Acts 18:9-11 – “9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” – ESV
Precious one, today, our Heavenly Father wants us to know that, when it comes to fulfilling what He has called us to do, especially in the Body of Christ, we must not be afraid of what people can do against us. Many lives can be saved and blessed through us. The fear of what ungodly people will say or do should not cause us to deny people their salvation.
We should have no fear because God Loves us and died for us and wants us to be with Him. The power of what Jesus accomplished through His death on the Cross and Resurrection is greater than any difficulty, suffering, problem, evil, or fear that we may face. This is why we have hope in Him.
Acts 18:9–10 Reminds us JESUS IS WITH US. Jesus says, “I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you.” Then He gives this promise, “For I have many in this city who are my people.” In other words, He’s saying, “Paul, keep proclaiming the Gospel.”
By His Power and His Strength and Boldness you will be able to overcome any fear. You will be able to do what He wants you to do, when he wants you to do it, because he will give you what you need to do it. Your job is simple. Get familiar with God’s Promises. Get filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul, in the course of his missionary journey, got to Corinth. As at that point in time, he had suffered from several attacks and pains. It was natural for him to harbour some fear of troubles he was likely to face in Corinth. It was in that state of depression that the LORD appeared to him in a vision to encourage him. There were several people God wanted to reach out to, through Paul.
Many of us know deep within our hearts that there are beneficial services we can render in our local churches to help the work of ministry. However, because of some past experience of hostility from some church authority, or the fear of possible criticisms, some of us seem to have coiled into our shells. As God informed Paul, so is He informing us all that, there are a lot of His people yet to be saved.
I remember back in my Junior High School days, how some of my mates used to laugh at me as I carried drums alone after every ‘Scripture Union’ meeting. Sometimes, the experiences we go through as we work for God tend to discourage us from doing our best for the LORD. I didn’t give up but stayed focus on what God was training me for. Today, those same mates feel blessed to be associated with me.
Beloved, I want to encourage you. In this life, whatever you do will be good news to somebody (the believer), and bad news to another (the unbeliever). If you pay attention to all the actions and reactions of fellow human beings, you will not be able to do anything profitable in the kingdom of God. God is encouraging us not to give up, not to be afraid, or keep silent, because there are more souls yet to be won for Jesus.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, please grant me the Grace and boldness to preach the Gospel, and work in Your Vineyard. I pray You quench any attack of the enemy against my life, family, church, and nation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUESTION FOR MEDITATION
Is afraid hindered me from going out to do God’s work?
