Acts 4:13 "Now as they observed the boldness of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus."
Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all boldness,"
Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness."
Peter and John had been dragged from the Temple and found themselves in the center of a room, surrounded by a hostile group of Jewish leaders - the same group who had condemned Jesus on the night Peter denied the Savior just a few months earlier. Why the drastic difference in Peter's response?
This was not the same Peter as the one who routinely seemed to speak before he engaged his brain. His bravado had been replaced by boldness. It began on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized, filled him and his fellow disciples, and it became a signature descriptor of his ministry.
I want that! I want to be so controlled by the Spirit that my words and my actions reveal that I, too, have been with Jesus. How do I do it? It's simple, really, but it's not easy. Simple because all it requires is for me to trust Him and yield my will to His. Difficult because that's not how I function naturally. My natural tendency would be to go through my day, making decisions with no thought of God. Yes, I pray to start my day but, as the day progresses, I tend to slip into "auto-pilot".
Fortunately, The Lord also wants me to be controlled by His Spirit, and He doesn't leave me to my own devices. He has a way of interrupting, of catching my attention and pulling me back on course. I am so thankful for that!
So, here's my test for today. The Lord woke me up earlier than usual this morning with a multi-item "to-do" list swirling in my head. As I groggily typed them into my iPad reminders, He kept adding more tasks to my day. Now, as I sit in my study, I am going over the "impossible-to-accomplish-in-
Dear Father, I am really looking forward to what You are going to do in, through, and for me today. Thank You for transforming today's task list from "daunting" to "do-able"! Thank You for changing my attitude from "dreading" to "daring". Please, Lord, reveal Your boldness in me. I want people to notice that I've been with Jesus this morning. Amen.
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