August 11th-15th Devotional
Listen to the devotional podcast here
Day 1: The Continuing Work of Christ Through His Church
Pastor Rod reminds us that the Book of Acts, authored by Luke, is a continuation of Luke's Gospel. While the Gospel of Luke reveals what Christ did while He was on earth, the Book of Acts reveals what He continues to do on earth, but through His church, His people, the body. This continuing work is facilitated by the introduction of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us today.
The first section of Acts (chapters 1:1 through 4:4) is divided into three subsections: the fulfillment section (chapter 1), the being filled section (chapter 2), and the freedom section (chapters 3:1 to 4:4). This "freedom section" tells the phenomenal story of a lame beggar set free.
The Holy Spirit's descent on the disciples parallels the baptism of Jesus in four ways: both involved praying before the event, the Spirit of God descended on them, the Spirit took on a physical form (a dove for Jesus, tongues of fire for disciples), and both immediately began to preach. Just as Jesus went to preach in His hometown of Nazareth after His baptism, Peter immediately preached after the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, leading 3,000 people to know Jesus Christ. Both Jesus and Peter faced threats after preaching, yet miraculously escaped. This demonstrates the power and protection available when operating in the Holy Spirit's leading.
Reflection:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and continues Your work on earth through Your church, as Pastor Rod taught us. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today, enabling me to be a vessel for Your purposes and to boldly proclaim Your truth, just as Peter did. Help me to recognize Your power at work in and through me. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that Christ continues to work through me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am empowered to live out His mission and proclaim His goodness.
Day 2: The Weight of Hopelessness, Helplessness, and Aimlessness
Pastor Rod introduces us to the lame beggar who was encountered by Peter and John. This man was lame from birth and was laid daily at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for money (alms). This gate was the most used and busiest entrance, especially at 3 PM, when Peter and John were going for prayer, making it a strategic location for begging. The beggar was laid outside the temple because he was not allowed in due to his infirmity.
A significant detail is that the beggar never asked to be healed. Pastor Rod explores three profound reasons for this:
Reflection:
Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I consider the lame beggar, I recognize that there are times I, too, feel hopeless, helpless, or without purpose, just as Pastor Rod described. Forgive me for becoming resolved to current circumstances. Open my eyes to Your possibilities and grant me a vision for the future You have for me. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that I am not hopeless, helpless, or without purpose. God has a vision for my life, and through Him, I can imagine and live a different future.
Day 3: The Gaze, The Command, and The Unexpected Gift
As Peter and John approached the temple, the beggar asked them for alms. This word "ask" (ao in Greek) signifies someone in a lesser position asking someone more significant, highlighting the beggar's self-perception.
However, what happened next was truly unique. Peter and John directed their gaze at him, commanding, "Look at us". Pastor Rod explains that "gaze" here implies an intense, fixed attention, similar to how disciples gazed at Jesus ascending into heaven. This command, "Look at us," was profound. For years, thousands of people had passed the beggar, perhaps tossing money into his cup without ever making eye contact. Peter's command was an act of showing respect and making a connection, fostering trust. The beggar, expecting money, fixed his attention on them with rising anticipation.
Then came Peter's surprising words: "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk". The beggar's anticipation of money was likely "deflated," as Pastor Rod put it, only to be replaced by something far greater than temporary relief.
Reflection:
Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for moments when You fix Your gaze on me, just as Peter and John did on the beggar. Help me to truly look at You, even when my expectations are for something different than what You offer. I pray for the faith to receive Your unexpected, transformative gifts, knowing that Your grace is far greater than any material need. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that God sees me, truly sees me, and desires to connect with me. I open myself to receive what He has for me, which is far greater than any temporary solution.
Day 4: Leaping, Walking, Praising – A New Identity
What happened next was immediate and miraculous. Peter took the beggar by the right hand and raised him up. Pastor Rod clarifies that "took" (piazzo in Greek) signifies a forceful, firm grasp, not just a gentle help. This action, taking his right hand, symbolized God's favor and the restoration of the beggar back into community and worship. To "raise" him up meant to arouse him, to cause him to rise from a prone position.
The result? "Immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk". Pastor Rod emphasized that this man, who had never walked, leaped up.
His very first act as a healed man was deeply significant: "he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God". This was a place he had longed to enter but was never allowed inside because of his infirmity. Now, he wasn't just walking, he was leaping and praising God in the very place he was once excluded from. This marked a complete restoration and a new identity as a "leaping, praising, worshiping child of God".
