What a mighty God we serve! He knows, cares and is able to bring about His perfect will always and we get to partner with Him as His sent ones empowered and gifted by the spirit to do even greater things than Jesus did and for such a time as this! PTL! be still and know and pray, prepare and go live and love like Jesus ! Amen!
Good Morning Spirit-Led followers of Jesus! That's you and us! We are one in Christ and with Him to do His bidding . Amen! He is preparing and sending us as His agents of Light. Love and revival. Prepare. Start small and grow to your fullest potential; in Christ doing what you are created to do. Prepare soil in prayer and sow lavishly in love! Amen. The harvest is ripe and revival is at hand! Rejoice and watch expectantly for how and when to join our Father. Check out the thread through our devotionals below and the connection blog. WOW! God is speaking! What are you hearing and what will you do about that? Talk to the Father as you abide and receive then team up, pray, prepare and go make disciples of Jesus! Amen! I've been praying for you to find your part and for wisdom and courage. God is hearing and moving! Come Lord Jesus! Fill and lead us and thew weeks ahead. bring revival and send us! Amen!
Note: we will begin a study of the book of Nahum. Check out Chapter 1. What's God saying to you?
Until , shalom shalom--perfect peace to you ! Amen!
Our Daily Bread:
Road Closed, Spirit-Led
They tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. Acts 16:7
After a lengthy journey, my wife and I finally neared our street, but a large road closed to thru traffic sign blocked our path. I felt the urge to drive around it because home was just ahead, and I didn’t like being rerouted. But then I saw why the road was closed: A downed power line lay across the road. Had I ignored the warning, I could have driven into danger.
In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions were eager to preach the gospel in the province of Asia, but the Holy Spirit closed that door. Detours aren’t always rejection, however. They can be divine redirections. Like the roadblock on our street, God rerouted Paul from entering the province of Bithynia. It must have been frustrating to be blocked, especially while Paul was striving to do his best. But then he received a vision in which a man said, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (v. 9). God said “no” to something good because He was preparing them for something else—taking the gospel to the people of another continent (v. 10).
Rather than seeing “no” as punishment and rejection, we can see it as His Spirit-led redirection. His detours are often pathways to divine appointments. Let’s not simply trust His direction when the roads are open; let’s follow when He closes them too.
By Marvin Williams
REFLECT & PRAY
When has God placed a “road closed” sign in front of you as you were striving to do something good? How are you listening for the Spirit’s guidance as you work out your plans?
Dear God, please help me to trust Your closed doors as much as I trust Your open ones.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Acts 16:6-7, it’s unclear how the Holy Spirit stopped Paul from moving forward with his plans. It may have been through a vision, a word of prophecy, or some other circumstance. When God prompted him to go to Macedonia so the gospel could be heard there, we’re told He spoke to him through a vision (vv. 9-10). Scripture doesn’t reveal the identity of the “man of Macedonia” (v. 9), but some scholars believe it may have been Luke, who wrote the book of Acts and joined the group at this point. As believers in Jesus, when God seems to close a door, it may be that the Holy Spirit is redirecting our plans to better align with His. The Spirit of God lives inside us to guide us. Christ said of the Spirit, “He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears” (John 16:13; see 14:26).
Alyson Kieda
TWFYT:
Upper Room: Starting Small
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. - Matthew 13:31 (NIV)
A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at gardening. I eagerly bought tools and seeds, including some tiny mustard seeds. They looked so insignificant that I doubted they would grow into anything noticeable. I scattered the seeds into the soil, watered them, and waited. Days passed with no sign of growth, and disappointment began to set in. But just when I was ready to give up, small green shoots began to appear. I realized that even the smallest things can carry great potential.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. Though it starts out small, once planted, a mustard seed grows into a tree that provides shelter for birds. This isn’t just a picture of God’s kingdom; it’s also an encouragement for our faith. We often overlook small acts — kind words, a few moments of our time, or a simple prayer. We may think these efforts are too insignificant to make a difference. But like mustard seeds, these small gestures can grow into something bigger than we can imagine. God can use even the tiniest acts to accomplish great works. I’m choosing to trust in the power of small beginnings.
's Prayer
Dear God, help us not to overlook the small things in life. Teach us to trust in your work in every situation. Amen.
Connection Blog:
- Awakening from Spiritual Slumber
There have been six seasons of great revival and spiritual harvest in America to date. Historians debate the dates and the extent of each has varied.
The First Great Awakening 1735-1742
The Second Great Awakening 1800-1825
The Prayer Revival 1857-1858
The Welsh Revival 1904-1905
The Jesus Movement 1969-1971
Notice that every 50-60 years in our history God has graciously come in power to our nation bringing the course correction that we desperately need.
The telling mark of these movements have not been just the change in the churches, but the rapid expansion of the gospel. Awakening implies that a man is in a spiritual slumber, unable to find God. God in His grace quickens his heart, bringing him to an awareness of his sin, a deep desire for repentance, and faith to believe in Christ. In times of national spiritual awakening this happens with stunning speed.
In the First Great Awakening 15% of the population was saved. Do the math on your city or state and you will see the massive nature of such a movement. During the height of the 1857 revival, it was reported that 20,000 people a week were coming to faith in Christ! In the Welsh revival, 100,000 people experienced salvation in 9 months, fulfilling the vision God had given to Evan Roberts in prayer, and this happened the a country that is the size of a small American state. That Awakening literally swept around the world, dramatically affecting America as well.
Records of the largest denomination of its time, the Southern Baptist Convention in America, show that more students and teenagers were baptized in 1969-1971 than any moment in that denomination’s history—before or since. This was during the Jesus Movement.
If you long for millions to be saved, pray for a nationwide, spiritual awakening.
Lord of the Harvest, awaken Your people again! Thank You for what You have done in the past to draw people to Yourself. I give you thanks for awakening sleeping churches and calling generations of believers to cry out to You for the lost. Do it again, Lord! Hear the prayers of Your people, and give me a deep desire to see another nationwide spiritual awakening that leads to millions of salvations.
Go Deeper
Signs of revival are showing up all across our nation! God is calling His church to wake up! He wants a Bride for His Son, Jesus! Check out: Rise Up, O Church of God!
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