Power Up! Acts 5:17-42

When we set out to do the works God has prepared for us, we must first be empty of ourselves and filled with His Spirit! Only then will we be effective for Him.

The disciples, after being warned once by the leaders of the Jewish community not to speak Christ's name, go right back out and do it again! They are apprehended, jailed and left until morning, only to be released by an angel and instructed to go preach the gospel in the temple courts. Once again, the leaders have them arrested and brought before them. Peter's words, "We must obey God rather than men!", along with his continued insistence that Jesus is the Christ, angered the group greatly.

But before they could do something foolish, one of their own, Gamaliel, spoke words of wisdom. He said to leave the disciples alone, "For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Truer words were never spoken, and by a man who could be counted among the Gospel's enemies! The reality is that we must each, every day, submit our will to God's if we are to accomplish anything for His kingdom. Stop right now and pray to Him, confessing your sins and acknowledging your daily need for Him. Ask to be filled with His Holy Spirit, so that your thoughts, words and deeds would come from Him rather than from yourself. And go! Do the things He has prepared for you!