He Forgot To Take My Voice...

Devotional:

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed (Acts 16:25-26)

Imagine being put in jail for simply doing the work of the Lord…. 

In Acts chapter sixteen Paul and Silas had encountered a woman who was possessed and was being used by her masters for a profit (verse 16) Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her and she was delivered. Her masters saw this and realized that they could no longer use this woman for financial gain and took Paul and Silas to the rulers (verses 17-19). The rulers saw that Paul and Silas were Jews and could be a potential threat considering that they were Jews and were teaching things that were contrary to the beliefs of that city.  The magistrates began to beat Paul and Silas and put them in prison (verse 23). At midnight Paul and Silas began praying, they were bound by shackles, they had been beaten and were in prison for simply preaching Gods word.  They knew that if they could just open their mouths and call on God that he would hear them. “Suddenly there was a great earthquake.” (verse 26a) Immediately God began moving on their behalf the foundations of the prison were shaken and the doors were open and everyone was loosed. (verse 26b)

You may be bound by your problems, you may have some scars and bruises but in the midst of the storm we must learn how to call on God. It doesn’t take God hours, days or even weeks to move he can change your situation around IMMEDIATELY.  Paul and Silas knew that the God of their salvation would hear them; they knew that they were walking in the authority he had given them. They were obedient to the call God had placed over their lives and were determined to still be obedient.  After having done all that they could do they simply prayed. Often times when life knocks us on our knees we try to fix it, we try to solve the problem or simply try to erase it as though it never happened.  We begin to get weighed down by our circumstances (shackles) we get stuck (prison cell) we get hurt (bruises). All we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord. The devil can tie us up, hold us down and walk all over us but one thing he seems to leave alone is OUR VOICE!!! He tried to kill us last year but we opened our mouths and began praying and IMMEDIATELY God stepped in and changed our situation. You may lose everything but you still have YOUR VOICE! “Life and death lies in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)  Speak life in the midst of your situation and watch God start breaking the chains and healing the scars in your life. God has a way of not only delivering you but healing you at the same time. So the next time the devil tries to stop you just open your mouth and remind him that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”(Isaiah 54:17) “I am the head and not the tail.”(Deuteronomy 28:13) “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”(Psalms 139:14) “NOTHING shall separate me from the love of God.” (Romans 8:35) “Speak those things as though they were.” (Romans 4:17b) “Behold he will do a NEW thing.”  (Isaiah 43:19a)

And last but not least my favorite scripture:

“To everything there is a season.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1) And devil your season is UP!! YOU FORGOT TO TAKE MY VOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!