Reflection:
Prayer: Almighty God, I pray for a breakthrough in my own life, similar to the lame beggar's immediate healing, as Pastor Rod described. I ask that You strengthen my feet and ankles, spiritually and physically, so I can leap up into the new life You have for me. Help me to enter into places I once felt excluded from, walking, leaping, and praising Your name without reservation. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that my feet and ankles are made strong in Christ. I am no longer bound by past limitations but am free to leap, walk, and praise God in every area of my life.
Day 5: Beyond Existing – Embracing True Living and Purpose
The transformation of the lame beggar from hopeless, helpless, and without purpose to a leaping, praising, worshiping child of God is profound. Pastor Rod explains that this man "went through life just existing, and now he is living". He was restored, given back his original identity, whom God created him to be, a son of the Most High God.
The beggar sought alms for temporary relief, but what he truly needed was eternal healing and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Christ's power, he found hope, strength, and purpose. Pastor Rod emphasizes that we often pursue "fleeting material solutions" when we should be pursuing "the lasting transformative power of God's grace".
Today, the Holy Spirit is still passing by, ready to fix His gaze on us, saying, "Look at me". He reaches out, not to give us what we think we need, but what only He can give: healing, freedom, and a purpose. This is our moment to turn "just existing into true living," to find ourselves "leaping, praising, and walking in the purpose he created [us] for".
Reflection:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us, through the story of the lame beggar, that You desire for us to move beyond just existing into true living. As Pastor Rod taught, I choose today to pursue Your lasting, transformative grace over fleeting solutions. Lift me up, heal my body, free my mind, and restore my soul so I can see myself as Your son/daughter and walk in the divine purpose You created me for. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that I am a son/daughter of the Most High God, restored to my true identity. I am stepping into true living, leaping, praising, and walking in the purpose God created me for.
Day 1: The Continuing Work of Christ Through His Church
Pastor Rod reminds us that the Book of Acts, authored by Luke, is a continuation of Luke's Gospel. While the Gospel of Luke reveals what Christ did while He was on earth, the Book of Acts reveals what He continues to do on earth, but through His church, His people, the body. This continuing work is facilitated by the introduction of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us today.
The first section of Acts (chapters 1:1 through 4:4) is divided into three subsections: the fulfillment section (chapter 1), the being filled section (chapter 2), and the freedom section (chapters 3:1 to 4:4). This "freedom section" tells the phenomenal story of a lame beggar set free.
The Holy Spirit's descent on the disciples parallels the baptism of Jesus in four ways: both involved praying before the event, the Spirit of God descended on them, the Spirit took on a physical form (a dove for Jesus, tongues of fire for disciples), and both immediately began to preach. Just as Jesus went to preach in His hometown of Nazareth after His baptism, Peter immediately preached after the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples, leading 3,000 people to know Jesus Christ. Both Jesus and Peter faced threats after preaching, yet miraculously escaped. This demonstrates the power and protection available when operating in the Holy Spirit's leading.
Reflection:
- How do you see Christ continuing His work through His church today?
- In what areas of your life do you need the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit to act or speak?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and continues Your work on earth through Your church, as Pastor Rod taught us. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today, enabling me to be a vessel for Your purposes and to boldly proclaim Your truth, just as Peter did. Help me to recognize Your power at work in and through me. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that Christ continues to work through me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am empowered to live out His mission and proclaim His goodness.
Day 2: The Weight of Hopelessness, Helplessness, and Aimlessness
Pastor Rod introduces us to the lame beggar who was encountered by Peter and John. This man was lame from birth and was laid daily at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for money (alms). This gate was the most used and busiest entrance, especially at 3 PM, when Peter and John were going for prayer, making it a strategic location for begging. The beggar was laid outside the temple because he was not allowed in due to his infirmity.
A significant detail is that the beggar never asked to be healed. Pastor Rod explores three profound reasons for this:
- He was hopeless: He had lived his entire life lame, begging as his occupation, and never knew another way of life was possible. He was resolved to the life he was living. Chronic adversity, mental health challenges, and social isolation are common reasons people live without hope, leading to learned helplessness and a sense that positive change is impossible.
- He was helpless: He relied entirely on others to carry him, to place him, and for his daily supplies. He had no meaningful connections with the thousands of people passing by.
- He was without purpose: He had no vision for a future different from his present despair and dependency. As Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) states, "Where there is no vision, the people perish".
Reflection:
- Can you identify with feeling hopeless, helpless, or without purpose in any area of your life?
- How might a lack of "vision" (purposeful future) impact your current outlook?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I consider the lame beggar, I recognize that there are times I, too, feel hopeless, helpless, or without purpose, just as Pastor Rod described. Forgive me for becoming resolved to current circumstances. Open my eyes to Your possibilities and grant me a vision for the future You have for me. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that I am not hopeless, helpless, or without purpose. God has a vision for my life, and through Him, I can imagine and live a different future.
