Acts 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Peter was in prison about to face his death as a result of his boldly proclaiming the name of Christ. However, while Peter was in prison, his fellow believers prayed that God would deliver him. It was during the night that an angel of the Lord said to Peter that he was to rise up and follow the angel.

Peter thought he was having a vision. The last time Peter had a vision, we see that he argued with God. Ultimately, Peter obeyed God and went and preached to the gentiles. Peter thought he was seeing another vision, but this time he instantly obeyed.
Of course Peter would obey, if he did not obey, he was doomed to face certain death. It is logical for Peter to flee a place that was about to destroy him.

How many of you are entrapped by the sins of this world, yet you do not take the way of escape that God has for you? Instead of accepting the deliverance of God from your temptation, you are so comfortable in your sins that you have come up with excuses as to why what you are doing is not a sin.

Sin is like the prison that Peter found himself in; sin is preventing you from doing the perfect will of God. Just as God desired to free Peter from the trap that would deprive him of his life; so likewise, God desires to deliver you from bondage that your sin has ensnared you with. God provided Peter with a way of escape, but Peter first had to obey and follow the direction of the angel. So likewise, you can start the process of being free from your sins if you will simply start obeying the voice of God.

Bondage to the things of this world comes in many forms. Some people lust after power while others lust after people. Some people desire money while others desire food. Some people waste their time on entertainment while others waste their time sleeping.

Satan knows your weakness and he will be sure to bring certain temptations into your life so that you choose to remain in bondage instead of choosing to be free to do the perfect will of God. You must learn to say no to the things of this world. Every day you need to add temperance to your life so that you do not remain in bondage while God desires for you to be free.

Christ taught us in the Sermon the Mount how to pray. One of the aspects of your prayers needs to be a daily asking of the Lord to deliver you from temptation. You need to understand the spiritual death that you surround yourself with when you choose to do that which is right in your own eyes. Christ taught us to ask and we shall receive. You should daily be asking the Lord to give you the strength to overcome the temptations that you face so that you might be free to pursue the perfect will of God.

Just as it would be foolish for Peter to refuse to obey the angel that was trying to deliver him from certain death, so likewise you are foolish every time you fail to follow the direction of God when it comes to your deliverance from the things of this world. It is time for you to stop loving your own bondage so much that you refuse to escape the destructive impulses your sin. It is time to forsake the things of this world so that you can focus upon the things of God.

Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

James was dead and Herod just put Peter in prison with the intent to kill him after the holiday season was over. The church could have said that God was in control and whatever God does with the life of Peter is going to happen regardless of what they do. However, this early New Testament church was not concerned about their social time. This early New Testament church was not concerned about their sleep. Instead, this church gathered together and they started a prayer meeting and they were not going to stop praying.

This church was more concerned about the ministry of Peter than they were about what was going on in their life. Peter was being used of God and many were turning from their wicked ways. Because of the leadership of Peter, the church grew and many were developing a closer relationship with God.

The church understood the importance of Peter and they were willing to make the sacrifice necessary to pray without ceasing. These Christians were more concerned about the eternal impact of Peter on this earth than what was going on in their own life. One of their leaders was possibly about to die, and they prayed that God would spare his life so that the ministry of Peter might continue.

When was the last time you prayed for your pastor without ceasing? When was the last time you prayed without ceasing for a leader who was doing wonderful things for the kingdom of God? Maybe one of the reasons there is such spiritual deadness in this country at this time is because the people of God are not on their knees praying without ceasing that God will raise up leaders who will show the people the wickedness of their ways.

There was only one Peter but there was an entire church praying for him. God has not called everyone to be a great leader preaching the gospel so that the world might know the simple truth of salvation. However, that does not mean that you do not have a part of the mighty work of God. If God has not called you to be the next leader, then maybe it is your responsibility to be one of the prayer warriors praying for God to direct, protect, and provide for the next spiritual leader in this country.

If you are more concerned about your worldly possessions than the souls of those around you, why should God send someone to reach the lost. Throughout the history of the nation of Israel, the nation would be in bondage and it was not until the people realized their bondage and cried out to God for a deliverer that God would raise up a new leader.

You need to realize the bondage this country is in and you need to start praying for the deliverer who can lead this country in another great awakening. It will all start with prayer. God is waiting for HIS people who have chosen to follow HIM to humble themselves and pray. God desires to answer the prayers of HIS people but HE needs HIS people to first pray.

You will never be a good prayer warrior until you learn to add temperance to your life. As long as you are a slave to the things of this world, you will never be strong enough spiritually to have a prayer life that gets the attention of God. Say no to the things of this world and start saying yes to the things of God. Put the Lord first and watch how God blesses your prayer life.

Acts 12:3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Herod killed James, one of the apostles. Herod did not fear the Lord, but he did desire to remain a popular leader. Because Herod understood that Jews did not like the Christians, he used his authority to gain public approval, not to do justice.

The Jews did not like how the Christians were preaching about the salvation of Jesus. They were use to their power, and this turned their whole power system upside down. They did not care what happened to others, all they were concerned about was their power base and their importance.

The Jews did not have a proper perspective on life and what was right in the eyes of God. As such, they made up their own standards. Because they were following their own path, it did not faze them that killing James and then killing Peter was wrong. The crucifixion of Christ and the stoning of Stephen were now but a thing in the past.

These were the Jews, the chosen people of God. These were the people who claimed to follow every aspect of the law. Yet while they followed every small aspects of the law, they were allowing themselves to fail in some of the major commandments like, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not bear false witness, and thou shalt not covet.

Just because you claim to be a Christian, it does not mean that your actions are pleasing to the Lord. The Jews thought they were living in a way that was pleasing to God, but it is clear that they were violating the laws of God. They were able to violate the perfect law of God because they really did not take the time to understand what was important to God.

You cannot afford to be like the Jews. You need to take the time to understand who God is and how HE desires you to live your life. If you are spending your time doing that which is right in your own eyes or pursuing the things of this world, then you will not have the time to pursue the things of God. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the easier it will be for you to say no to the things of this world.

You must daily add temperance to your life. By saying no to the things of this world, your spiritual life will be different. If you continue to pursue power, prestige, and popularity, you will have your focus in the wrong place and eventually it will open the doors so that you are doing things that you never imagined you would do.

As long as you are serving yourself, you will be no different than the Jews. God desires that you live your life by a higher standard. This means that you must be willing to say no to the temptations of this world. The world makes you think that you are giving up so much in order to follow God, but the world never shows you the costs to your life when you do that which is right in your own eyes.

You will be the one who eventually suffers as a result of saying yes to the things that this world has to offer. You will be the one who will destroy your own life with sin. If you want to be used of God to do great things for HIM like Peter, John, and Paul, then you need to start saying no to the things of this world and start saying yes to the things of God.

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

The apostles and brethren had heard that Peter ate dinner at the house of Cornelius. They could not understand why Peter would defile himself by eating with Gentiles. Peter told the apostles the vision that God had given to him and how God and instructed him to witness to Cornelius. Peter also told how the Holy Ghost had descended upon all who believed.

Upon hearing the testimony of Peter, the apostles understood that they were wrong to accuse Peter of disobeying the laws of the Jews. They understood that Peter was simply obeying God and that God was expanding the gift of salvation not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles also.

Upon hearing the testimony of Peter, the apostle held their peace. This means that they showed temperance by showing self-control and they stopped arguing and started praising the Lord. The flesh of man naturally wants to complain and find fault in what others are doing, but it takes great temperance to say no to the flesh and start putting on the mind of Christ.

The disciples could not argue and complain about the actions of Peter and as such, they stopped and started to praise God. One of the best ways to make no provision for the flesh is that when you see that your flesh was in control, immediately start filling your time with the things of God as the apostles did in this passage. The apostles took a negative confrontation and started praising God for the works of HIS hands.

Praise is an important part of our relationship with God. After God had delivered Israel by the parting of the Red Sea, we see how the people were active in praising God. On the other side of the Red Sea they were complaining but now that they had seen that their complaints were without merit, they corrected their attitudes and made sure that God received the glory.

When God used Deborah and Barak to drive out the enemies of the Lord out of the land, we see that they lead the nation of the Lord in a time of praise. The reason the nation of Israel was in captivity was because they had chosen to do that which was right in their own eyes. They had sinned and they had repented and cried out to God for deliverance. It was time to acknowledge that their lack of temperance had led them astray and that by the grace of God, they were free.

The things of this world are strong. It is easier to complain than to praise God. How often are we like the apostles where we automatically assume the worst and start accusing others without hearing the full story. That is our sin nature.

