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Faith in Tribulation

Tribulations shall come; and we are told to glory in them (Romans 5:1-5 NKJV).

¹Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴and perseverance, character, and character, hope. ⁵Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t say that I glory in times of testing. At times I have been so gripped by fear that I was virtually stuck – powerlessly overwhelmed by worry, doubt, and loss. My nights were sleepless and when I called out to God in prayer for peace of mind, it did not come.

What is wrong with me?

I was not earnestly contending for the faith (Jude 1:3). I lacked boldness and confidence in my Lord that He not only provides for all my needs, but He is more powerful than any circumstance. I was not living by faith in Jesus, but faith in myself.

I can’t fix anything! Once I turned everything over to Him, my burdens were lifted as He carried me through one difficulty after another. The more I trusted Jesus to take control of my life, my prayers were heard and answered according to His will. I can now see how giving God the glory fits with tribulation, as his solutions to problems are perfect compared to mine. Where was the evidence of my faith? Sadly – gone. But praise God, once I repented and began to live according to His Spirit guiding me, I learned:

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” ~ Romans 1:16-17 NKJV

³Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass… ⁷Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret – it only causes harm. ~ Psalm 37:3-5,7a, 8 NKJV

Jesus keep me from stumbling! Keep me from taking back any burdens You have freed me from so I can rest in You always. Thank You LORD!

²⁸Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, as I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, ³⁰For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

And also:

²⁰But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ~ Jude 1:20-21 NKJV

Today’s Nugget | Speak God’s Word

Hi everybody! Happy Friday already … again … it sure comes around fast, doesn’t it? Has this week slipped by with you wondering where your blessing went?

You may hear this blogpost as a podcast by clicking here – https://anchor.fm/importantstuff/episodes/Todays-Nugget–Speak-Gods-Word-e13di9d

Gee, I know how you feel! But what would happen if we speak God’s Word aloud all week?

Take Isaiah 41:10, for example:

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Okay, so what happens if we declare what God just said to us and accept it as truth? Let’s try speaking it back to Him!

“I am not afraid, for You are with me. I am not discouraged, for You are my God. You strengthen me and help me. You hold me up with Your victorious right hand. Selah!”

See how we can clothe ourselves in glory by speaking God’s Word for us back to Him? It’s affirmation. It’s receiving through speaking scriptures into the atmosphere that changes our circumstances. It builds us up, just as God intended. It shifts things that are against us into things working for our good.

Many times we hear that prayer changes things – and it does. I would add that boldly speaking God’s Word in our prayers delights God. Making confident declarations of God’s wisdom through His Word makes a lot of sense to me. How about you?

Try with me Matthew 5:44-45a (declared):

“I declare, that I love my enemies, and bless those who curse me, just as You commanded, LORD. I do my best to do good to those who hate me, and pray for those who mistreat me and persecute me. This way, I behave as a true child of my Father in Heaven.”

Let’s open ourselves up to the possibilities of God’s greatness toward us. Speak God’s Word!

“but we who hope in the LORD will renew our strength. We will soar on wings like eagles; we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31 (declared)

“The LORD keeps me from all harm – He watches over my life; the LORD watches over my coming and going both now and forevermore.” ~ Psalm 121:7-8 (declared)

Are we getting the hang of it now? Look at how effective prayer is when we speak the Word of God:

“Jesus, You said that I’m to keep on asking, and I will receive what I ask for; to keep on seeking, and I will find. to keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to me. That is what I’m doing, LORD, for everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” ~ Matthew 7:7-8 (declared)

While we’re at it, let’s thank God for His great GREAT love for us with one of my favorite worship songs. Let me know in the comments if you have tried this “declare and receive” prayer method and whether it has helped achieve breakthroughs for you or not. As always, I sincerely thank you for following Importantstuff.Live and should we stray may the LORD leave the ninety-nine and keep comin’ after me and you!

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Today’s Nugget | Jesus Prayed

Before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers in Him. Did you know that? Yes, He spent His last hours of freedom on this earth in prayer.

That shows how important prayer is to God and how much Jesus loves us. He put everything else aside at the end of His life to pray.

