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Pray & Praise

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A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. — Acts 16:22-24 (NLT) Acts 16:25 says, around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. The Word doesn’t say they were complaining, nor crying out to God “why me?” Instead, they maintained their peace, joy and faith in Yahweh and prayed and praised the God of heaven and earth. Acts 16:26 says, suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials… (See 2 Peter 2:7-9 NLT) However, the prisoners were all accounted for when th...

Persevere Under Trial

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Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. — James 1:12 (NASB) And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 AMP) And you will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but it is the one who has patiently persevered and endured to the end who will be saved. — Matthew 10:22 (AMP)

Take Refuge

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Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah 
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. — Psalms 57:1-3 (NKJV) Be still, and know that Yahweh is God (the great “I AM”); The One Who performs ALL things for us. He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (See Psalms 46:10-11 & Exodus 3:13-14 NKJV) Take refuge in the shadow of His wings.

Worship in Spirit & Truth

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“God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — John 4:24 (AMP) “Opposition to truth cannot be excused on the basis of ignorance, because from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God’s nature have been made visible, such as his eternal power and transcendence. He has made his wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible. So then, this leaves everyone without excuse.” (Romans 1:20 TPT) “From now on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with a right heart. For God is a Spirit, and he longs to have sincere worshipers who adore him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24 TPT) All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is Yahweh’s and He rules over the nations. — Psalms 22:27-28 (LSB)

Don't Be Surprised

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Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. — 1 Peter 4:12 (NLT) In Isaiah 43:2-3 (NASB1995) Yahweh says: “ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...” Notice that the Scripture says “ when ” and not “if.” Know that we will have some flood waters, stormy seas, and fiery furnace experiences. Here on earth we will have many trials and sorrows. (See John 16:33 NLT) However, Yahweh promised to be with you and He is faithful to bring you through it all. The Scripture says you will pass through the water and walk through the fire. These trials and troubles are temporary but our great God is eternal. And nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him. “ No man will be able to stand before you...

Don't Stray

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Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. — Isaiah 53:4-6 (NASB1995) May we not be like sheep who stray away from the good Shepherd. As a disciple of Christ, make a decision to follow Yeshua and stay close to Him, at all times. He gave His all for us, let us give our all to Him (our minds, our will, our ways, etc.). Instead of turning to our own way, let us turn to the Word of God. Psalms 119:66-68 (NASB1995) says: Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good and do good; Teach me Y...

Obey God

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Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” — Acts 5:27-29 (NLT) In Acts 4:18, the apostles were commanded to never again speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 NLT) As the Apostle Peter said: “We must obey God rather than men.” In Luke 12:5 (TPT), Jesus said: “The one you must fear is God, for he has both the power to take your life and the authority to cast your soul into hell. Yes, the only one you need to fear is God.” The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in and puts his confi...