Temperance is more than just saying no to drinking, sexual activity, or other activities that might cause others to stumble. We are commanded to have the mind of Christ and this means, that not only must our actions be pleasing to God, but our thoughts also must be pleasing to God. We cannot afford to make provisions for the flesh in our mind.

Are you ready to start changing the focus of your mind? Are you ready to allow God to direct you to a higher standard? You cannot afford to allow the flesh to dictate the words of your mouth. God needs to be the center of your life. Be quick to acknowledge the things that God has done for you. Be slow to accuse a brother in Christ for doing something with the wrong motives. Put God first and you can avoid putting your foot in your mouth as the apostles did here.

Acts 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.

Cornelius was a just man; a man who did much good for the Jews. However, just because Cornelius prayed to God and had heard from God that he needed to send for Peter, this does not mean that Cornelius was perfect or that he understood the perfect ways of God.

Cornelius was a gentile; he was raised serving the gods of this world. Cornelius had learned that the gods of this world do not satisfy and as such, he had started his quest to find the one true God. It was because of his diligence to find God that God sent an angel to Cornelius and instructed him to send for Peter. As we see in this passage, when Peter arrived, Cornelius bowed down before Peter and worshiped Peter.

Cornelius had been raised that those who spoke on behalf of the gods were to be worshiped. Cornelius was simply falling back to his old nature by paying homage to the one who was going to direct him in the way that he was to go. Cornelius had come a long way in his walk with the Lord, but he still had a long way to go.

Cornelius needed to understand that it was God who was to be number one in his life. God had sent Peter to help show Cornelius the way that he was to go, but that did not make Peter any more important. God was still to be the focus of Cornelius.

How often do we find ourselves acting like Cornelius? We go to church and hear a special speaker and we are awed by their presence. The special speaker is human, just like you. The special speaker is simply obeying God. Just because they are obeying the calling of God and being used mightily by God does not mean that they are any more important than another saint who is obeying God who is not receiving national honors.

We are the body of Christ and God has a different purpose for each one of us. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, all the disciples were praying together in one accord when the Holy Ghost descended. While Peter was the one who preached the message that resulted in 3,000 being saved, every one of the disciples who were praying was equally involved in the great harvest that day.

D.L. Moody was a great man who brought many to the Lord. However, even D.L. Moody at one time was an unsaved man who was in great need of a Savior. It was a faithful Sunday School teacher who had a burden for the soul of D.L. Moody and encouraged him to be saved. This Sunday School teacher did not travel around the world bringing millions to the Lord, but he was faithful to bring D.L. Moody to the Lord and God used D.L. Moody in a mighty way.

As long as you are worshiping the men that are doing great things for the Lord, you will be failing to learn the lessons that God needs you to learn so that you can do great things for the Lord. God needs you to learn to put all your trust in HIM and not in man so that HE can use you to fulfill HIS purpose in your life.

You need to add temperance to your life. Every day you need to say no to the things of this world so that the things of God can become more important in your life. Do not allow the things of this world to choke out the things of God so that God can remain your focus in life.

Acts 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

Peter had just seen a heavenly vision where a sheet came out of heaven containing all sorts of unclean animals. Peter then heard a voice that told him to kill and eat. Peter understood that it was the Lord God his Creator speaking to him because he replied back to God by calling HIM Lord. Peter clearly heard what the Lord desired him to do, but he instantly fought against the commands of God.

Peter understood that God was talking to him and a more proper response would have been to ask God to explain the vision to him. Instead, Peter chose to hang onto his old ways and try to fight against God. Peter understood that it was God who gave the command that they were not to eat meat from unclean animals. Peter also understood that because Christ came and died, the sacrificing of animals was no longer necessary.

Peter should have been more like Abraham and instantly obeyed God without trying to question what God was telling him to do. Abraham heard from God that he needed to sacrifice his son. We are not told that Abraham ever questioned God, but that he simply rose up early the next morning and started to obey. God let Abraham go all the way to the top of the mountain. God let Abraham build the altar and place Isaac upon it. God let Abraham draw the knife, but stopped him before he killed his son.

If Abraham could obey God and prepare to take the life of his son, why should Peter have a problem eating unclean meat? The problem Peter had was that he was tied to the traditions that he was raised with. While Christ had changed him and he now had a personal relationship with God, Peter still had much to learn about hearing God and obeying HIM. Peter was allowing the standards of men control when and how he obeyed God.

God needed Peter to be willing to share the gospel with the gentiles. Even though Peter had heard Christ say that the gospel was to be shared unto the uttermost parts of the world, Peter was still biased towards only sharing the good news with the Jews. As long as Peter was still hanging onto his own belief, he could not be all that God needed him to be.

We are often just like Peter in that we hang onto our traditions and use them to slow down the will of God for our life. We are slow to hear the voice of God because we have crowded our life with the things of this world. God desires us to be free from the entanglements of this world so that HE can carefully direct our steps. As long as we put the things of this world above our relationship with God, we are the ones who suffer.

You must clear your life of the influences of the things of this world. You must add temperance to your life so that you learn to say no to the pleasures of this world and thus have more time to dedicate to the things of God. The closer your relationship with God is, the easier it will be for you to hear HIS still small voice and to obey. The more the world is clouding your attention, the more you will be like Peter in this passage.

When God speaks to you, you need to listen and be ready to obey HIM. Do not be bound by your own limitations that you have placed upon God. Be willing to do anything God commands you to do so that HE might be glorified by your life.

Acts 8:18-19 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

Simon was a sorcerer from Samaria. Through the preaching of Philip, Simon was both saved and baptized and he started following Philip. Simon was a changed man but he had not yet learned to completely yield to all the temptations that this world had to offer. Simon was a young Christian and when he saw Peter and the other apostles lay their hands of people so that they received the Holy Ghost, he too desired to be used of God to draw others into a closer relationship with HIM.

The problem with Simon was that he did not fully understand the ways of God. Simon was use to being the center of attention because of his great powers and now he desired to have the powers of God. What Simon did not understand was that the gifts of God are free and that it was not his money that God desired but that it was a heart totally dedicated to HIM.

We are often just like Simon, we think that God is pleased with our gifts of money. Somehow we think that God is obligated to do great things through us just because we proclaim to be a Christian and we do good things for HIM. The ways of God are not our ways.

Just as Simon was rebuked by Peter for trying to purchase the power of God, so God will rebuke us when we think that we can obtain the favor of God with the things of this world. God desires that we forsake the lusts of the flesh so that our heart can remain pure towards HIM. This means that every day we must exercise temperance and not allow anything to come between us and our relationship with God.

Simon was used to having power and was used to using his money to obtain that which he desired. Simon had a long way to go to learn the higher ways of God. When Simon was convicted by Peter of his sin, Simon immediately confessed his sin.

We are going to make mistakes in our life and we are going to allow the lusts of the flesh to control us. We will sin and we will fall short of the glory of God. However, when God brings it to our attention that we have allowed the lusts of our flesh to control us and that we have not been temperate, then we need to follow the example of Simon and immediate repent.

If we desire to have a heart after the heart of God, we must be willing to change from our wicked ways. David committed a great sin when he committed adultery with Bath-sheba and then followed by killing her husband. When Nathan came and revealed to David his sin; David also was real quick in repenting.

God will forgive you when you have sinned and fallen short of HIS perfect will. Do not let Satan deceive you into believing that there is no hope for forgiveness. Yes you were wrong when you did not show temperance and thus yielded to the lusts of this flesh, but Christ died on the cross for you and your sins.

God does not want your money, HE wants you. God wants you to be willing to go anywhere and do anything for HIS glory. When you sin and allow the things of this world to control you; stop, repent, and return to HIS perfect plan for your life. You have chosen to follow HIM; it is time to start acting like God is in control of your life.

Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

The power of God was being demonstrated through the life of Peter. People were lining up the streets so that the shadow of Peter might cross over them and they might be healed. Peter was an extremely popular individual in that people were flocking to Peter to be healed or released from demonic spirits.

However, while Peter was popular with the people, he was not popular with the religious leaders. The religious leaders saw how everyone was flocking to Peter and not to them. With Peter so popular, the religious leaders influence over the people was greatly diminished. The religious leaders were more concerned about their own power and prestige then they were about what God was doing with the nation of Israel.

The religious leaders did not love the Lord with all their heart. If they did, they would not care who was the most popular with the people, they instead would be more concerned that God was showing HIMSELF real to the people and that the people were drawing near unto God. The religious leaders had their traditions and they did not like how Peter and the apostles were steering people away from those traditions and their power base.

