How To Make A Decision

"They prayed: 'You know, Lord, what is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two you have chosen.'" - Acts of the Apostles 1:24

Do you always include God in the decisions you make? Sometimes we don't and then get angry with God when things don't go our way. I've learned that in everything we do, even in getting on the road to go somewhere, we need to ask the assistance of God. We need to get off this high horse we placed ourselves on from which we think we know all things, especially what's best for us. Humility before God is knowing that we know nothing, but that He knows it all. We make so many decisions in our lives… where to go to school, where to work, who to marry, where to live… all of these decisions are very, very big deals and they have a tremendous impact on our lives. Which of us can say we know enough to actually make a good decision? Recognize that we all need God to guide us in doing what's right for not only ourselves, but for the people that are involved in our lives and are so much affected by what we do.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles lived so powerfully in the Spirit because they practiced this principle. They let God guide every little thing they did. They acknowledged that only He knew what was in the hearts of all men and what was in their best interests. From today on, include God in all of your plans if you want to be successful. Pray before you make any decision, big or small, so He can show you the way. A big door won't open directly in front of you, but God will make you feel in your heart what is best for you.

Today's Prayer:
My God, I want You to have an active role in all that I do. I ask You to be my guide in all decisions I make, so that with You, I can walk on the right path. With You, I no longer need to fear mistakes or making the wrong decisions for myself and those around me. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Beaten Down But Still Positive!

"So they set the crowd against them and the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." - Acts of the Apostles 16:22-25

That last part of the passage doesn't quite fit with the rest, does it? How could Paul and Silas have been beaten and jailed for preaching about Jesus and yet have the joy to sing to God while in handcuffs? If it were me, I would be mad and asking God how could this be where He's led me after what I did for Him! Right after this, God made it so that both Paul and Silas escaped jail and converted one of the prison guards. But most of us never get to see the good God brings out of negative situations because we're so stuck on being mad and not seeing past the now. Paul and Silas didn't have this problem… yes, they were beaten, life is tough… they were put in jail, but at the end of the day, their faith told them that God would help them and bring something good out of their problem Therefore, why get mad? Why get pessimistic? If you really have faith in God, then through your problems, you should be singing praise to God.

God saw Paul and Silas' complete trust in Him and because of that, rescued them and allowed them to bring the faith to someone new. Why don't you apply this to your life today? Instead of being upset, have an attitude of hope and wait for His deliverance.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, sometimes things in my life beat me up. I have arguments with people and things don't always turn out in my favor. But despite all of these things, I give You thanks because no matter how bad things seem, You have me in the palm of Your hand, with my best intentions at heart. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Conversion of Saint Paul

"As he traveled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?' And he asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The voice replied, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.'" - Acts 9:3-5

The interesting thing about Paul before his encounter with Jesus is that he was acting out of zeal for his Jewish faith. Paul thought he was doing the right thing and doing it for God's kingdom. In the same way, I'm sure each of us has our righteous inclinations about certain things and if we don't examine ourselves carefully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, those attitudes we hold on to might be pulling us into sin without us realizing it. There really are many aspects to a Spiritual life that can be damaging instead of constructive. For example, someone may become prideful of having a close relationship with God and look down upon other sinners. But our Lord is a merciful God and I believe that when our heart is in trying to do God's will, He'll open our eyes to our mistakes. In the case of Paul, his passion for his law and religion blinded him from seeing the harm he was causing. Because so many new Christians suffered at his hands, it was Jesus that was being persecuted along with them, just like we persecute Jesus when we believe ourselves to be righteous and act upon our misguided beliefs. However, what the enemy intends for our harm, God uses for our good, and in order to stop Paul dead in his tracks from arresting more Christians, Jesus Himself appeared before him with such intensity that Paul was knocked from his horse and onto the ground. As you know, Paul went on to bring the news of Jesus to all the pagan nations outside of Jerusalem, demonstrating that God can take the worst parts of us, like Paul with his zeal for arresting Christians, and use that for the glory of His Kingdom. But before that happens, expect the bumps in the road that will knock us down. Expect obstacles allowed by God that will leave us completely disoriented. All these things are necesary for a true conversion and to be a true instrument of God's power.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, knock me down if there are things I am blind to that are leading me to sin. Strip away all pride and ego and leave me with a humble heart that only seeks to work for Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." - Acts 1:8