First, He prayed to the Father for glorification as God’s Son to finish the work He was sent to do (Read John 17:1-5). He also included that His glory would in turn glorify the Father by Jesus becoming the eternal life that would save all who believe; that people would know both God the Father as the one true God and Jesus, His Son. So, He included all believers in this prayer as well! Jesus also asked the Father to restore Him to the glorious standing He had with the Father prior to the creation of this world. Wow! That confirms the apostle John’s claim in the beginning of this book, Chapter 1:1-5:

¹In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shines in the darkness (the world), and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Next Jesus prayed for His disciples. He declared them as belonging to God the Father, Who in turn gave them to Jesus. He entrusted them into the care of the Father:

¹⁵I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ~John 17:15-18

And by example, Jesus showed how the Gospel was to be spread throughout the world. Even today, each teacher makes disciples to take the Good News further and further to the lost. No one can improve on God’s perfect plan.

Before He headed on over the Brook Kidron to meet up with His accusers in the garden, Jesus prayed one last time for US – all believers! Isn’t that pure love on His part to not leave out one single person who comes to Him? Even facing capture and certain death, Jesus prayed these words:

²⁰I do not pray for these alone but for also those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

And Jesus nails it down to endow all believers with even more!

²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ~John 17:20- 23

It is hard to comprehend, how much Jesus interceded on our behalf! He established our bill of rights, so to speak, with the Father. We are to be as one with God and Jesus, and be glorified as Jesus was from before the world was formed. We shall be made perfect in Jesus, so that the world will see that Jesus was truly sent by God the Father to earth to be the Redeemer of men. And that God loves people just as much as He loves His own Son, Jesus.

What a message! Join me today with joy and thanksgiving to praise our loving God in Heaven for His gift of salvation to all who believe!

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. ~John 16:33

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ~John 14:6

Bless you for visiting this blog. May it encourage you with the message of God’s love, joy, and peace, until Jesus returns for His own.

And thank you for following Importantstuff.Live!

Photo credit: ©Canstock Photo Inc / AntonioGravante

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, & Pocket Casts ….

God’s Goodness

Hello friends – just checking in. Lately I’ve been thinking about God’s goodness toward us. Our Heavenly Father is SO GOOD, it’s a broad subject, but let’s look at just a few verses in His Word:

¹⁰For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. ¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³And you will seek Me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity. ~ Jeremiah 29: 12-14

The LORD was instructing His prophet, Jeremiah, to encourage the disobedient people of Israel by revealing His plan to limit their captivity in Babylon to seventy years. At the end of that judgement period, He promised to forgive their pride, and restore their inheritance and covenant with Him (Jeremiah 12: 14-17).

Thoughts of peace and not of evil – God’s plan is to restore people to their previous status of enjoying a personal relationship with Him forever. Adam and Eve experienced this during their time in the garden called Eden before their fall from grace. Yet God always thinks kindly toward mankind and wants only good for each person.
Call upon Him – Our God is a gentleman. He has gifts, knowledge, and much to share if we ask. ²” Thus says the LORD … ³’Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” ~ Jeremiah 33: 3
- Isn’t that the desire of most people? Don’t most of us aspire to become greater and learn more about lofty things? Isn’t God offering unimaginable rewards to those who seek Him?

Then go to Him! Seek after Him with your whole heart. He promises that we will find Him. I believe that happens through accepting God’s Son, Jesus, Who sacrificed Himself for our sins so that we can find our way to God, repent, and obtain forgiveness. Paul exhorts us to “Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” ~II Corinthians 13: 11
- This verse is short but deep. Do you notice that our LORD is the God of peace and love? He comforts us and helps us to achieve wholeness. That’s REAL GOODNESS! God is good all the time, but His nature is only shared with us when? – when we agree to come together and co-exist in peaceful harmony. That would exclude wars, lawlessness, human trafficking, and a host of other global human disgraces. Of course, our sinful nature does not condone peace. But with God … He promised to send a Redeemer to Earth that would rescue men from sin. After many centuries His Son, Jesus, arrived on Earth and was rejected by God’s people. Nevertheless, Jesus (who never sinned – as He was God in the flesh) allowed Himself to be crucified in our place which changed everything for those willing to accept eternal life. Following Jesus changes our hearts from darkness to light. We are reborn into a new life filled with the Holy Spirit, Who guides us on how to live a more acceptable life in the eyes of God. Whatever sin has a grip on us, the incorruptible power of Jesus can break the chains of guilt and shame; setting us free to live as God intended from the beginning of Creation.
- If you are undecided about whether Jesus is real or have any questions regarding how a person can know where he or she will spend eternity, pleased take care of that today. Shoot me an email at importantstuff.live@gmail.com and I will be happy to share my Jesus with you. Here is a link to my blog page about salvation in Jesus also.

