TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
(Acts 8:3–4, NLT)
But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church…But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about JESUS wherever they went.
TODAY’S WORD
The early church was flourishing and doing great things in Jerusalem. But then a persecutor named Saul came along and wreaked havoc against the church, shaking the disciples’ lives. Believers were forced to flee their homes and livelihoods and were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. I’m sure they thought, “GOD, why did YOU allow this?” But sometimes GOD allows things to be shaken to shift us. In this case, it caused the gospel to be spread and new churches to be established. In life, we all have times when things shake us to our core–an unexpected illness, a lost loved one, a job layoff. All the stability we were used to is no longer there. It’s easy to get discouraged. But here’s the key: The shaking is not there to stop you; the shaking is there to shift you. If you keep the right attitude, the shaking will shift you into promotion, into greater influence, into better relationships. GOD uses shakings to get us in position for new levels.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
FATHER, thank YOU that times of shaking in my life are not going to stop me, but they will shift me. Thank YOU that the things meant for my harm are going to lead me into promotion and things that are better. I believe that I am going to see favor and blessing I’ve never seen. In JESUS’ Name, Amen.