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Alarmed and Terrified
Andrea Lende • August 29, 2020
Acts 24:25
Alarmed and Terrified
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Alarmed-and-Terrifed-eiqgkg
Daily Word:
Acts 24:25
“But as he continued to argue about uprightness, purity of life (the control of the passions), and the judgment to come, Felix became alarmed and terrified and said, Go away for the present; when I have a convenient opportunity, I will send for you.”
Paul was put in prison for causing a disturbance in Jerusalem.
He actually didn’t cause the disturbance.
He was performing the acts of purification with four other men as was the Jewish custom.
Their seven days of purification were coming to an end when some of their fellow Jewish believers saw Paul and incited a riot.
They accused Paul of telling people to disobey the Mosaic Law.
Without trial or any further investigation into his alleged crime, they pulled him outside the Temple and tried to kill him.
He was saved by some soldiers who arrested Paul in order to keep him safe.
Paul was questioned by a number of people over the next few weeks.
A high priest from Ananias named Felix was even brought in to interrogate Paul.
Felix listened to Paul and seemed to want to continue to listen to him over time – over two years’ time.
Felix kept him in prison for those two years without making a decision on Paul's case.
On one occasion Paul was talking about faith in terms of living a good and pure life.
Felix became terrified and sent Paul away again.
He could only hear bits and pieces of Truth at a time.
This story made me think about how us human beings have difficulty with the Truth.
When I am confronted with a Truth that I do not want to hear, I tend to run.
I take time to process information.
After all, we don’t know what we don’t know.
I roll over this new Truth over and over and measure it against a number of factors.
I think about my life and where I have not lived according to this Truth.
I ask the Lord to show me the validity of it.
Once that is done, I have to process this as sin against the Lord and ask for His forgiveness.
I have to be willing to accept His forgiveness and forgive myself.
Back to our priest, Felix.
It does not appear that he ever came to terms with the truths that Paul shared with him.
Sometimes this happens with us as well.
We run out of time to fully process a new Truth because our lives are busy or our situations or circumstances change.
My experience has been that the Lord will bring it around again.
Just like the Israelites' long trip in the wilderness.
My prayer is that I will look at the new Truths that the Lord shows me and that I will have a soft heart to accept them quickly.
Today I choose to be open to new Truths from Lord and ask Him to change me as I am confronted without running from Him.
May you find that the Lord is able to show you a new Truth and that you will remain open and lean into Him as He gently changes your heart.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me about learning and keeping an open and soft heart toward You. Help me learn more about You, Father. Help me not send You away from me as You teach something difficult. Help me cling to You and seek more knowledge and Wisdom as You show me how to be the person You desire me to be. Interrogate my heart, Lord. Find that places where I am not being wholly Yours. Help me fully surrender to You so that I can give You every broken piece for You to fix. Help me give my failures to You, Lord. Help me praise You for every success. You are the only good and perfect part of me. Break off the pieces that need to be left behind. Keep my eyes on You as I move past the past and move into the future. Help me serve You in every way, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM close to you, My child, and am doing a work in you so that you can serve Me.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and glorious Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.