"And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." -- Acts 4:29-31Car chargers, phone chargers, camera chargers, computer chargers ... it takes a lot of battery power to keep all these gadgets running. What happens when the battery is nearly drained? Performance slows way down. Our charge can also get low. How do we know when our charge is low? If our fuse is short, if we start becoming critical and accusatory with family and friends, or if our emotions are on edge, it's a good indicator that our battery is low.
When Peter, John and the early Christians were being persecuted for their faith, they didn't shrink back or complain to each other about their hard life. No. They went to the Lord and asked for boldness. They prayed and got recharged, and then they continued to speak the word of God with boldness!
This is a great reminder to us. We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to keep an eye on our "gauge." I don't know about your gauge, but around 20% charge, I start getting on edge, finding fault, and wanting to give up. By 10% I don't even remember why I'm a Christian.
Today's prayer: "God, I know I need to be continually charged and filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I get lazy and others suffer the consequences. Your Word says to be continually filled. Holy Spirit come and fill this vessel to overflowing. Grant this servant boldness. In Jesus Name. Amen."