The religious leaders loved their own power more than they loved the Lord. When something came between them and their power, we quickly learned what exactly the god was for the religious leaders. The religious leaders were tested and they failed.

You too will be tested by God on many occasions as to who exactly is most important in your life. God tested Abraham when HE had Abraham take his only son Isaac up onto the mountain to sacrifice him. Abraham proved that God was the most important thing to him.

Job also faced a great test when he lost his wealth, health, and family. Even though his wife gave up hope, Job remained faithful and because he understood that God was in control. It would have been easy for Job to start focusing upon all the things that he lost. Instead, Job remained focused upon God and God blessed job for his faithfulness.

Nothing should come between you and your God. This means that you need to examine your life and see what might be in your life that distracts you from having a closer walk with HIM. Temperance requires that you stop yielding the things of this world so that you are free to fully serve God. There are some things in this world that you cannot live without; however, that does not mean that you start holding them in greater importance than God.

God needs to be the most important thing to you. This means that nothing can come between you and God. The religious leaders claimed that they were serving God, but we all see that their power was more important to them then their relationship with God. It is easy to deceive others with your words, but your actions will quickly reveal what is most important in your life.

Do not be like the religious leaders who became so caught up with the things of this world that they failed to see the power of God moving all around them. The religious leaders missed so much because they were so concerned about their own life. Add temperance to your life so that the things of this world do not cloud your spiritual vision.

Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speak. Peter and John had filled their heart with the things of God and as a result, they could not stop talking about the good news. Christ was such an important part of who they were that when the religious leaders told them to stop talking about Christ, their simple reply was that they could not stop talking about the One who loved them so much that HE died for them.

What is the subject that you like to talk about the most? Is it how your sports team performed over the weekend? Is it the latest gossip regarding the love life of a friend? Is it the latest fashions and who is fashionable and who is out of fashion? The things that you spend time on are the things that will naturally come out of your mouth.

If you spend time each day drawing closer to God, then you will naturally talk about God with those around you. You will be amazed at the opportunities that you will have as a result of your putting God first in your life. All of a sudden, opportunities to help others draw closer to God will start crossing your path. Why should God send people to you to minister to their needs if you are more concerned about the score of your favorite team then you are about the fact the people have problems.

Peter and John were living in the power of God and all of a sudden, they were faced with a man who had a problem. Peter and John were able to use the power of God to heal a man that most of us would have simply passed by and been offended that he even asked us to help him. There are people all around you who have needs that you can help. However, you must first focus your attention upon God and drawing closer to HIM.

If you are spending your time on the things of this world, how will you expect to live in the power of God? Temperance requires that you demonstrate self-control by not yielding to the things of this world but instead yield to the things of God. Rather than allow the things of this world to control you and to be first on your mind, you must replace what the world has to offer you with the things of God.

Esther had the right as queen to eat well. However, she was about to face a very difficult challenge and as such, she demonstrated temperance by avoiding food and instead prayed to God to give her grace when she confronted her husband the king. Esther did not have to fast, she could have eaten all the food she wanted. Instead by putting the things of God first in her life, we see that God performed a miracle through her to save the Jews.

What are the things that you see and hear? These are the things that are going to come out of your mouth. You have a choice to make, either fill your time with the things that are glorifying to God so that the words of your mouth glorify God, or you fill your time with the things of this world and worldly things will come out of your mouth.

Until you stop putting the things of this world as a priority in your life, the power of God will be very weak and the world will know it. The more you abstain from the things of this world, the brighter the light of God can shine through you. Every day the choice is yours. Are you going to spend the time reading the Bible and drawing closer to HIM or are you going to go do that other thing that always seem to distract you from your daily Bible reading.

Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Peter and John had just healed a man who was born lame. The religious leaders were in a quandary in that they did not want the name of Jesus spreading any more throughout the city, but they had no way of denying the power of God in the lives of these two men. The religious leaders thus told the men that they were to no longer preach in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John were being commanded by their authorities to do something that contradicted the direction that God had given to them. Peter and John understood that if they disobeyed their earthly authorities that there could be physical consequences. However, if they disobey God, there will be eternal consequences.

Peter and John clearly understood the direction that God had given them and as such they were more than willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. The religious leaders supposedly received their direction from God and that is why Peter and John appealed to these rulers by asking them if it was proper to disobey God in order to obey man.

Peter and John understood that it was better to obey God and suffer here on this earth than to enjoy the pleasures of this world and suffer for eternity. Too often, as Christians we are quick to compromise our standards here on this earth in order to obtain the acceptance of man that we fail to live our lives the way God desires and we thus lose out on the experiences that God has for us. God desires to demonstrate HIS power and might in our lives, but HE can only do so if we refuse to yield to the temptations of this world.

As long as you refuse to demonstrate self-control and you insist on pursuing after the things of this world, you will never fully experience the power of God in your life. It is when you start yielding your rights in order to pursue after the things of God that you learn to fully experience God. God has so much to offer you, but HE needs you to first do what you said when you accepted HIM as your personal Lord and Savior.

You need to learn how to love the Lord with all your heart. You need to learn to treasure the things of God above the things of this world. Your focus needs to be upon serving God rather than receiving the accolades of man. As long as you are pursuing the things of this world, the things of God will seem strange and distant.

On the day that Elijah prayed fire out of heaven, before he proposed his test to the prophets of Baal, he asked the nation of Israel a very important question. Elijah asked them How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. The same question is one which you must answer every day. Do your actions demonstrate to the world that you are serving God or are you serving the things of this world? If God is truly all powerful as you say, then why do your actions not correspond with your words?

God desires for you to follow the example of Peter and John and be quick to follow the things of God rather than yield to the pleasures of this world. As you put the things of God first in your life, your temperance to the things of this world will strengthen your spiritual eyes and thus enable you to do even greater things for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Peter and John were bold because the things of this world did not control them.

Acts 3:22-23 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Peter and John have just healed a man born lame. Because of the power of God demonstrated through their lives, Peter now has the opportunity to preach to the Jews to point their attention to Jesus. In these two verses, Peter is preaching from Deuteronomy 18.

Jesus was the prophet that Moses was warning the Jews about. The problem came that when Jesus actually showed up, the Jews had a misconstrued idea about what Jesus was going to do and as such, they crucified the one whom they were warned that they were waiting for.

A study of the prophets reveals that the Jews had an unreasonable expectation as to what Jesus would be doing for them. The religious leaders had added to the word of God in order to fit their own personal believes and as such, they guided the Jews away from the truth. Thus, when Jesus came, they were blinded by their own ignorance.

You too can make the same mistake that the Jews made 2,000 years ago. You can become so caught up in the things of this world that you fail to understand the voice of God. The world is full of things that can distract you from fully understanding the direction of God. As such, you must put aside the lusts of the flesh in order to pursue the things of God.

It does not matter what your sin is, sin will cloud your spiritual vision and cause you to miss hearing the direction that God desires you to go. Until you learn to demonstrate temperance in your life so that you are not quick to yield to temptation, your spiritual vision will be cloudy.

How was it that Daniel was able to not only interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar but also tell the king what his dream was? Daniel was only able to do this mighty miracle because he was able to hear the voice of God. Daniel had made a series of choices to ensure that he did not compromise his relationship with God and as such, when his life was on the line, Daniel heard God and not only saved his own life but was able to rise in a position of authority so that God could use him to touch the lives of others.

Daniel could have made a little compromise and eaten the food that the king had set before him. However, Daniel demonstrated temperance by restraining the lusts of his flesh in order to please God. This inward character of Daniel resulted in him understanding the voice of God and thus opened doors that he never would have imagined.

The lusts of the flesh will blind you to the truths of God. If you are focused upon the things of this world, you will never fully understand the higher way of God. If you do not understand what God has for you, how do you expect that you can obey God and live a life that is pleasing to the Lord?

The world has so much to offer you that will cloud your ability to properly see the direction that God has for you. It is your responsibility to apply moderation in your life so that the world does not control you. God has so much more to do through you if you will only listen to HIM and stop allowing the lusts of the flesh to control your life.

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Peter and John had just healed a man who was born lame. Every time a Jew entered the temple, they saw this lame man. Why Peter and John chose this day to heal this man or why this man was not ever healed by Jesus, we do not know, but all of a sudden, the man who everyone knew was lame was walking and praising God.

People were staring at the man. Some might have been wondering if this man had been able to walk all the time and that he was nothing but a fraud all these years. Some may have been wondering what kind of magical powers Peter and John had and why they were in the holy temple.

