Today's Passage - Acts 16:23-25

Acts 16:23-25   After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.   Paul was facing all kinds of attacks, both from inside and outside.  On the defensive side, he stood firm and was able to defend himself against any type of attack, both aggressive and non-aggressive, and he never gave Satan any opportunity to attack.  When an enemy attacks, he always starts from your weaknesses; the weaknesses may not be a physical one or any issue, but could be something that you value, such as money, sense of security, relationship, career aspirations, how others regard you, etc.  Sometimes people are afraid to suffer, but the more you are afraid of suffering, the more the enemy will use suffering to attack you.  Because our weaknesses easy targets for the enemy to attack, we're often repeatedly attacked in the same spot.  Once we are hurt and intimidated, we become weaker and start to withdraw.  There's a saying that we should not bother to chase out rats from a garbage dumpsite because it'll never work, because that where the garbage is.  If we clean up the garbage, the rats won't come back.  Therefore, we need to ask God to first deal with us, to make us more like Paul who's not afraid of any type of attack from the enemy.   Next, on the offensive side, Paul had two important weapons.  First, he knew how to use the authority of the Lord's name.  The Lord's name carries great power, and "in the name of Jesus" is not just an ending statement in our prayer.  Actually, every name of the Lord carries with it the promise to be victorious.  Jehovah Jireh means God will provide us with all our needs and help us to overcome all worries.  Jehovah Rapha means God is our healer, and this name will help us to overcome all diseases on our bodies.  Jehovah Nissi means God is our victory and He can help us to overcome all the attacks from the enemy.  Jehovah Shalom means God is our peace, and He can remove all the fear in our lives.  Jehovah Shammah means God is with us, and this name removes all the loneliness from our lives.  May the Lord help us, teach us how to use the Lord's names to defend against the enemy in our daily lives.   Finally, Paul understood how to use the power of praise.  We've seen in this passage that as soon as they started singing and praying the Lord, God's Spirit started to work among them.  When we praise God, He will bring forth repentance and renewal, and most importantly God's presence will truly be manifested.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because you are the Lord who leads us to claim victory against the enemy.  No matter what our circumstance is, we ask that you help us to stand firm by your grace; also, we ask that you help us to use your authority and the power of praise to overcome all the attacks from the enemy in our daily life.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!