Through prayer, has God provided for you when hope was lost? Has he rescued you from a dangerous circumstance? Reconciled a broken relationship? Or blessed you with a family that loves you dearly? If so, you have surely experienced the goodness of God. Every day we can praise God for His goodness toward us. So, let’s do that right now … Thank You, LORD, for loving us and showing us nothing but your goodness. We worship You right now for using Your awesome power to bear us up even when we don’t deserve Your mercy. Instead of casting us out, You invite us in! We believe in Jesus because of Your mercy, which is greater than all our sin. HALLELUJAH!! REJOICE!! Blessed be the LORD!!! Blessed be the name of Jesus!! Amen.
Does God hear us? Does He keep His promises? Absolutely He does, according to the verses above and in many other passages of scripture: Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” ~ Exodus 33:19

Many would say that we are living in the latter days. I hope so. Maranatha! Maranatha! Come soon, Lord Jesus:

They shall fear (be in awe of) the LORD and His goodness in the latter days. ~ Hosea 3:5b

Friends, let us not war against God’s Spirit as we see the world do. Galatians chapter 5 describes what it looks like to walk in the Spirit. It looks like love. It feels like kindness, gentleness, and comfort to the soul.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. ~ Galatians 5:22-26

That’s not just for Valentine’s Day, folks! It says we are to LIVE that way every day!

Let’s finish today with an admonition from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians, 5:13-15:

¹³For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

I seldom hear verse 15 cited, but God’s Word is true – every word. Now bless you all and thank you for following Importantstuff.Live!

Listen to this podcast episode on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, & Pocket Casts ….

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Resurrection Day 2020 | A World Shaken

Today I see a world shaken.

Today I see men scrambling.

Confusion and terror reign over the land.

The mighty fear a tiny foe,

And hide from each other,

Behind strips of cloth – A worthless defense.

Has Hope really fled?

Science is aghast.

Hearts are torn

From fear and dread

As we count the dead.

~ Me in Quarantine

Continue reading →

Mothers | Pray More and Worry Less!

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There are many mothers in the Bible. Some led righteous lives and served God; while others were rebellious toward God’s authority. The demands placed upon women and mothers by ancient cultures were generally rigid and burdensome. Yet each mother featured in stories of the Bible met her own life challenges in surprising ways. Take the first mother of mankind, for example: Continue reading →

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America is Now Found in the Bible!

I thought we were done with the Lessons from Old Lions on the last post. Evidently not, as a picture of America is now found in the Bible!

Really? Yes, REALLY!

When the Holy Spirit sends The Word out, it’s time to listen up. Please watch this excerpt of America’s Destiny, Part 2, by Dr. David Reagan. It’s a tough message and goes deeper than my last post.

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Lessons from Old Lions | King Hezekiah

¹Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ²He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. ³In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah re-opened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them. ~2Chronicles 29:1-2 NLT

The Word of God contains many warnings to rebellious nations (and to leaders of nations) that turn their hearts away from Almighty Jehovah. One example can be found in the Old Testament of how the Lord dealt with two kings who fell short in their service to both the nation of Judah and to their Covenant-God Jehovah.

B.C. 726 – 2 Chronicles 29-32

King Hezekiah was a highly respected monarch who pleased God by tearing down the pagan worship centers in the country. He restored Temple worship of Jehovah and declared national observance of holy festivals such as Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This may not seem like such a big deal to us now, but at that time in history, the previous King Ahaz was so evil that he had actually closed the Lord’s Temple! Hezekiah showed great faith in restoring God’s Law in Judah coupled with fervent positive action to get the Lord’s work done.