Peter stood up in the temple and rebuked those who were staring at the man. Peter immediately drew the attention of everyone to the Lord. Peter basically told everyone to start demonstrating some self-control. It was because of their lack of understanding that they had lost control over their eyes and they were staring at the healed man.

Have you ever been in a place where you were seeing something that you did not quite understand and you found yourself staring at it? You knew it was not proper to stare but it seemed to be the only response that you could think of. This is the same response that the Jews in the temple were showing that day.

By demonstrating a lack of self-control and staring, the Jews were not fully comprehending the power of God. God desire that you take control over your emotions and learn to recognize the power of God in your life. God is alive and active and when God makes HIS presence known, you need to immediately recognize the power of God and acknowledge it.

If you fail to exercise temperance in your life, you will allow your body to take control and you will be no different than the Jews who Peter rebuked. You have to learn how to recognize the works of God.

When Elisha was being pursued by the enemies of the Lord, the enemy one night surrounded the city that Elisha was staying at. The servant of Elisha could only see the enemy and it took a special prayer by Elisha to open the eyes of his servant so that the servant could see the army of the Lord. The servant of Elisha was no different than the Jews, he allowed the physical things that he saw to control his emotions and dictate the direction that he took.

We need to be like Peter and Elisha who understood the power of God. They were not afraid of what they saw with their eyes because they understood the spiritual battle that they were a part of. Because they understood the power of God, they did not find themselves staring at the things of this world because the things of this world did not control.

Do you understand the spiritual battle that you live in? God desires to show HIMSELF strong in your life and thus HE does things so that you might understand who HE is. However, if you do not control your reactions, you will be more amazed by HIS workings that you will fail to recognize the lessons God is trying to teach you.

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

Peter and John were not out seeking their own; they were concerned about doing the perfect will of God. They had made a decision that they were going to pray to God and as such, they were not going to allow any of the lusts of the flesh to restrain them from their purpose. Prayer was an important part of their relationship with God.

However, just because Peter and John were focused upon going to the temple to pray, it does not mean that they were not observant to possible opportunities for ministry that God had for them. In fact, the only thing that would slow them down was demonstrating the power of God. If it had been something that was only self-serving, you would not have seen Peter and John yield to the temptation to stop.

Temperance requires a yielding of your own will in order to pursue the things of God. Prayer is the task of talking with God. Prayer is not having a one way conversation with God with HIM listening to everything you say. In order to pray properly, you must lay aside the temptations of this world and focus your attention fully upon HIM. This means you must put yourself in an environment where you will not quickly fall asleep. This means that you must put yourself in an environment where you will not be easily distracted from the things of this world.

You need to be like Daniel who set aside every day to pray. Peter and John went to the temple to pray at a certain time. Until you start scheduling time with God, how do you expect to develop a closer relationship with HIM? You do not grow friendships by not spending time together. Before most couples chose to marry each other, there is usually a period of time where they set time apart so that they might get to know each other better.

If you do not schedule time to meet with God, you are the one who loses. The lusts of this world are very strong. Satan will try to tempt you to pursue other activities and to wait until next time to talk with God. Until you start setting time away like Peter, John and Daniel, your true success will never be seen.

The battle for your spiritual life is strong. The lusts of this flesh are strong. The way you will overcome this world starts with the choice that you make to put the things of God as a priority in your life. Until you start making the choice to set aside time to develop a closer relationship with God, you will never experience the full power of God working through you. God has amazing experiences that HE desires to show you, but until you are willing to put HIM first, the working of God in your life will be but a dream.

The great individuals in the Bible who did wonderful things all had a personal relationship with God. This relationship does not occur just because you were the 2,000^th individual saved in the world some particular day.

The world is ready to see the amazing power of God in your life. However, as long as you are pursuing the things of this world, you will fail to experience the true power of God in your life. How is your relationship with God at this time? Are you ready to put aside some of the pleasures of this world in order to draw closer to God? The choice is yours; no one will make it for you. Until you chose to live for God, your life will have no power.

Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

This verse is referencing the time after the day of Pentecost where the Holy Ghost had descended upon the disciples and Peter preached a sermon that resulted in 3,000 individuals were baptized. No longer was this just a relatively small group of individuals, this group of Christians had grown quickly and was growing daily.

The new disciples did not have a New Testament like you and I have today. Instead, they learned how they were supposed to live their lives by listening to the followers of Jesus who had lived with HIM. In this early New Testament Church, scripture tells us that those who had possessions sold those possessions and used the proceeds to help fund those who had needs.

The early New Testament Church was not looking out for its own needs; instead it was looking out for the needs of others. In verse 42 we learn that the new disciples carefully listened to the doctrine taught by the apostles and they obeyed. The New Testament Church was interested in dedicating itself to the breaking of bread and prayer.

In this verse, we see for the third time in the book of Acts the term one accord used. The first time it is used, we learn that Matthias was chosen to be an apostle. The second time it is used, the disciples received the Holy Ghost. The third time one accord is used we see that the Lord is adding to the church daily.

Remember the New Testament Church just expanded from 120 to over 3,000 in one day. Most pastors would be happy if their church grew a little each month, but God was expanding HIS church on a daily basis. This great expansion of the church was occurring because individuals who were a part of the body of Christ were no longer yielding to the things of this world but instead were yielding to the perfect will of God.

Rather than being concerned about what they were going to eat, they were focused upon living with one mind to pursue the things of God. In order to live with one mind with their fellow believers, each individual had to demonstrate temperance. No longer could they allow their body to dictate what they wanted when they wanted it, instead, they allowed the Holy Ghost to be dominate in their life.

Does your church have a weekly prayer meeting? If it does, do you attend? Why not? Is it because you are too busy? The New Testament Church was seen daily praying together. They understood that great results were coming because they joined together in one mind praying. They understood that the things of this world should not control their schedule. Instead, they needed to put the things of God first in their life and as such, regardless of the pressures going on around them, they would drop everything in order to join together with one mind with their fellow believers. It was because of this sacrifice that we see so much growth in the early Church.

As long as you are seeking after your own and pursuing the things of the flesh, you will never find your true purpose in life. Temperance requires giving up the things of the flesh and pursuing after the things of God. As you reschedule your life to pursue after the things of God, God will be able to open doors that you never thought possible. As you learn to control the desires of your flesh, God will be able to give you power to do many wonderful and mighty things.

Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

Jerusalem had just seen a mighty work of God. The Holy Ghost had descended upon the followers of Christ and they were able to speak in a tongue whereby every individual was able to hear the message in their own native language. The disciples did not know multiple languages, but God used their willingness to be used in order to touch the lives of those who may not have been able to understand the disciples.

Jerusalem had just seen a mighty work of God and now they were forced to try to reconcile what they had just seen with their worldly knowledge. The natural response was that there is no way an individual who has no language training can speak in a foreign language without ever learning the language.

The world is always quick to try to discount God. The world understands that if they can justify the power of God, then they do not have to feel convicted by seeing the power of God in their life. In this case, the people who had heard and seen the outpouring the Holy Ghost decided to condemn the disciples by claiming that they were drunk. By blaming the disciples for drunkenness, they could easy dismiss what was said by the disciples and as such, they would not have to be convicted of their sins.

Peter did not allow the rumor that the disciples might be drunk to spread for very long, instead, he immediately confronted the rumor and appealed to the common sense of his listeners to help them see that they were drawing wrong conclusions from what they had just witnessed.

If the disciples had been drunk, it would have ruined the work of the Lord that was being done that day. When the world is convicted, they will often be like the people in Jerusalem and try to find something that they can blame in the life of the speaker. If they can find sin in your life, this will help relieve their guilt. This is one reason why God commands you to be temperate. By demonstrating self-control, you remove road blocks that others might use to prevent them from developing a closer walk with God.

You are called to a higher standard not because you need to be careful that you do not cause a person to stumble and fail to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The world is watching you and if they can point at your lack of self-control and use it to justify their unbelief, then you will be the one who is accountable to God for leading others astray.

You do not know who is watching you. However, if you are trying to see how close you can live to the line between the things of this world and the things of God, the world will not see the difference and will use your life to justify their actions. However, if you strive to be temperate and strive to live as close to God as possible, the world will not be able to look at you and justify their sinful behavior.

You are accountable to God for every thought, word, and action. You must be quick like Peter and not allow the world to accuse you of sin so that they can justify their unbelief. You must live your life knowing that others are watching and they may use your life as the reason they accepted or rejected Christ. People do listen to your words, but they pay even more attention to your actions. If your actions tell a different story then your words, your words will be quickly rejected and dismissed as inapplicable.

Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me.

