Nancy Holte

Encouraging women to grab hold of God's plan for their lives

The Apostle Paul

Did They Give Up?

There is a story in the Bible toward the end of Acts that always gives me a little chuckle, and at the same time, reminds me of God’s faithfulness. The apostle Paul had been arrested and put into jail, basically because he believed in eternal life through Christ. (This isn’t the part that makes me laugh.) Paul was given the opportunity to explain himself to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Council) but in the midst of his explanation tempers flared, Pharisees argued with Sadducees, and things got violent. Paul was, in fact, taken back to his barracks to protect him from injury or death.

After Paul was safely tucked away, God appears to him and says in Acts 23:11, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

Okay, so keep that promise from God in mind while we look at Acts 23:12-13:  “The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.”

Seriously, who does that? Call me crazy, but I think if your plan is to kill someone, and you plan to do it yourself, you’re gonna need your strength! It is not a time to stop eating and drinking! Granted, these men didn’t know about God’s promise to Paul but making a vow back then was a BIG DEAL! Like super serious! One website I read said, “There were dire consequences for the Israelites who made and broke vows, especially vows to God.”

Interestingly enough, we never hear another word about those men. Where is the National Enquirer of Bible Times when you need it? Did they die of starvation? Did they give up their quest and go out for pizza? You see, the commander in charge of the region got wind of the men’s plans and protected Paul by sending him to Caesarea to stand trial there.

But for the next two years, “the trial” morphed into frequent visits with Governor Felix who then left office – and left Paul in prison. Governor Festus took over and eventually brought Paul before him to find out what was going on. In the midst of his trial Paul appealed to Caesar and, after some discussion amongst the bigwigs, Paul was put on a ship to stand trial before Caesar in Rome. Right where God told him he’d end up.

You can read about the trip to Rome in Acts 27-28 but, suffice it to say, it wasn’t a quick little jaunt around the islands. In fact, it took more than three months. So, by now, those guys who vowed not to eat have either disintegrated in their graves or were hiding out in shame someplace. Because Paul was still alive!

The great part about this story is the truth of God’s faithfulness. I’m sure there were days when Paul thought God had forgotten about him. I mean, he sat in prison for TWO YEARS, and then endured a journey to Rome that makes Gilligan’s stint on the island look like a picnic. But God had made a promise – and he intended to keep it. God had told Paul he would preach the Good News in Rome – and Paul did.

Are you in a waiting season now? Is there something you feel God has promised to you but you can’t see how it’ll possibly come to pass? Do you feel like God has forgotten you and left you in some sort of prison? Don’t give up, friend! God is faithful! He didn’t forget Paul in prison and he hasn’t forgotten you!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Whatever it Takes

During my devotion time one day I was reading Acts 23 and all of a sudden I found myself laughing out loud. There is nothing comical about Acts 23. The story really starts in Acts 21 when the apostle Paul decides to go Jerusalem. Long story short, Paul had been persecuted and was basically fighting for his life. He’s sitting in a prison cell (for his own protection as much as anything else) when the Lord appears to him and says “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome.” (Acts 23:11)

What made me laugh was thinking that I might know what went on in Paul’s mind when the Lord appeared to him that night. Though I can’t be sure of Paul’s thoughts I think I can make a pretty educated guess.

A couple of years ago, I hit a pretty low point in my life. I’d just been told that I had some health issues that, if left unchecked, would eventually leave me pretty debilitated. The problem was that the cure wouldn’t come in the form of a “one-a-day” vitamin, or even through surgery. The cure would come through a complete overhaul of my diet that would, at the very least, require a lot more cooking on my part. I am not a cook. I can cook, I can even cook pretty well, but I’m not much of a fan of the whole process. The menu planning, the shopping, and preparing of food just seemed so time consuming that I oftentimes found myself running to the local fast food joint for a quick bite. Yes, I’m aware this is an unhealthy habit, but did you not see how stressed I get about cooking?

So, there I was, having to cook, not liking it, and giving up some of my favorite foods (a couple of food intolerances were thrown into the mix to make it even more fun.) As crazy as it may seem, this turn of events led me to a very low point in my life. In hindsight my response was perhaps a bit overdramatic but hey, I do overdramatic well. It was during that time that a woman, whom really, I barely knew, came to me and told me that God had given her a message for me.

Getting a message from God through someone else is not the kind of thing that happens to me on a regular basis, but I was in a bad spot and I know that God sent her to me that day to give me encouragement. The truth is that her message for me wasn’t all that different from what the Lord told Paul while he sat in prison. No, she didn’t tell me I would go to preach in Rome (though I’m not opposed to that idea) but she did tell me, essentially, that God had plans to use me in a big way. This was great news but do you know what I really heard that day? What I heard, and what I think Paul might have heard also, is this, “You’re gonna live!” That’s it. I had to ask my friend to write down the message she’d given me because I really wanted to hear it all but at that moment I was focused on the “you’re gonna live” part echoing inside my head.

You see, when God tells you He’s got plans for you, and you’re thinking that you might be on the road to your demise, it changes things up. It gives you a reason to do whatever it takes (in my case, embrace the whole diet change and cooking process) so that you might be ready for all that He has for you.

I don’t want to miss out on any of God’s adventures for me because I was unwilling to change something as simple as the way I eat. Is there anything God has asked you to change? Are you willing? I encourage you – make the change. You won’t regret it.