A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:78 Pilgrim's Progress authored by John Bunyan, comes to mind when I read verses of scripture like this one. The path of the saint is filled with the land mines of the enemy. Some come in words of sweetness and some in bitterness, but the one who meditates on the precepts of God will endure the blessing of both.

Good Morning

Be sober and vigilant; this is a military command found in 1 Peter 5:8. The world is not a sober place, nor is it vigilant to the spiritual conflict that the apostle Peter is focused on in his epistle. The strategy of a lion is seldom one of defense, the prowl of the lion is to devour everything in it's path..Proverbs 30:30. Thus the apostle's comparison of Satan and the lion is accurate. The devil and his demons are strong on offense and weak on defense. On the other side of this, we as humans living in this fallen world are weak on offense and we are one hundred percent vulnerable to this spiritual war for our soul. The world looks good to the unbeliever, it even looks good to the weak, the immature or not fully developed believer. The flesh cannot stand against a spiritual enemy. Ephesians 6:12 and we are again commanded to fight the good fight of faith; as faith is the substance of things hoped for and faith is the evidence of things not seen. We do not see the fallen spiritual world around us and in order for us to gain hope by faith we must be able to comprehend that victory over the roaring lion is through the finished work of Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. God in His love for us gives to each of us victory over the one who hates us. Romans 8:37-39.

Acts 25

Acts 25:1-6 One person goes out of office and leaves a mess for the new person to clean up. There is little turnover of information, records are destroyed and experiences are not shared. Felix seems to have been such a man. It does not appear that Festus has any knowledge of the this prolonged grudge that the Jews have against the apostle Paul. Maybe Festus needs a Matt Dillon or Doc Holiday for backup, and we see him enlisting the help of Paul's accusers to come back to Caesarea to help him find fault with Paul.

Acts 25:7-9 A coward is known by his willingness to hide from direct conflict and action. A coward will surround themselves with opportunities that protect them from being forceful. Festus is such a person. He does not want a conflict with the Jews and desires to do them a favor that will keep them on his side. He cares very little about integrity and is willing to do an injustice on Paul's behalf. The only good thing that Festus does is that he refuses to turn Paul at this time over to the Jewish leadership.

Acts 24:10-12 The higher court of the land is Caesar's judgment seat. Festus understands Paul's statement that to be judged at all should be at this court and not the “kangaroo” court waiting for him at Jerusalem. He is also not a coward like the man Festus in front of him. He states clearly that if he has committed crimes worthy of death that he does not object to being put to death. So, based on the fact that even his accusers have not been able to prove their claims, Paul appeals his case to Caesar in Rome. Thus, not being able to make this decision alone Festus seeks the advice of his legal council and sends the apostle to Rome. In is God who directs the kings the decisions of all kings. Proverbs 21:1