Before Jesus left this earth, HE commanded his followers to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost came. Christ commanded his followers to demonstrate some self-control by waiting for something that they did not fully understand. The followers had to put aside their own desires and follow the instructions of Jesus if they desired to obtain the good gifts that God had for them.

After the death of Jesus, we see the disciples hiding out in Jerusalem. Jesus had appeared unto the disciples, but when Peter grew tired of waiting, he decided he was going to go fishing so he left the place where he had last seen the Lord. Peter had apparently seen Jesus twice in the upper room. However, Peter was a man of action and after waiting for such a long period of time, he determined he was going to go back to his old profession of fishing before Jesus had called him to follow HIM.

How often are we like Peter, we allow our fleshly lusts to be in control over our decision making so that we leave the place that God had called us to be at so that we can be in an environment that we believe we can control? We desire to be in control over our own life and when God does not answer our prayer requests right away, we feel that we are justified in doing what we want when we want.

Jesus did not want HIS followers to scatter to the uttermost parts of the world now that HE had ascended up into heaven. Jesus desired that HIS followers be together when they received the power of God in their lives. Jesus required that the followers wait and yield to the will of God in order to obtain that which Jesus had promised. Once the disciples had received the power of the Holy Ghost, then it would be time to spread out and share the gospel.

If you were a disciple and Jesus told you to wait until the Holy Ghost came, how long would you have waited? Would you have waited a day? Would you have waited a week? Would you have waited a month? How long would you have waited until you talked yourself out of waiting any more to obtain that which God had promised you?

Have you ever had a particular dry time in the Bible where you wondered if God was really real? You know that you should be spending more time in the word until you hear the voice of God, but instead of doing that, you just crowd out your life with the distractions of this world. You know what you need to do in order to hear God, but you are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to hear the still small voice of God.

You know what you need to do because you have had those days in the past where God was so real to you that you heard his voice very distinctly. However, you are like Peter after the death of Christ and rather than put aside the distractions of the world and wait for directions, you go off and do your own thing because you are comfortable with being in charge.

The only way you are going to receive the good gifts of God is if you stop giving into the lusts of your flesh. Until you learn to be temperate and allow the things of God to be in control, you will not live a powerful life that causes the world to look at you and see the love of God in your life. As long as you are allowing yourself to make all the decisions, why should you expect to have the power of God in your life?

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

When you add knowledge of the ways of God to your life, then you understand how God expects you to live. Not only do you read the commands of Christ on how to live, but you can also study the life of Christ and see how HE fulfilled the commandments that he gave to you. It is your duty to understand the ways of God, ignorance of the ways of God will not be a valid excuse come judgment day.

In this passage we are told that we are to be peacemakers. This means that we should be looking to settle disputes rather than stir them up. We should not be quick to go to court with our adversary but instead you try to settle the matter peaceably. We should not be looking to stir up fights with others, but instead should be looking to cause peace.

Jesus Christ did not come with a sword to rid this world of its sinners. The day will soon be here when Christ will come to fight, but at this time, we have an obligation to God to love our enemies as ourselves. You would not go out and take a sharp knife and cut yourself, so also, to be a peacemaker, you cannot do to others what you yourself do not want to have happen to you.

You do not want others to speak ill will of you, so why should you talk about them behind their back. You do not want others to single you out and make fun of you, so why do it to them. You do not want to be left alone in a crowded room, so do not do it to others. A peacemaker understands that it is not all about them, but that there are things more important than having their own way when they want it.

Rebekah was not a peacemaker. Rebekah had heard that her husband Isaac was going to bless her firstborn Esau. Rebekah remembered the words of God how Jacob was to rule over Esau. Rather than allow God to take care of giving Jacob the proper blessing in accordance with the word of the Lord, Rebekah took matters into her own hand.

It was God who opened her womb to enable her to have children. It was God who spoke with her and told her all about the two boys. But when she made Jacob steal the blessing from his older brother, Rebekah was acting on her own accord. Rebekah ended up not seeing her son Jacob again. Shortly after her deception, it became clear that her son Esau desired to kill Jacob. Rebekah ended up taking matters into her own hands and she ended up starting a family fight that would last for generations.

Right after Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden, Peter pulled his sword out and cut off the ear of a servant who was at hand. Jesus immediately rebuked Peter and then proceeded to heal the same individual who was there to cause him harm. Jesus understood that HE had to suffer for righteousness sake. Jesus understood that HE needed to be an example to us of how we are supposed to live our lives. Jesus had all power, but HE yielded that power so that HE might live at peace with man, even though these same men were out to destroy HIM.

We understand that we are not loving our neighbor and living our life as a peacemaker because the world will love us and return the favor. We live our lives in accordance with the word of God so that the light of God reflects through us and so that the world sees that we are different and thus understand that we belong to God. We do not live our lives as a peacemaker because it is fun, we live our lives as a peacemaker because it draws the attention of the world to HIM.

Proverbs 31:13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

A virtuous individual is one who is diligent. When others look at you, do they understand you to be a diligent individual or do they think you are lazy. In Proverbs 6, we are instructed to look towards the ant to see diligence. The ant does not have a leader, but it works diligently to ensure that it has food to eat throughout the year.

Are you diligent to get up early each morning to ensure that you have time to do your devotions before you go to work? Are you diligent at work so that when others look at you, they know that there is something different about you? Are you diligent at home, working with a joyful attitude seeking to serve all whom you come in contact with?

If you are in business for yourself, you understand the importance of being diligent. If you are not diligent, then you will not eat. However, while you can make the correlation between working hard and financial remuneration, many people have a hard time seeing the correlation between being diligent in their Bible studies and the positive effect it has upon their life.

Your spiritual health should be more important to you then the dollars in your bank account. Everything in this world will soon be over and your relationship with God will be all that you have on judgment day. If you have a terrible relationship with God, then you will have done many things that are displeasing to HIM and you will be accountable to HIM. However, if you fear the Lord and diligently studied the word of God in order to understand how you are supposed to live your life, then come judgment day, you will have less to fear.

An individual who is diligent in serving God will naturally be diligent in their daily work. However, the reverse is not always true; a person who is diligent in their work is not necessarily diligent in their daily Bible studies.

Why do you think David had faith that God was going to deliver Goliath into his hands? It was not because he was diligent in watching the sheep of his father. David had spent many hours alone with God and had developed a heart after the heart of God. It was because of his relationship with God that David was able to speak boldly to the man who desired to kill him.

Do you have the faith of Daniel who knew that he could be thrown into a den of lions and God would protect him? Remember, Daniel was faithful to pray three times a day. It was because of the diligence of Daniel that he understood that God was not finished with him yet and as such, he could peacefully go into the den of lions knowing that the lions could not touch him.

The reason why you do not have the faith of Peter to walk on water, or the faith of Moses to part the Red Sea, or the faith of John to heal a lame man is because you do not have a personal relationship with God. Yes, you claim to serve HIM. Yes, you do spend some time reading the Bible and praying. However, your relationship with God is not what it is supposed to be. You spend more time worrying about the things of this world then you spend on the things of God.

You need to be diligent to put the things of God first in your life. As you add knowledge of the ways of God, your relationship with God will grow. The greater your relationship with God, the more expansive your ministry will be because not only do you know how to hear the still small voice of God, but you also have the power of God in your life.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Why was it that you mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables? It was because the fruits and vegetables were good for you and would promote your health. So likewise, every word of God is pure and thus it is desirable for you to partake of the word of God. The more time you spend adding to your knowledge of the ways of God, the stronger your trust in God will be.

If the words of God were not pure, you would not want to waste your time reading and meditating upon them. If you knew that the fruits and vegetables that were served at dinner were cooked in poison, you would be justified in abstaining from eating them. So likewise, the vein philosophies of man are cooked with a deadly spiritual poison. Spending time reading and meditating upon such philosophies will destroy your ability to trust in God.

We know that the nation of Israel had spent many years in the land of Egypt. When they left Egypt, while they had seen the Lord do many wonderful things, they were still filled with the poison of unbelief that inflicted them from being around the worldly Egyptians for most of their lives. It did not matter that they saw the 10 plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians or that they had seen God part the Red Sea, when it came time to enter into the Promise Land, the entire nation bulked with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.

While we do not know much about Joshua and Caleb before this time, we do know that when Moses went up into the Mountain in order to receive the Ten Commandments, it was Joshua who went with Moses and waited for him. Joshua had spent some time alone with God and this apparently helped prepare him for the time when he was going to have to trust in God even though everyone around him was going a different direction.

