NOW THAT THE DAY HAS BROKEN UPON OUR MEN OF COURAGE AND IN THE DAYS OF GOD’S POWER: (Isaiah 60:1-3)
Acts 16:1-40 (TLB)
Verse 6-8 “Next they travelled through
Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit had told
them not to go into the Turkish province of Asia Minor at that time. Then
going along the borders of Mysia they headed north for the province of
Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus said no. So
instead they went on through Mysia province to the city of Troas.”
· Thank You JESUS for the day that has broken upon our men of
courage; that has lifted them up out of every slumber/sleep; that has shaken
them out of every fear while they were threshing wheat like Gideon; that has
made them to know that, “it is no longer business as usual anymore”; like it
dawned on Moses on Mount Horeb; that has brought all their numerous doubtful
questions of, “How would…?” “What will become….?” “Who would I say….?” “Why me
at this….?” “What if….?” Like Moses to rest upon You; thank You JESUS for
making them to know that it is not that they qualify for it, amidst past
objections that they are/have raised; thank You JESUS for making them to
realise that it is not of their strength, “For by strength shall no man
prevail” – 1 Sam 2:9; THANK YOU JESUS!
· Now LORD, cause our men as they are responding to Your call and
are rising to do the will and work which You GOD has called them to, let it be in
accordance to the instruction of the Holy Spirit. Help them to embrace what the
Spirit accepts and to decline what He rejects. Help them to move inline with
the will of GOD and in the way of GOD as they proceed.
· Let the Spirit of Jesus begin to activate the hearts of our men
to be in agreement in their walk and work with Heaven. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
· Help them not to process Your divine command with their human
knowledge; as they are on the field, help them to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace – (Eph 4:3). Blot out every spirit of confusion from the
midst of our men which is contrary to GOD’s command - spirit of, “I know it all”; spirit of “over-familiarity”;
spirit of “I have been there before you.”
Verse 9-10 “That night Paul had a vision.
In his dream he saw a man over in Macedonia, Greece, pleading with him, “Come
over here and help us.” Well, that
settled it. We would go to Macedonia, for we could only conclude that God was sending us to preach the Good
News there.”
GNB – “they decided” AMP – “confidently inferring that” MESSAGE – “knew now for sure” KJV – “assuredly gathering that”
· Holy Spirit, set at work in the minds of Your disciples as they
arise to shine Thy glory. Let them be convinced jointly in unity with You as
they proceed unto the fields in these various nations. Help them to process
what they see and what they hear to be in tune with You.
· Enable them to see the spirit of teamwork, not only with each
other but along with You, JESUS.
· Breathe upon them, Holy Spirit, to seek Your face, Your counsel,
at every crucial moment on the way. Activate their hearts to know that
salvation belongs unto GOD, and that they are only vessels through which Christ
wants to be projected.
· Holy Spirit, speak comfortably into the heart of Your men
concerning the needs of the nations, as well as the strategy You GOD has
implemented to use inorder to save the souls of men; (see JESUS divine way in Mark
8:22-26 & Mark 10:46-52).
·
Let Your men not miss Thy divine timing in reaching out to save
souls and in their place of primary assignment (not to drag behind and not to
be too forward). Holy Spirit, order their steps to be at the right place at the
right time.
Verse 13-15 “On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank
where we understood some people met for prayer; and we taught the Scriptures to
some women who came. One of them was Lydia, a saleswoman from
Thyatira, a merchant of purple cloth. She was already a worshiper of God and as
she listened to us, the LORD opened her heart and she accepted all that
Paul was saying. She was baptized along with all her
household and asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am faithful to
the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we did.”
· “All
Paul did was to open his mouth and with the in-filling of the Holy Spirit,
speak the Word of GOD.” “Register it unto the heart
of our men, O LORD, that You are the One at work in them, a completed work that
awaits Your divine manifestations."
· “It
was the LORD that opened the heart of Lydia, else all Paul was saying as
powerful as the message was, could have been wasted.” Let
our brethren know that the power of the message has nothing to do with their utterance/eloquence,
but see themselves as rods in the hands of CHRIST who sees the heart and
showeth mercy unto all men. Therefore let the message be rich in JESUS, deep in
JESUS and is joy-producing in JESUS [CHRIST crucified, CHRIST glorified].
· As You use Paul to impact
the complete Gospel to Lydia, inorder to multiply disciples at Thyatira, cause
our men of courage to deliver the true Gospel unto soul(s) on the field so that
their hearts will be affected and they turn back unto GOD; (Remember how Jesus
affected the heart of the Samarian woman, thereby bringing revival into
Samaria).
·
“…
She was a worshiper of GOD….” Who is a true worshiper? – those who worship GOD
in spirit and in truth. Help our men of courage not
to be carried away with denominational worshipers with incomplete truth of the
Gospel. Let them be determined to go all out for Thy truth to be established in
the lives of men/women they come across on the field, O LORD.
·
“Lydia
was baptised along with all of her household. She received the visitation of
the Comforter in a new way and in a new dimension, even though she was a
worshipper of GOD. The visitation of the Holy Spirit did not stop with her
alone, but also unto her ‘nation of people’ It was a new dawn for her entire
family and the land of Thyatira.” “Therefore cause
our men of courage to see from Your perspective, O LORD. Give unto them a copy
of Your eyes of revelation – to see beyond the natural to the supernatural.