Day 3: The Gaze, The Command, and The Unexpected Gift
As Peter and John approached the temple, the beggar asked them for alms. This word "ask" (ao in Greek) signifies someone in a lesser position asking someone more significant, highlighting the beggar's self-perception.
However, what happened next was truly unique. Peter and John directed their gaze at him, commanding, "Look at us". Pastor Rod explains that "gaze" here implies an intense, fixed attention, similar to how disciples gazed at Jesus ascending into heaven. This command, "Look at us," was profound. For years, thousands of people had passed the beggar, perhaps tossing money into his cup without ever making eye contact. Peter's command was an act of showing respect and making a connection, fostering trust. The beggar, expecting money, fixed his attention on them with rising anticipation.
Then came Peter's surprising words: "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk". The beggar's anticipation of money was likely "deflated," as Pastor Rod put it, only to be replaced by something far greater than temporary relief.
Reflection:
- When have you experienced someone truly "seeing" you, making eye contact and connecting with you beyond superficial interaction?
- What "silver and gold" (material solutions) might you be seeking, when God wants to offer a deeper, more transformative gift?
Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for moments when You fix Your gaze on me, just as Peter and John did on the beggar. Help me to truly look at You, even when my expectations are for something different than what You offer. I pray for the faith to receive Your unexpected, transformative gifts, knowing that Your grace is far greater than any material need. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that God sees me, truly sees me, and desires to connect with me. I open myself to receive what He has for me, which is far greater than any temporary solution.
Day 4: Leaping, Walking, Praising – A New Identity
What happened next was immediate and miraculous. Peter took the beggar by the right hand and raised him up. Pastor Rod clarifies that "took" (piazzo in Greek) signifies a forceful, firm grasp, not just a gentle help. This action, taking his right hand, symbolized God's favor and the restoration of the beggar back into community and worship. To "raise" him up meant to arouse him, to cause him to rise from a prone position.
The result? "Immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk". Pastor Rod emphasized that this man, who had never walked, leaped up.
His very first act as a healed man was deeply significant: "he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God". This was a place he had longed to enter but was never allowed inside because of his infirmity. Now, he wasn't just walking, he was leaping and praising God in the very place he was once excluded from. This marked a complete restoration and a new identity as a "leaping, praising, worshiping child of God".
Reflection:
- What "temple" (place or situation) have you been kept out of due to an "infirmity" (physical, emotional, spiritual burden)?
- How would your life change if you could "leap, walk, and praise God" in that place?
Prayer: Almighty God, I pray for a breakthrough in my own life, similar to the lame beggar's immediate healing, as Pastor Rod described. I ask that You strengthen my feet and ankles, spiritually and physically, so I can leap up into the new life You have for me. Help me to enter into places I once felt excluded from, walking, leaping, and praising Your name without reservation. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that my feet and ankles are made strong in Christ. I am no longer bound by past limitations but am free to leap, walk, and praise God in every area of my life.
Day 5: Beyond Existing – Embracing True Living and Purpose
The transformation of the lame beggar from hopeless, helpless, and without purpose to a leaping, praising, worshiping child of God is profound. Pastor Rod explains that this man "went through life just existing, and now he is living". He was restored, given back his original identity, whom God created him to be, a son of the Most High God.
The beggar sought alms for temporary relief, but what he truly needed was eternal healing and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Christ's power, he found hope, strength, and purpose. Pastor Rod emphasizes that we often pursue "fleeting material solutions" when we should be pursuing "the lasting transformative power of God's grace".
Today, the Holy Spirit is still passing by, ready to fix His gaze on us, saying, "Look at me". He reaches out, not to give us what we think we need, but what only He can give: healing, freedom, and a purpose. This is our moment to turn "just existing into true living," to find ourselves "leaping, praising, and walking in the purpose he created [us] for".
Reflection:
- Are you "just existing" or truly "living" according to God's design?
- What purpose has God created you for, and how can you step into it today?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us, through the story of the lame beggar, that You desire for us to move beyond just existing into true living. As Pastor Rod taught, I choose today to pursue Your lasting, transformative grace over fleeting solutions. Lift me up, heal my body, free my mind, and restore my soul so I can see myself as Your son/daughter and walk in the divine purpose You created me for. Amen.
Declaration: I declare that I am a son/daughter of the Most High God, restored to my true identity. I am stepping into true living, leaping, praising, and walking in the purpose God created me for.
Recent
Archive
2025
April
No Comments