God desires to protect you, but HE needs you to first put your trust in HIM. In the same way that eating your fruits and vegetables will help boost your immune system which in turn helps protect your body; so likewise, the time you spend filling your mind with the pure words of God will in turn help boost your trust in God who desires to protect you.

When Peter walked on water, we see that Jesus was right there protecting him. Peter was able to do the impossible because he understood who Jesus was. Peter had been spending time around the pure words of God and this boosted his faith and caused him to desire to do the impossible. Peter never would have needed the protection of Jesus as long as he had kept his focus on Jesus and not on the storm around him. Yet nonetheless, Jesus still protected Peter even though Peter did not fully trust in Jesus.

Do you believe that every word of God is pure? Do you have a healthy appetite for the things of God? It is easy to say that you believe that every word of God is pure, but it is another thing altogether to live your life accordingly. You need to understand that your ability to trust God is proportional to the time you spend filling your spiritual stomach with the pure words of God.

You desire to do great things for God. You have asked God to bless you and to expand your borders. However, have you done your part to make sure that you can trust HIM? Why should God bless you if you have not put your full trust in HIM? Why should God bless you if you are spending all your time filling your mind with the vain philosophies of man? If you desire the protection of God, then you must start doing those things to increase your trust in HIM.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Do you fear man or do you fear the Lord? What governs your decision making? Is it what others might think of you or is what God thinks of you? You know you fear the Lord when the reason why you do not sin is because you do not want to grieve God.

Think of a child who is instructed by his mother not to eat a cookie. If the boy has his friends over and he takes a cookie in order to show his friends how cool he is, then it is clear that this boy respects the opinion of his friends more than he respects the opinion of his mother. Even if this boy does not take the cookie, it is important to understand why he does not eat the cookie. Does he avoid eating the cookie because he does not want to be punished, or does he abstain from the cookie because he loves his mother and he desires to please her?

We have a choice in how we act. We can do that which is right in our own eyes or we can do what is right in the eyes of God. Even when we do what is right in the eyes of God, we need to make sure that we are serving God for the right reasons. Some people do the right thing because they are afraid of the judgment of God. However, an even better reason to serve God is because of your love of God and your desire to please HIM.

Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive his brother for the same offense. This question was not asked because he loved the Lord with all his heart and desired to forgive his brother in the same way God had forgiven him. Instead, Peter understood that he must forgive his brother and so as to ensure that he did not violate the law of God and thus be liable for the judgment, Peter asked Jesus how many times he must forgive.

We do not want to be like Peter who was looking for excuses not to serve God with 100% of his heart. Instead, we need to be more like Solomon who willingly made 1,000 burnt offerings unto the Lord. Solomon had no obligation to make 1, let alone 1,000 burnt offerings unto the Lord. However, Solomon feared the Lord and he desired to demonstrate his love to God by giving to the Lord above and beyond what was required of him.

Lot is another example of a man who obeyed God so as not to be punished by God. When God sent a couple of angles to remove Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot only left when he absolutely had to leave. Lot requested to go to a small town rather than to the mountains that God requested him to go. Lot was trying to get away with doing the very least amount for God.

Do you trust God and obey HIM? If you obey HIM, why do you obey HIM? It is important to not only obey God but to obey HIM for the right reasons. Too many claim to obey God but because their attitude is not right, they miss out on many blessings that God has for them.

You need to take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. You need to start loving God not because you fear HIS judgment but because you love HIM and desire to please HIM. If you read your Bible because it is simply a chore that you must do, you are not adding any knowledge of the ways of God and you are simply doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. If you desire to receive the full blessings that God has available for you, then you must learn to have the right attitude for why you trust and obey. Until you have the right attitude, your obedience will not gain you the favor that you desire of God.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

There is an age old question among Christians about how you are supposed to live your life for the Lord. Some people believe that that God is in control of everything so it does not matter what you do; God is going to do what HE wants anyways.

In this passage, Solomon is showing us that it does matter what you do when you serve the Lord. However, ultimately, it is up to the Lord what occurs in your life. God does not want to see you sitting idly by just waiting to see what HE is going to do. Instead, God wants you to act.

Think of the story of the woman who had an issue of blood. She made a decision that if she touched Jesus, she would be healed. Jesus tells us that it was the faith of the woman that healed her. The woman could have equally stated that if she slept in her bed for 72 straight hours, Jesus would heal her. While this is true that God could have healed her, we would not understand the important lesson of faith and as such, because she did not make a public expression of her faith, it is very likely that she would not have been healed.

Instead, this woman prepared her life to be healed of God. She made a journey to go see Jesus. She worked her way through the crowd and she touched Jesus. It was up to God whether or not she was healed, but she first had to step out in faith.

Peter, the only man to walk on water also had to step out in faith before HE saw the miracle of him doing the impossible. Peter had seen Jesus and he understood the power of God. Peter simply stepped out in faith and as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked on water, however, the second he started looking at the storm, he started to sink.

God does not want us to simply sit back and do nothing. Instead, God desires that we be pro-active and that we prepare our lives to be used of God. One of the ways that we can prepare our lives to be used of God is by adding knowledge of the ways of God to your life. This means that you take the time every day to read your Bible. As you study the word of God, you allow HIM to renew your mind and your heart and to draw you closer to HIM.

How can you expect to be used of God if you do not first take the time to put HIM first in your life? The more time you spend drawing closer to HIM, the easier it will be for HIM to direct you, protect you, and provide for you. If you do not prepare to be used of God, you probably will not be used by HIM.

Think about it, athletes spend a lot of time practicing the fundamentals of the sports they love. The more time they spend practicing, the better they get. Yes, there is a certain amount of God given talent which dictates just how good you can get at the sport. However, with some practice, patients, and preparation, even the best athlete can get better.

What are you doing to prepare your life to be used of God? You must start living your life in such a way that God through you might be glorified. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be to obtain the safety that you long to have. There is safety in understanding just what God desires you to do. There is safety in the midst of the storm when you do not stray from the place that God put you. There is safety in simple obedience to God.

Proverbs 20:15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Gold and rubies may be valuable but there is something that is of even more value; the lips of knowledge. With Gold you can purchase a great many positions, but with the knowledge of the ways of God, God will be able to use you and direct you to do many wonderful things for HIM.

Noah was a righteous man. God opened his eyes to the truth and Noah started building a boat. For many years as Noah built the boat, he preached the truth to a lost and degenerate people. All the people who died in the flood could have had great wealth and a multitude of precious jewels, but on the day that the rain started to come down, they would have given it all up to trade places with Noah.

Moses gave up a life as a royal prince of Egypt. For forty years, he tended the sheep of his father-in-law. However, one day, Moses received a message from the Lord; Moses understood what God desired him to do and he went out to do it. It did not matter how much wealth the Egyptians had accumulated; Moses was the most powerful man in all of Egypt because he knew the will of God and God was working through him. Many people owed gold and rubies, but only one had the power of God in his life.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples could be found in Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon them and Peter went out with power and preached a sermon that resulted in over 3,000 coming to the Lord. Prior to the day of Pentecost, Peter was just an ordinary fisherman who had followed Jesus for three years. Peter had always been bold, but now with the lips of knowledge, he was a powerful figure in the early New Testament church.

Your gold is worthless when it comes to pleasing God. It does not matter how many precious gems you possess, it is not going to get you any closer to heaven. The true precious possession is the lips of knowledge. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of heaven is like a man who found a buried treasure and that he sold all that he had to purchase the field. Jesus then continued by telling about a man who found a pearl of great price and he sold everything he had in order to obtain it.

Lips of knowledge are more precious than gold or rubies. It should be your goal to do whatever you can in order to obtain lips of knowledge. You should be willing to give up gold and precious gems so that you can obtain that which God sees as valuable.

If you think about it, there is an abundance of wealth in the world compared to those few individuals who truly have obtained lips of knowledge. There are plenty of people who proclaim to be a Christian but that does not mean that they really have a knowledge of the ways of God. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and many more were all one of a kind in their days. We still remember them today because of the relationship they had with God.

You need to take the time to seek God. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the easier it will be for you to learn to hear the still small voice of God. As you add knowledge of the ways of God, God will touch your lips and you can be one of the few who God uses in a mighty way because you have put God first and you are HIS faithful servant.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Who are you working for? Are you working for the kingdom of God or are you working to obtain the things that this world has to offer you? It does not matter what you say, your actions speak louder than words. If you say that you are serving God, but all you long for is wealth and fame, then it is clear that you are not working for the cause of Christ.

In this proverb, we see a different perspective on how to control your thoughts. You naturally think that the most important thing is to control your mind and everything else will fall into place. However, we see here that you must first ensure that your actions are right and then and only then will your thought follow.