As a result, the Lord forestalled judgement upon Judah when King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed to Him for deliverance from invading Assyrian King Sennacherib in B.C. 713. Sennacherib not only besieged Judah with the plan to take over Jerusalem; he also mocked the God of Israel in the process. The Lord sent an angel who destroyed Sennacherib’s entire army. Sennacherib returned home to Assyria in defeat and was assassinated there by his own two sons.

The Lord blessed Hezekiah for his devotion, piety, and faithful reforms. Hezekiah became extremely wealthy. Evidently while in the process of building banks, warehouses, and water dams, King Hezekiah fell into the sin of pride. Oh, haven’t we heard about this sort of problem before? Jehovah was patient with Hezekiah, and healed Hezekiah on his death bed when Hezekiah repented and prayed; granting Hezekiah fifteen more years of life. The Lord gave a famous sign to King Hezekiah of the sun going backwards ten degrees as proof of Hezekiah’s healing and that it was from the Lord (2 Kings ch20).

Wouldn’t we think that Hezekiah would be thankful to receive the miracle of life plus such a splendorous and powerful sign sealing God’s promise?

However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart. ~ 2Chronicles 32:31NLT

¹³Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything … there was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. ¹⁴Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.”

¹⁵What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked.

“They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own – all my royal treasuries.” (Emphasis added)

¹⁶Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: The time is coming when everything in your palace – all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now – will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.”

¹⁹Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” ~ 2Kings 20:13-19 NLT

Did you catch that? It is okay to kick that cursed can down the road to future generations as long as judgement is delayed and served upon the children! Isn’t that a lot like what is going on in America today?

King Hezekiah reminds me of another king that served Israel named Solomon. Solomon started out great by pleasing the Lord as he built God’s Temple in Jerusalem and asked for wisdom instead of riches …

But they both turned away from Jehovah through the sin of pride as they gained wealth and stature. Eventually the unrepentant actions of each brought national judgement to succeeding generations whose citizens lost their freedoms to foreign invaders. That means not only being physically enslaved to conquering governments but also means being barred from the freedom to worship the one true Creator God, Jehovah.

^9”The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? ¹⁰But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” ~ Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT

Next time we will take a look at Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh’s, reign over Judah. It should be interesting to compare father and son monarchies, and possibly gain clues about what may be in store for our own nation in these end times …

Until then, thank you for following

Importantstuff.Live

Stand and be Strong

Tired of living a powerless life? Is being part of the “I’m OK-You’re OK-Anything Goes-Kumbaya” church getting you down? Well, God wants us to be living victoriously. How?

The Apostle Paul writes a letter to the church at Ephesus about Christian living and then expands his directives beyond the believers at Ephesus to include the whole world! (US!) How amazing is that?

Paul says the only way we can be confused, powerless, or snared by temptation is when we do not connect with God through His Word. During his imprisonment at Rome (AD. 60-62) he wrote:

¹ºFinally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:10-13 NKJV

What “evil day” is Paul is talking about?

Every Day!

At least, every day has the potential. Spiritual warfare exists today just as it did in Paul’s time. Unless a believer makes a deathbed confession, repents, and accepts Jesus as Savior, it is highly unlikely that any living believer escapes daily spiritual attack or testing. Don’t try to face evil alone! Get prepped up! Verses 14 through 20 give more detail about God’s armor:

Wrap Truth about our waist
Righteousness is our breastplate
Wear shoes of the gospel of peace
Faith is our shield to douse the flaming arrows of Satan (ABOVE ALL in importance)
Salvation is our helmet
God’s Word is our sword of The Spirit
Pray in the Spirit to persevere and be watchful toward all the brethren

See, if we don’t read our Bibles, we won’t recognize evil when it comes sneaking into our lives, our church, and our nation. We will not watch and pray for Jesus to return soon for His church. We will follow the world and fall into sin. We will not recognize Truth; our shoes will carry us away from situations of sharing our faith and toward sharing gossip or other sin. We will forget to pray; therefore, we will be weak and unfit for duty as God’s ambassador. We may lose our ability to speak boldly against satanic alignments. The list goes on …

Sometimes we can feel defeated or powerless. That means we are human. That is why our Father God has given us all we need for defense. Prepare according to His Word and then take the matter to Him!

