use to destroy you piece by piece. 

But Peter is a perfect example  – no matter the circumstance – if you are in the mist of doing God‘s, will you have peace with God. You can rest knowing that God has your back. Understand that someway, somehow God is going to walk in the midst of your situation to loose your chains and set you free.

This is how God upsets the expectation of your enemy . They expect to see you afraid to see you frightful, to see you scared, and ashamed. Wondering what went wrong to cause you to be where you are. But know in your spirit, and in your heart, that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23).

Understand that God uses the enemies plans to bring glory to his name. Understand that we don’t live in a vacuum, but we live our life out loud and in public, where people are watching (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). The things that you are going through are not just for you, but also for those who are watching you. These are part of the miracles that shall follow them that believe – how God so smoothly delivers us out of all of our trouble! 

God promised to leave his peace with us always (John 14:27). That piece of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). As you are going about doing God‘s will, that peace should remain in your heart. Understand that whatever comes from doing God‘s will – it’s going to be all right.

For example, as you endeavor to be faithful in your tithes and offering, there should be a peace in your heart, knowing that God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We don’t have to worry that there will be money enough to pay our bills because God is faithful. He watches over his word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). As you walk in obedience, giving according to God‘s word, God will in turn, take care of you and the things that concern you. 

Another example, as you go about your day, smiling, sharing kind words, offering words of witness of God‘s goodness as the spirit of God leads you to with the people that you encounter throughout your day just through your normal conversations and interactions . You don’t have to worry about how they will receive you. We can have confidence in our part of the formula – 

that some plant some water, but it’s God who gives an increase (1 corinthians 3:6-8). Even if it looks like they are not receptive to the word of God that you share, we must understand that God is still faithful. He knows how to increase that seed that was planted by you.

This indeed is a Faith walk! Everything that we do should be done in Faith. We tithe/ give in faith, and we witness in Faith – trusting the God of the increase! For God promised that his word would not come back to him void, but it will accomplish everything that he sent it to do (Isaiah 55:11). We are just the vessels that he uses to accomplish his will. 

Be encouraged and know that no matter the plan of the enemy, God has a way of upsetting the enemies plans!

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Hello OTP family! I just wanted to take a moment to remind you of the promise of God. We may go through, but God has our back. In the end, we are victorious. This involves every stage of our walk with Christ. Do not allow the enemy to make you believe anything to the contrary. You were built to be victorious. Especially during those times when you feel defeated.

We must understand that the enemy is a master manioulator. He does plan and sets snares and traps against the people of God. We can even acknowledge that he is very good at his job. But we must also understand that God is ALL powerful. His wisdom and might far out weigh anything the enemy can ever throw at us. 

The enemy schemes our destruction. There are times when it seems that the trap is working. But we must listen to the word of God carefully. Isaiah tells us that the weapon may fully form against us, but promises they will not prosper.

Many times this is just a clever illusion or trick that the enemy has convinced us that is a fact and uses fear to keep us distracted. There are also times when his schemes have actual consequences that can be very harmful to us. Schemes that destroys relationships that are very important to us. Or any other trap that he can devise. However, the duty of the believer is to stick with the word of God – always. When we are in the midst of these schemes, we must have our foundation rooted and ground in biblical principles. 

Looking at Isaiah – we are cautioned that these weapons do form. The weapons may even be used against us. But the promise of God still remains – they will not prosper! 

Many times we wonder at this scripture. We filter it through the lens of our past. We see all the times when hard times struck us. Or the many times when bad things happened to us. We wonder if God’s word is true. But let’s look at the scripture again.

In Isaiah 54:17, the word “prosper” means to succeed, to be victorious, or to have final and ultimate success, especially in the face of opposition or adversity. It implies not just a temporary advantage but a lasting and complete victory. The verse promises that any weapon or scheme formed against God’s people will ultimately fail and not achieve its intended destructive purpose.

With this definition in mind, we now understand that the enemy’s plan did not work. Yes, we may have suffered some loss. We may have lost some ground. But we are still here AND we have extrapolated some experience from the attack(s). We have come to know God to a deeper degree, and we are still standing strong in the Lord. The things that people have said regarding us – lies told. We can stand against them to condemn them. Why? because this is our heritage in the Lord. Because we are children of the most high God. For he has brought us into right standing through his blood.

We know that this is a suffering way – see 2 Timothy 3:12. But it is not a defeated way. We serve a God who always causes us to triumph – see 2 Corinthians 2:14. 

Yes, the weapon will form, but it will not prosper. When you fall down or are knocked down. Do not waddle. Get back up. Dust yourself off, and get back to work. In the end, you will triumph. You may have lost the job, but not the ability to earn a good living. Keep working, God has something bigger and better. The relationship may have ended, but that is not the end of your story. Delight yourself in the Lord. He can restore the relationship if it is his plan for your life. Let God and let God work things out in his own timing. In his own way. 

Our victory is always found in standing on the word of God – by faith.

Have a blessed night.