Acts Chapter 12. How To Overcome The Trials In Life.

How to overcome trials in life

Good Morning

Stand with me and lift up your bible and repeat after me.

This is my Bible.

I am what it says I am.

I can do what it says I can do.

I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.

Today I will learn more of the word of God.

The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.

I will never be the same.

I will never be the same.

In Jesus Name

I have a question....

Have you ever really read the Book of Acts in the Bible?

With all of the movies about the Bible that have come out in the world over the years, this would be a great one.

The book of Acts teaches us about those who had walked with Jesus, those who had been touched by Jesus, and all that had been changed by the message that Jesus brought to earth when He came as a man to live among us.

Let's spend some time in the book of Acts today and be encouraged. Turn with me to the book of Acts chapter 12 and say, “Amen” when you are there.

Let’s take a look at this chapter;

The Apostle Peter whom Jesus called “The rock that His church would be built upon” had been imprisoned by King Herod with the king thinking that he would kill Peter just as King Herod had James killed not long before.

Herod was not messing around with what he wanted to do and had 16 prison guards watching over Peter to ensure that he could not escape.

Peter was not worried about his fate; he wasn’t nervous about what the outcome would be because he was a man at peace even in a time of trouble.

The Bible says that he was chained between two guards and still he was sleeping when the Angel came to deliver him. I don’t know about you but that would be uncomfortable.

Let's read about this starting with Acts 12:5 and continuing to verse 10.

“So, Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals’. And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me’, the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the Iron Gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.”

I don’t know about you but I would be dancing in the streets a little.

Peter had been sleeping so soundly that the light that was shining through the prison cell did not wake him up. The Angel had to strike Peter on his side to wake him up.

That shows perfect peace.

Shackled to two guards and you need an angel to strike you on your side to wake you.

Now what does that teach us about overcoming things that persecute us?

If we look at what happened to a few details with Paul, there are great examples.

The two chains that were binding Peter’s wrists simply fell off when the Angel appeared. That shows deliverance.

The drama of what was taking place before Peter’s eyes was unbelievable to him and that’s why he thought he was still asleep and dreaming. That shows God’s supernatural ability.

The Iron Gate leading to the city opened by itself and they walked through it. That shows God’s faithfulness.

Once Peter was safe enough to be alone the Angel left him. That shows God’s security.

The lesson that these few examples should encourage us to know that God is able to deliver us even when we are surrounded by an army, locked in chains and secured behind Iron Gates.

It is nothing for God to meet our needs and deliver us from the trials and tribulations that come our way in this life.

What is required is our faithfulness to the Lord. Peter knowing that death was only a few days away was sleeping soundly in prison chained between two guards.

Peter knew the Lord and he was comfortable enough with what was going on that he could sleep.