“Heavenly Father, all praise, Praise, PRAISE TO YOU TODAY!!! Even though nothing is working for me, I have girded myself with Your whole armor as best as I know how. I read Your Word, and pray for understanding. The enemy seems to follow my trail and won’t be shaken. I turn around now and just face the evil day in Your strength. Help me to stand. Thank you in the Name of Jesus (Yeshua), Amen!”

Thank you for following

Voyage to Rome | Malta

canstockphoto20640734 — White Cliffs of Malta

Just as God promised, all two hundred seventy-six persons aboard the doomed ship are saved! The natives are friendly, and help the soggy sailors build a fire on the beach, as it is cold and rainy. They let Paul’s party know that the island is called Malta!

Luke records that the natives are UNUSUALLY friendly. I wonder why? Perhaps some of the foodstuffs and boat gear has been washing up on the beach during Euroclydon and they are in a happy mood. They may think their gods are favoring them with more surprises from the sea for their entertainment … or exploitation.

No sooner does Paul gather wood for the fire than he is bitten by a viper, which scares the locals. Paul just shakes the snake into the fire, and the Maltese immediately expect Paul to succumb to the venomous attack. They suspect the prisoner Paul of being a murderer or something. He must be deserving of such horrid judgement. But Paul is not harmed.

So now he must be a god!

This is so true of humans even today. Idol worship still makes no common sense.

Anyway, the mayor of the area, a man named Plubius, courteously invites the shipwrecked crew into his home for three days. Plubius’s father is sick with fever and dysentery, so Paul prays and lays hands on the man. The man is healed, and the good news spreads across Malta. If there are any lingering suspicions of the foreigners in their midst, all doubt is now erased. Is this further proof that Paul is indeed a visiting god? Here come the island’s sick and diseased. Their sicknesses are healed, too.

Of course, Paul does not allow the Maltese to worship him as a god. He ministers to the entire island about Jesus and many become believers.

Why do I believe that there were many saved at Malta because of the witness of Paul?

Because that is what Apostles are instructed to do by the Master, Jesus (Yeshua). And throughout the Book of Acts Prayer for the sick and Laying on of Hands leads to Healing and that leads to Belief in Jesus and Salvation in Him – it’s a heavenly formula!

¹²And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people … ¹³Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. ¹⁴And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. ¹⁶Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. ~ (Peter) in Acts 5:12-15 NKJV

God even uses resurrection of the dead to reach people for salvation in Jesus. Take the instance of Jesus raising Lazarus; or the Apostle Peter at Joppa:

Tabitha (Dorcas), who was a Christian disciple, took sick and died. Other disciples knew that Peter was staying at Lydda, which was not far from Joppa. Two men went to Peter and asked him to help.

³⁹Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴²And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. ~ Acts 9:39-42 NKJV

There are many other scriptural examples of what I think happened on Malta. Enjoy your Bible study and research! God makes sure that His Gospel is going out to every people, nation and tribe. Paul is an obedient servant of Our Lord. He knows that his destiny is Rome and time is short …

I want to talk about today. The Gospel message is still going out and it is as strongly received by lost people as it was in the day of the apostles. People all over the world are still lost in sin. They still worship idols, are sick and tormented by devils. They still need hope and salvation. The same formula still works: Pray for the sick, Lay on hands, let people experience the raw Power of the Holy Spirit Heal folks, Cast out demons, or Raise the dead. The darkness of Africa is being lifted in this same way and Belief in Christ is working over the whole continent. HALLELUHAH!!!

“Praise and thank you Jesus, for lighting that fire in Africa and across the world! Amen! Amen!!”

In the meantime, Julius finds another Alexandrian ship that has wintered over on Malta, whose figurehead is the twins, Castor and Pollux. In three months it will bear them to Rome. Until then they must suffer the honor and island entertainment of Malta. What a nice break after all they had just survived!

Stay tuned if you are feeling the spark of the Holy Spirit and where it is taking us on this Voyage to Rome. There are plenty of twists and turns to this story left to be told. God bless and thank you for following

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