Courage In The Mission

You are listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1534. Today's Devo is called Courage in the Mission. Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional podcast. Hello everyone, my name is Lauren Alessi and I am your host for this week. We are talking out of the Book of Acts, basically, and we've been doing it all month long. It has been the perfect segue out of Holy Week, out of Resurrection Month, basically talking about Easter. And now we're talking about Acts, because that's our mission. Just like the disciples had a mission, we as believers, we as Christians have a mission of our own. And that is why we're talking on the Book of Acts. If you have never done like a true study and like read through the book of Acts, I cannot encourage you enough. I did it recently and I was like, why haven't I done this before? It's such a good book. If it was a novel, I would read it over and over again. If it was like a Harry Potter series, I would read it over and over again. It's so good. Sorry if you're not a fan of Harry Potter. I am. So anyways, today we're talking about Courage in the mission and we are speaking out of Acts, chapter 18, verses 9 through 10. And it says this. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision. Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent. I have to say this better. Hold on guys, cuz this is so cool. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision. So again, like we said on Tuesday, Paul keeps having these awesome visions and dreams. So while he's sleeping, the Lord speaks to Paul in a vision. What is, what does the Lord say? Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So this is so crazy because again, like we spoke on Tuesday, Paul keeps having these very vivid dreams, very real visions. And he had the one of the man in Macedonia saying, come here. Obviously that was from God. And now he has a vision of the Lord speaking to him in the middle of the night saying, don't be afraid. You're having people attack you. You're having people come against you. But listen, in this city, there are people who, who are for me. Don't be afraid. You keep on speaking. Do not be silent. I am with you. And here no one's going to come after you. No one's going to attack you, no one's going to harm you. Because I have many people in the city. Sharing the message of Christ in this time was not easy. Of all people, Paul would know because not that long ago he was killing people for sharing the message of Christ. So of all people, Paul was very aware of that. And I'm sure he was getting to a point where he was just so tired of people coming against him and so tired of people speaking negatively against him and his mission. So can you imagine how electrifying this would be when you're sleeping in the middle of the night and God speaks directly to you? Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for I am with you. I don't know about you, if I heard that from the Lord, for I am with you. I think I would just start sobbing, like uncontrollably just to know. If the Lord was with me, who can be against me? Why should I be afraid? If the Lord is with me, no one is going to attack you and harm you because I have many people in the city. So just want to encourage you today through this verse. If the Lord is for us, then who can be against us? And whatever you're facing, whatever you are going through, whether it be little or small, let's just kind of reflect on this verse as if the Lord is saying it directly to us. Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent in your workplace guys, to your unsaved loved ones, to your unsaved friends, to the families in your, your schools that your kids go to, that you feel like there's just no godly people around us. I want my kids to be raised around godly people. And you just feel like I can't share the word of God anywhere. Don't be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for the Lord is with you and no one is going to attack you and harm you. Be rest assured that the Lord is on our side. And even though, let's say we do face discouragements, let's say we do face negative things that come against us, we still serve the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, so we have no reason to be afraid. Because what awaits us on the other side of this life is so much greater than anything we could experience on this side of earth. So let's not be afraid, guys. Let's work together and let's recognize if God is for us, then who can be against us? Let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you so much, Lord, that even when fear tries to silence us, when fear tries to come against us, just like Paul, God, you give us the courage to keep on speaking. Lord, forgive us if maybe we have fallen silent, God, because of fear, because of nervousness, God, because of we're afraid of what others may think, God, but just like Paul, Lord, just sort of fill our tank a little bit. God, remind us to not be afraid. Remind us to not be afraid, to keep on speaking up and stand up for what is right. For you are with us. And if you are with us, who can be against us? In Jesus name we pray. Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.