Rather than having a big battle in your mind whether you are going to allow yourself to think upon things that you know are not pleasing to the Lord, why do you not start committing your work unto the Lord? Why do you not start dedicating your time, talent, and treasures to what God wants you to do? As you focus upon the will of the Lord, then your mind will start thinking about the things of the Lord. It is only when you start allowing yourself to pursue worldly interests that you give your mind time to start thinking about worldly pleasures.

Your actions tell others what is important to you. If they can see that you are busy pursuing the almighty dollar, then what is to stop you from thinking crooked thoughts. If others can see that you are busy pursuing the things of God for the right reasons, then you will have less time to allow your mind to day dream about things that are not appropriate.

However, just because you see someone who is diligently doing the work of God, it does not automatically mean that their thoughts are pure and virtuous. All you have to do is take a quick look at the news and you will see people who claim to be religious committing acts in secret that are an abomination unto the Lord. You must remember that you do not see a person 24/7. That is one reason Christ probably commanded us to not judge. We do not have all the information that God has and as such, it is best to allow God to judge man because he not only sees every action but HE also knows every thought.

If you find that you are having trouble controlling your thoughts, start examining your actions. Are you doing everything that you can be doing in accordance to the will of God for your life? Are you doing what God would have you to do for the right reasons? If you can see that you are not fully committed to God, then you need to take the time to start committing your actions unto God. As you strive to put HIM first, you will start obtaining victories where you never expected.

Why was Peter able to walk on water? Peter was not looking at the waves and seeing the impossible situation he was in. Instead, Peter was focused upon coming unto God. As he committed himself to doing the will of God, he had the faith to do the impossible. It was only when he took his eyes off of Jesus that he lost the faith that was necessary to walk on water. Peter saw the waves and thus doubted once he stopped focusing upon Jesus.

What is it that God would have you to do? If you do not know what God desires you to do today, then you need to fill your time adding knowledge of the ways of God. You need to develop a close relationship with God so that when trials come, you are able to fully trust in HIM. If you do not commit your works to God, you will start losing battles that you never needed to lose.

Proverbs 14:7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

The reputation of those whom you associate with do have an affect upon your reputation. If the world looks at you and sees you hanging around fools, why should they perceive you any differently? You thus must be very careful who you associate with and why you associate with them.

The night before Jesus was crucified, Peter was confronted three times as being one of the disciples of Jesus. Peter lied to try to disassociate himself from the Son of God. Too often, we are just like Peter. We desire to be liked by the those of the world so we are cautious in how we approach the things of God so that we do not offend others. We are more willing to draw away from God and offend HIM then we are to abstain from the presence of foolish men.

Samuel was a prophet of God. One day Saul disobeyed God and did not utterly destroy the Amalekites. Instead, Saul saved the best of the flocks and the king. Because of the disobedience of Saul, Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him and that he would not return to Saul again. Because Saul had rejected God, Samuel was leaving the presence of Saul. Saul was no longer going to receive the benefits of associating with Samuel.

Be careful whom you associate with. Granted, you do not always have a choice about everyone whom you associate with. If you have a family member who is a fool, it is not like you can abandon them. At work, you probably are not in a position of picking who your co-workers are. Nonetheless, Even though you may have people whose lips utter perverse and foolish things that you cannot completely abandon, you must make sure that your life brightly reflects the light of God so that everyone around you knows that you are different.

The light of your life needs to shine brightly for God. If the world looks at you and associates you as just another one of the boys, what testimony does your life have for God? God desires that you draw closer to HIM and allow HIS glory to reflect from your life so that the world sees HIM through your life.

When the people saw Peter, they knew that he was different. They could tell that he had been with Jesus. Rather than denying that we are close to God, we should embrace God and be quick to acknowledge the importance of God in our lives. Do not allow the foolish men of this world to diminish your testimony.

The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to disassociate with the foolish men of the world. The more knowledge you have of the ways of God, the more you will speak of the things of God. The world is foolish and says that there is no God. If you are constantly talking bout God, then they will stay away from you.

Your testimony for God is too important. Do not allow the world to tarnish that reputation because you are too concerned about what others might think of you. Be bold for Christ and watch how HE increases you as you avoid the influences of this world.

Proverbs 6:17 a lying tongue,

In this passage Solomon enumerates seven abominations unto the Lord. The second item in this list is a lying tongue. Jesus told us that HE is the truth. HE also taught us that it is the truth that will set us free.

When you tell a lie, your actions are not pleasing to the Lord. When God created this world, HE did so by speaking. God used words to create this world and because of the significance of words, God places a special emphasis upon the words that we use.

The very first abomination in this list is pride. Adam and Eve were guilty of allowing pride to dwell in their heart when they chose to disobey God. Once they sinned and found themselves naked, the next thing they did was lie to God by trying to hide and then blame others. Adam and Eve compounded their sin by not only having pride in their heart but also they attempted to deceive God by lying.

Ananias and Sapphira also attempted to lie by telling Peter that they had sold a certain parcel of land for the price that they were donating to the church. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter the deception of Ananias and Sapphira and they both paid with their life. The judgment of God for lying was swift.

God hates lying so much that HE put it in the Ten Commandments. The ninth commandment is that we should not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The words of your mouth are important in the eyes of God and you have an obligation to God and others to ensure that your yes means yes and your no means no.

Satan is a master of deception. When he appeared unto Eve, he took the form of a snake and thus disguised his true nature. Satan used false words not to draw Eve closer to God but instead to cause her to forsake the perfect relationship she had with God. Your words are important. What you say is heard by God and you will be accountable to HIM for every word that you speak.

Maybe you do not lie like everyone you know, but a lie is still a lie and you are still accountable to God. Corrie Ten Boom tells the story of her sister Betsy who refused to lie even when it meant she could go to jail. The Ten Boom family was hiding some young men from the German army. When the German soldiers showed up to take the young men away, Betsy told the Germans that the young men were under the table. The Germans looked but did not see the trap door and as such they thought she was lying to them when in fact she was telling them the truth.

How big is your faith? Are you willing to trust God and allow HIM to guide your tongue? You understand that it is the will of God for you to tell the truth. The question is, whether you will allow this truth to change how you interact with the world around you?

You must add to your life knowledge of the ways of God. We understand that lying is an abomination unto God. Based upon this knowledge, we must change our behavior so that God can be glorified by our lives. This means that we need to be careful with are mouth to ensure that we do not say something that is a lie and thus an abomination to God.

Proverbs 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

There are blessings for those who keep the ways of God first in their lives. In verse 22 we learn that it will be life to thy soul and grace to thy neck. In verse 23 we learn that you will walk safely and your foot shall not stumble. In verse 24 we learn that we will not be afraid and our sleep will be sweet. Basically, if you put God first, you will not have the problems that the world has. Yes, you still will have trials, but you will not have to worry about those trials because you understand that God is first in your life.

Satan desires to discourage you and cause you to depart from the ways of God. Satan saw the righteousness of Job and he attacked his family, his health, and his wealth so as to cause Job to forsake God. However, Job understood that every good thing was given to him by God and thus Job did not forsake God just because he was going through a hard time.

The grace of God is sufficient for you. Do not let Satan trick you into thinking that God has forsaken you. Remember the words of David when he stated in Psalm 23 that though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. David understood that life serving God is not all about mountain top experiences where you experience the presence of God constantly. Satan often will try to cause you to lose focus of the bigger picture and start focusing upon the trials that you are facing.

You must understand that you are accountable to God for how you respond to events that occur in your life. You are responsible for whether you remain faithful. It is not easy standing tall against the onslaught that the enemy will throw your way, but you must always remember that greater is HE that is in you then he that is of this world.

Scripture tells us that we are to teach our children the ways of God. We understand the promises that if we train up a child in the way that they should go, when they are old, they will not depart from them. How do you plan to not depart from the ways of God if you have not first taken the time to study them and engraft them into your soul? You must take the time daily to study the scriptures so that you have a more perfect knowledge of the path that God has for you.

Do you desire to have peaceful sleep? Then you need to learn to turn your problems over to God. Jesus commanded us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are not to allow worry to consume us. Instead, we need to have perfect trust in God. This perfect trust in God only comes when we remain faithful to God and keep our focus only on HIM.

Peter walked on water at the beckoning of Jesus. However, when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused upon the storms, he instantly started to sink and needed to cry out to Jesus for help. The good thing about the example of Peter is that he knew who he needed to cry out to help from. However, how much better would the example of Peter had been had he refused to allow the storm to distract him from looking at his Savior.