There are times that although we believe in God, our faith falters. Sometimes we find ourselves calling out to God and not finding the strength we need to go on. Did you know that the Holy Spirit is the power of God in action? He is the one that fills us, moves in us and gives us the strength we need to go on. He is a powerful force that engulfs and transforms us.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles were terrified and in hiding. Jesus promised that He would not leave them alone and that promise was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, while the apostles were praying, the Holy Spirit came down upon them as a powerful force that transformed them so that they were never the same again. He uplifted them and gave them strength and courage to stand for what they believed in and face their oppressors. If you're going through any type of rough patch right now, call on the Holy Spirit, the power and force of God to fill you and work through you. Just as He did with the apostles, He will build you up. If you need advice or guidance on something, call on the Holy Spirit and He will light a path in front of you to follow.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit. When we don't have strength, Your Spirit comes in to build us up. Help me to always stay open to receiving Your graces and letting You work through me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Releasing The Grudge

"As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying: 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice: 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And when he had said this, he died." - Acts 7:59-60

In my bible, right next to this verse, I have written down, "how can we have such love?" And while many of you might not agree with this, but I admire Stephen, Christianity's first martyr, for having had the love and faith to ask for his murderers' forgiveness as he was dying. I wish I were like him. I wish I had his faith and his love because this is someone who is truly free. I believe that when someone hurts us, we hold on to that pain and that resentment, recalling it in our minds with hurt and anger, but it eats away at us while the other person is fine. Holding a grudge against another person is a burden we set ourselves up to carry. Letting it go is much easier said than done, but at the end of the day, is the toll it takes on us worth holding on to? Stephen knew it wasn't worth it. He was about to lose his life and understood that it is better to lose it, then hold on to any hate, especially when he was dying to show an example of faith in Christ. And most of the time, the people that hurt us, don't even know they're doing it, or understand why they're doing it. In Stephen's case, many of those who cast the stones just didn't understand his faith and feared a change in their culture and society. No one teaches anyone a lesson by staying angry, showing hate, or holding a grudge. We only hurt ourselves because we allow ourselves to get angry all over again and never heal. We encage ourselves and take away our own freedom.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, show us how to be truly free. It is inevitable that we get hurt by people but holding on to those grudges causes us more harm than the initial wound. I know You want us to live in love, but open our minds and hearts to follow Your example, then teach us to be an example for others. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Miracles Take Unity

"They were faithful to the teaching of the apostles, the common life of sharing, the breaking of the bread and the prayers. A holy fear came upon all the people, for many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." - Acts 2:42-43

Throughout the bible we read amazing stories and amazing miracles performed by the prophets. Today, many wonder why these things are not seen anymore. It says in Acts that when Paul and Peter walked by the sick, even their shadows falling upon people made them well. It's hard to believe because we seldom see these huge manifestations from God happen before our eyes. It wasn't that God cared about them more and abandoned us, it's that we don't live in the same way the apostles and the early believers did. We feel independent from everyone, even our own families. Nobody thinks they need anyone. Reread this verse and see that miracles and signs were abundant because the believers lived in community, they shared with one another, they prayed together constantly and they remained faithful and obedient to the Word of God. They encouraged one another letting the Holy Spirit thrive and work through them. That's hard to do on an individual level, how much more on a bigger level? If you want to see these miracles happen in your own life, you need to become one with God. If you want to see these miracles happen in your own community, you need to become one with God and your peers supporting unity, supporting the will of God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, we moved away from the values of Your early church. Bring us together as a family so that we can be united in serving You and carrying out our faith. Let the Holy Spirit works through us so that all can see Your wonders. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Putting Jesus Back on the Cross

"He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?' And he asked, 'Who are you Lord?' The voice replied, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.'" - Acts 9:4-6

Saul was a Jewish scholar that was so passionate about his beliefs that he persecuted, arrested and killed the believers of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus appeared to him in a brilliant light that blinded him, and had the above conversation with him. From then on, Saul became Paul and worked to spread the message of Christ to all the pagans.

We know that Jesus died for our sins, but do we take advantage of His gift or by the sins we choose to keep on commiting keep on persecuting Him? It was because of our sins that He died so if we continue to choose to sin, we crucify Him all over. Next time you lie, cheat, or offend someone, truly consider that action as another nail you're hammering into Jesus' hands because you are wasting and throwing away the gift of life He has given you. Many people cried and cringed when they saw the Passion of the Christ, but when we put off rectifying the sins in our own lives, we're the ones that hold the whip, the crown of thorns and the nails in our hands to crucify Him all over.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for my sins. Knowing better, I choose to follow my own desires and fall into sin. I know You died to give me life, help me to keep Your sacrifice before my eyes always so that I no longer persecute You but share You with others. In Your Name we pray, Amen.