Aug 25, 2020
Stephen
Defending the Faith with Your Life
25th AUGUST 2020
But Stephen, overtaken with great faith, was full of the Holy Spirit. He fixed his gaze into the heavenly realm and saw the glory and splendor of God — and Jesus, who stood up at the right hand of God. “Look!” Stephen said. “I can see the heavens opening and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God to welcome me home!” [Acts 7: 55-56 TPT]
Stephen is recognized in church history as the first martyr. The first to die for his faith in Christ. Stephen is described in Acts 6:8 as a man full of God’s grace and power. He had been elected, among others, to deal with the problem of the distribution of resources to the widows among the Hellenistic and Jews. Stephen carried out his tasks faithfully, and he performed wonders and signs among the people.
Now, the world is never happy when we are carrying out our God-ordained roles with success. Thus, opposition rose against Stephen. However, Scripture tells us that the wisdom the Holy Spirit gave him, confounded them. They had no substantial argument against him. An important lesson is at play here. Most of us shy away from defending our faith because we are afraid to be asked uncomfortable questions. However, with Stephen as a perfect example, we see that fellowship with the Spirit will provide us with all the wisdom we require to counter every false statement brought before us.
The people we seek to share the Good News with are not always waiting with warm smiles and open arms. Some are waiting with distrustful eyes and cold shoulders. The Scripture for today shows us how resistant people are to hear the Gospel, to the point that they can kill. All this stems from the entrapment of the evil one over some people. Instead of this sort of reception scaring you, it should awaken in you a sympathy, grief even, to see a fellow human so lost in the darkness.
Do not be complacent when souls are hanging in the balance. Seek to draw souls into the light.
Like Stephen, we should boldly, through the Holy Spirit, mount a defence for our faith. Do not reach the end of this devotional, nod your head in acceptance, read the prayer, and go about your day like always. Begin to prepare from this very day; pray, read your bible, and apologetic books, and start looking for opportunities to share your faith with another.
You are a city set upon a hill, so climb your hill today. Shine in whatever role you are given. Be Christ unto everyone you meet and when persecutions arise, remember that the Holy Spirit is ever ready to give you utterance and anything else you need. Be the salt and the light that you are made to be till the very end. God is also glorified in this, and it is for the praise of His name.
Dear Father, please help me have confidence and assurance in the Holy Spirit as my source of wisdom from today.
Further Reading: Psalms 109:30–31
Bible In One Year: Nahum [1-] & Habakkuk [1]
