DAY 34: Propagate HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! July 4, 2015

"But if we walk in the light,
as He is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."
(1 John 1:7, NKJV)

MORNING DEVOTION - "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-31

In our reading yesterday the Ethiopian eunuch had his eyes open to the gospel message and he was saved. Today, we read the account of one of the greatest spiritual transformations in church history - the great persecutor Saul, who became the great preacher Paul. The church had been scattered throughout Judea and Samaria because of the persecution of this man Saul who, "began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison" (Acts 8:3). When the disciples had received their great commission from the Lord (reference Matthew 28:19), they probably did not expect that the fulfillment would come through such great persecution. But God's ways are not our ways, they are higher. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). The Lord desires that we know Him, therefore He has given us His Word so that we will grow in our understanding of His will and His ways. He desires this for all men, and on this particular day He desired to make Himself known to the man who was hurting His children and hindering His work.

Saul was on his way to Damascus, an important commercial center; he had letters from the high priest authorizing him to take the necessary action to prevent the men and women of "the Way" from propagating their "new religion" to the surrounding regions. Fortunately, his evil plans were brought into the light as he was confronted by the great Light from above: "...suddenly a light shone around him from heaven...and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?...I am Jesus whom you are persecuting' " (Acts 9:3b, 4b, 5). Saul, who desired to snatch others from their new way of life, was snatched out of his old way of life; and although his spiritual eyes were opened, his physical eyes were blinded for three days. The men traveling with him led him into Damascus, where the Lord had a radically different plan for him than what he had originally purposed in his heart. Just maybe, Saul needed to sit in the dark for a few days to get a taste of his own spiritual blindness, so the eyes of his heart could be opened to see the higher more noble purposes of God. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).

The Lord chose a man named Ananias to minister to Saul. "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying" (Acts 9:11). Saul had been fasting and praying as he waiting on the Lord. "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything" (v. 9). We have read of another chosen servant of God who was placed in the house of the king of Persia, who after fasting and praying for three days, saved the Jewish people from annihilation (Esther 4:14-16). This time the Lord would not only stop this man from persecuting the Jewish people, but He would promote him to be His chosen missionary to carry His light to the Gentiles. "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man...I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:15-16, 12b).

Heavenly Father,
"The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"

(Psalm 27:1)

Thank you for opening my eyes and inviting me to walk in Your glorious light.

Help me to radiate Your light to those You lead me to,

whomever they may be, knowing that You desire all

men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God will use whomever He chooses to fulfill His purposes for His kingdom. In Saul we find a man who was filled with evil intentions, but once he was confronted by the Light of the Lord his heart was so transformed that he became one of the greatest evangelists in history. We also find another man in the story who offered himself, despite fear and concern, as a willing vessel of the Lord to go and minister to Saul. Ananias may not have been a great evangelist, but he had a willing, and obedient heart; God used him to reach this "one" person - the one that was chosen to carry the message of the gospel to the Gentiles, ultimately accomplishing a great work for the Kingdom of God. We must never underestimate the people God chooses; and we shouldn't judge or discount people because we, in our own limited understanding, put limits on God's ability to save or change their lives. Our business as Christians is to pray and to be available when God calls - you never know "who" God may radically transform and use for the kingdom because of your obedience. Pray to be a willing and obedient vessel. "The Church on its knees would bring heaven upon the earth" - E.M. Bounds.

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AFTERNOON DEVOTION - "Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:6; Matthew 5:14-16

Saul had an extraordinary encounter with Jesus Christ and was brought out of the darkness of sin and into His glorious light and forgiveness. Saul had been forgiven much and his life was radically transformed because of it (Luke 7:47). The once strong opposer and hater of the Way, had become the strong defender for those of the Way and had compassion for all that they had gone through to carry the message of the cross. Saul "began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God" and astounded the Jews with his boldness and power. He had met the risen Savior and desired all men to come to the knowledge of His saving grace. "But whatever was my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" (Philippians 3:7-8).

The Lord put a stop to Saul's evil persecutions and the church was able to move forward with their divine mission. "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31). The Lord gives His light to His people through the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit in their lives, so they can radiate His truth into the darkness of the world and lead others down the path into His glorious light. The "Light of the world" has commissioned us to be "the light of the world" while we are still in the world. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). We should not to hide our light because of fear, or of feelings of inadequacy; instead we are supposed allow God's light to radiate through us as His willing vessels so He alone receives all the glory. "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)

Heavenly Father,
Guide us everyday to walk in Your light

while we still have Your light in this world.

