I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Speaking Boldly About Our Hope
Picture this: Jesus had lived, died, and risen again. Some of His closest friends—Peter and John—were telling everyone about this miracle they had witnessed. They even performed some astonishing miracles in Christ’s name, like healing a beggar who’d been crippled from birth.
Thousands of people believed Peter and John’s testimonies about Jesus, but many of the religious leaders did not. In fact, in their eyes, such messages and miracles were dangerous, so they had Peter and John arrested.
But after they had served their sentences, Peter and John went back to the other believers, doing what was natural to them—praying bold prayers and trusting in God. Acts 4:31 tells us that “...when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Peter and John were in the habit of gathering together with other believers, praying together with other believers, and speaking boldly about the Word of God. As they did these things, the Holy Spirit filled them with the supernatural power of God.
Like Peter and John, who faced tons of opposition for their faith, we can keep trusting in and walking with God. We can keep gathering together with like-minded believers. We can keep praying bold prayers that can’t be accomplished on our own. We can keep speaking boldly about the hope we have in Jesus.
And as we do that, God’s Spirit will fill us and guide us every step of the way.
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with ...