It is goal of Satan to distract you with the storms of life so that you lose focus of the face of Jesus. It is your job to remain faithful and continue to add knowledge of the ways of God. The more time you spend drawing closer to your God, the more that HE will be able to use you for the furtherance of HIS kingdom. You need to learn to trust in HIM and not allow the things of this world to distract you. If you do that, then the blessings of God can be upon your life.

Proverbs 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

God has promised you that you can find knowledge and that you can understand the fear of the Lord. This promise is not given to all; it is given to those who desire to find knowledge. You will not stumble across knowledge by mistake; you will only obtain it if you make an effort in order to find it. In the previous four verses, Solomon has gone through the steps of what you need to do in order to obtain the knowledge of God.

In order to obtain the knowledge of God and understand the fear of the Lord, you must first make an effort to meditate upon the Bible. In addition, you must set your heart and mind upon the things of God. Next you need to ask God for knowledge and understanding. Finally, you must seek after that which you desire to obtain. It is not enough to simply ask for it, but you must seek after it also.

When the servant of Abraham was seeking a wife for Isaac, he asked of God for a miracle to help him know the one whom God had chosen for Isaac. However, the servant of Abraham had to act upon the request and actually ask the young virgins to give him a drink of water. The servant of Abraham had to actively seek the will of the Lord after he had already asked.

When Gideon was pursuing the will of God, he asked the Lord to perform a miracle regarding the fleeces. However, what good would the request of Gideon have been had he not put the fleece out each night? Gideon had asked God for a miracle, but he had to also act upon that request by following through on his part by putting the fleece out.

It seems so easy to ask and seek, but that is the problem with most Christians today, they are willing to ask God to perform a miracle, but they are unwilling to do what it takes to step out in faith. Peter asked Jesus to call him to walk on water, but once Jesus said come, Peter still had to step out of the boat and put all of his weight upon the water.

Many Christians are not afraid to ask God for something because they really do not expect God to give it to them anyways. However, they are not willing to actively seek to put action to their faith because they are afraid of what others might think if they do not find what they set out to look for. It is because of this lack of asking and seeking that the world is not impressed by the light of Christians. The world does not see any real power in our God and as such, they have no incentive to turn from their wicked ways and to ask Jesus Christ to be their personal Savior.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded us that we are to ask, seek, and knock. It is not enough to just ask, we must ask, we must seek, and we must knock. If we desire to obtain the promises of God, it is not enough to know where to look, appreciate the value of the promise of God and ask for it; we also must understand those things that God desires us to do in order to obtain it.

You can understand the fear of the Lord; God will reveal it to you. You can find the knowledge of God; God will guide you so that you can find it. A person who sits on the couch all day watching television is not very likely to earn a million dollars. So likewise, a Christian is not very likely to obtain knowledge of the ways of God if they do actively open up the word of God and try to hear HIS still small voice. The promises of God are available to you if you will only follow HIS directions in doing what is required of you in order to obtain the promises.

Matthew 26:35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Peter made a statement that he was not able to perform. Jesus had told Peter that before the cock crowed three times, Peter would deny HIM. In a fashion typical for Peter, he boldly stated that there was no way that he was going to deny Christ. We all know how the story turns out, Peter ended up denying Jesus three times.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4 we are told that charity vaunteth not itself. Vaunt means to brag and that is exactly what Peter was doing. Peter was bragging about something he could do by his own strength. Peter learned a very important lesson that night that one must rely upon God and not upon their own strength. When Peter was in the garden with Jesus, Jesus asked the disciples why they could not pray with him for an hour. Jesus proclaimed that they were to watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.

Upon the resurrection of Jesus, HE took Peter aside and asked him three times whether Peter loved HIM. Peter had bragged about his ability to resist temptation and this bragging had demonstrated a lack of love to Jesus. Instead of bragging about what he could do in his own strength, Peter needed to demonstrate his love for Jesus by asking HIM what he could do to avoid this temptation. Peter had yet to understand that it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. Peter needed to learn how to not rely upon his own understanding.

Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentile by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

Paul and Barnabas had come to Jerusalem because there were men who were preaching that the gentiles needed to be circumcised before they could be saved. Many Pharisees immediately started to argue that Paul and Barnabas were wrong and that circumcision was a vital part of the salvation process. Peter then stood up and he reminded everyone of the vision that God had given him and the work that God did in the life of Cornelius.

Peter had a personal testimony of exactly how God worked through him to reach Cornelius. Peter knew that Cornelius was saved and he also knew that circumcision was not required by God in order for the Holy Spirit to descend upon Cornelius and his family. The point Peter made was simple, if God desired circumcision before salvation; God would not have sent HIS Holy Ghost down upon Cornelius.

There may be times in your life where the will of God is not perfectly clear. There may be those around you who argue one way and others who argue another way. Satan loves to cause division and tries to get you to do that which is right in your own eyes. Satan desires that you start falling back to your old nature and that you allow your own thinking to control the debate.

However, when you face a difficult decision, you need to turn back to God. You need to remind yourself of the things that God has shown you in the past and how HE has directed you through prior difficult situations. Do not be quick to offer your own opinion in a matter; instead, stop and think about what Jesus would do if HE were in your shoes.

Understanding the ways of God is not always an easy process. You must stop and take time out of your busy day to examine the ways of God so that you know the way HE desires you to go. God does not always speak to you with a bull horn; instead, sometimes you need to remove every distraction from your life so that you can hear HIS still small voice.

The church was in a great dispute about circumcision. Many people started offering their own opinion and did not take the time to think about what God desired them to do in this situation. We are often just like the Pharisees in that we try to squeeze our own opinion into the will of God for our life. As long as we put our own reasoning into the will of God, we will find ourselves making mistakes that we never needed to make.

You need to diligently add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. Satan is going to try to cause you to do what is right in your own eyes and one of your strongest tools will be your desire to please God and do HIS perfect will. If you desire to put the things of God first in your life, and to live your life according to HIS will, then you must understand HIS will and live your life accordingly. Do not allow Satan to distract you with your own worldly thinking.

Satan may be a cleaver opponent, but you serve a God who is able to help you every step of the way. As you draw closer to HIM and spend the time reading the Bible and praying; God will be able to enlighten you no matter how difficult of a decision that you are facing. Put your trust in HIM and allow HIM to guide you. God will not lead you astray, but you must learn to be patient to allow God to lead you in HIS perfect will.

Acts 13:15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch and they went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The leaders of the synagogue came to Paul and Barnabas and invited them to speak to the people. Paul was ready to be used of God and he stood up and exhorted the people.

Paul had built his life around the knowledge of the ways of God. Paul had filled his mind with the things of God so that when the opportunity arose, he was ready. Paul did not enter the synagogue with the intention of speaking; he came to the synagogue like any other Jew with the mindset that it was time to worship God. However, because the Lord knew that Paul was ready, HE pressed upon the hearts of the leaders that these were men who had something to share.

Are you ready always to share the testimony of what God has done for you? When you have taken the time to fill your life with the things of God, God can then use you to touch the hearts of those who are ready to hear the message that HE has filled your heart with. However, if you spend your time on yourself and do not take the time to draw closer to God, you will never be ready to help others in their times of need.

God has a wonderful way of opening doors for those who are prepared to be used of HIM. Paul and Barnabas had dedicated themselves to sharing the gospel with others and as a result, God opened the door for them to share the gospel in Antioch. If Paul and Barnabas had simply been merchants traveling around seeking to fill their purses with gold; do you think God would have prompted the hearts of the religious leaders to have them speak? God uses those who are ready to be used of HIM.

When was the last time someone was going through a problem and you were ready with a testimony of how God brought you through the exact same issue? If it has been a while since God has used you to touch the life of another believer, it is probably time that you start examining your heart. Why is God not using you to encourage others in the faith? Is it because you have not been spending the time seeking HIM? If you are not taking the time to put HIM first in your life, then why should HE take the time to bring people in need to you? The more time you spend on the things of God, the easier it will be for God to bring people to you because HE knows where your heart is and HE knows that HE has already prepared a message in you that will touch the life of the individual whom HE needs to encourage.

Why was it that God had Cornelius send for Peter? Because God knew that Peter would be ready to share the truth of the gospel in such a way that Cornelius could be saved. Why was it that God sent Philip out into the desert? Because God knew that Philip had a message that would touch the heart of the Ethiopian eunuch. Those who are dedicated to God see many exciting opportunities to minister unto others.

If you desire to be used of God, then you must first take the time to draw closer to God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the more prepared you will be to share your testimony with those whom God brings into your life. You never know when God is going to use you next; it is your duty to be ready so that God can use you.