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Gen Bible Topics : Stocks or Thanksgiving?
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From: MSN NicknameJudah_Jackie  (Original Message)Sent: 11/23/2006 5:51 PM

 

JudahJackie

Acts 16:16 As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling.
Acts 16:17 She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation!
Acts 16:18 And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed {and} worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment.
Acts 16:19 But when her owners discovered that their hope of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the forum (marketplace), [where trials are held].
Acts 16:20 And when they had brought them before the magistrates, they declared, These fellows are Jews and they are throwing our city into great confusion.
Acts 16:21 They encourage the practice of customs which it is unlawful for us Romans to accept or observe!
Acts 16:22 The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods.
Acts 16:23 And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.
Acts 16:24 He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Acts 16:25 But about midnight, as ((Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them,))
Acts 16:26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened.
Acts 16:27 When the jailer, startled out of his sleep, saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.
Acts 16:28 But Paul shouted, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!
Acts 16:29 Then [the jailer] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling {and} terrified he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:30 And he brought them out [of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?
Acts 16:31 And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus {Christ} [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.
Acts 16:32 And they declared the Word of the Lord [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] to him and to all who were in his house.
Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night and bathed [them because of their bloody] wounds, and he was baptized immediately and all [the members of] his [household].
Acts 16:34 Then he took them up into his house and set food before them; and he leaped much for joy {and} exulted with all his family that he believed in God [accepting and joyously welcoming what He had made known through Christ].

Let's see...all the words in blue are the words standing out for me this morning. When we consider first of all, there was a story about King David where he was coming home from battle worn out too. There was someone walking along the road there with David and his men. The man was hurling insults at David, throwing rocks and gravel probably at him all the way down the road. His men wanted to kill the guy ok, and David said for them to leave him alone. God had probably allowed him to do what he was doing and the Bible says that when David got home he was worn out from it all. Did you ever notice how you physically feel after someone has shot you down? There is a commercial on TV that talks about how depression hurts us in many ways. David spoke to his soul, and always returned to an attitude of praise, exalting God and being thankful for all things, but in many passages we read how the result of all the persecution and attacks to the soul, the person is left exhausted. Joy, praise, and thankfulness and singing are the weapons of our spiritual warfare in our spirits against our flesh, emotions and attacks of the tongues of others. We can know that when Paul was in stocks beaten and bleeding, and singing praises, we can also know he had a everlasting effect on those who were listening to them singing. When you are in a tornadoe and the wind is roaring,  you can hear the cement blocks cracking and the power of the wind, but you can have victory over all fear as I discovered by singing and praising and exalting the one who is in control of where a tornadoe blows. Thankfulness is the key for victory as you exalt God to use you no matter what stocks  you are in in life. What are the stocks, bloody wounds and people who bring you to the place of captivity in  your soul? Give thanks to the Lord for HE is good aNd HIs mercy endures forever. The very person with the sword for a tongue? That may be the very one God uses to test your ability to praise Him in the face of the stocks of life.



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