Forgive us for allowing anything in our

lives that would prevent us from radiating

the purity of Your light. We are to "do all things

without complaining and disputing that we may become

blameless and harmless, children of God without fault

in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,

among whom we shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:14-15)

Help us to not waste the light we have been given

but to "Repent and do the things we did at first"

lest You "remove our lampstand from its' place," (Revelation 2:5)

May we radiate Your light brilliantly

so the world can get a glimpse of Your glory

and be drawn to You with praise.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

After having experiencing the glorious light of Christ, Saul had to sit in the dark - the contrast of such brilliance and radiance compared to the endless void that suffocated him was necessary for the Lord to get His message across to His chosen servant. Every so often we need to be reminded of how lost we once were so that we will realize how devastating and dark the void is that much of the world faces without Christ. Take time today to just turn out the lights and sit in the dark and pray for the millions that are facing an eternity without Christ because we fail at times to reflect His light. Let us enter into our prayer closets where the greatest light glows and bask in the warmth of God's glorious presence and then minister in that deep sense of peace, calm and joy we have received the rest of the day. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). As the world grows more evil and wicked, and the love of most are growing cold, pray that God will radically encounter more Saul's in the world today; that they will have their own "Damascus Road" experience and be used to reach millions for Christ. "Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light" (John 12:36).

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EVENING MEDITATION - "...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)

Prayer Focus: The Community

Paul responded to the light of Christ and the Lord led him to carry His message to the Gentiles. "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47). On one of his mission trips, Paul came to Philippi and met a business woman named Lydia. She, like the Ethiopian eunuch, was a worshiper of God and was seeking truth; God sent Paul to open her eyes, as his had been opened years earlier. Paul shared the Word of God with her and, "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (Acts 16:14b); and her entire household was baptized. We have been saved not just for our own benefit, but that we might be used to bring others to the light of salvation.

This evening, as we reflect on being lights in the world, let us first begin by praying for our own Jerusalem and Judea as we lift our local community as our first mission field to the Lord. Pray that we might see a transformation in our community for the glory of God as believers shine the light of Christ outside the doors of the church. Pray that our streets would be a safe place for our children to play in. For crime to be low; for common courtesy and decency in all people; for a loving and caring attitude toward our neighbors; for helpful hands and hearts towards those who are hurting and the homeless. Pray for Christian organizations who evangelize our streets and minister to the homeless will thrive. Pray for crisis pregnancy centers and other pro-life efforts to prevail and receive necessary funding. Pray for greater church outreach opportunities: evangelistic outreaches and community service projects. Pray for community, not competition, among all the churches. Pray for local businesses to thrive. Pray for our local police and fire departments, community leaders, court house, library, schools, hospitals, prisons, churches, banks, businesses. Pray for the local economy and local legislation and laws. Pray for righteousness and justice to prevail in our courtrooms. Pray for the church doors to be open to invite and receive those who are struggling and losing hope, that they will encounter the living God and find the hope of Christ and be sent back out into the community to share the love of Christ. Pray that our churches will be the very gate of heaven and a beacon of light to the community.

Practical things you can do as you commit to praying for your community: Begin by reaching out to your neighbors. Invite them to church. Check in on them to see if they need any help or find out how you can pray for them. Pray for divine appointments from the Lord as you go out each day and make the most of every opportunity to shine His light as you drive, shop, work, and interact with the public. Get a copy of your local Christian business directory and support them with your business. Stay aware of laws and legislation at the local and state level that seek to tear away the fabric of our faith, family, and freedom; ultimately weakening our communities. Consider getting involved in your local community through volunteerism or civil service. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law...'Love your neighbor as yourself'...The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:8, 9c, 12). Join with the community of believers all across the country as name of Jesus is lifted up over this nation with 24/7 praise and worship in Washington, D.C. beginning September 11, 2015 through November 8th, 2016. Visit www.davidstentdc.org for more information on how you can support and participate in this important season of praise. "For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You...Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's....then [they] stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high....he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of His holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: 'Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:12, 15b, 19b, 21).

Heavenly Father,
Open my eyes to see the needs of those

in the community around me.

Help me to be a witness of Your light

to everyone I meet as I do business and

interact with the many people in my community.

Help me to see intrusive encounters as

divine appointments where I can share Your love

with the people you bring across my path today.

Father, we thank You for giving Your light and

guiding the hands of those who
wrote our nation's founding

documents.

This evening of the celebration of our nation's independence

we declare our dependence upon You as the hope

and salvation of the world.

Separate Your children, and set us apart from the evil and

wickedness of this world, and sanctify us by

the truth - Your Word is Truth!

We lay this Declaration

at Your feet and ask

that You would once again

be our guiding light

back to the foundation of Truth that

made us free.

"When in the Course of human events,

it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve

the political bands which have connected them with another,

and to assume among the powers of the earth,

the separate and equal station to which

the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires

that they should declare the causes which impel them
to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive

of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,

and to institute new Government, laying its foundation

on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,

as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established

should not be changed for light and transient causes;

and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed

to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing

the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably

the same Object invinces a design to reduce them under

absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty,

to throw off such Government."

(excerpt from The Declaration of Independence)

Tonight we stand on the promise of Your Word which

declares that "the government will be upon His shoulders.

And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish it."

(Isaiah 9:6b, 7).

Reign on the throne of our hearts and over our nation we pray.

For the glory and honor and praise of Your holy Name.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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"I would rather teach one man to pray

than ten men to preach."

- Charles Spurgeon

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