God's Holy Fire: 'Boldness!'

Friday, May 16, 2025

After [the disciples'] prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
— Acts 4:31 NLT

Key Thought

I am touched by several things in the prayer of these early followers of Jesus when they were threatened (Acts 4:24-30 NIV). First, they acknowledge the sovereignty and power of God. Second, they recognize that the situation they face is the fulfillment of prophecy — they are where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to do, even though times are tough. Third, they ask God to "consider" the threats they face (Acts 4:29 NIV). However, they do not ask him to remove the threats, but rather they ask for him to embolden them to speak the message of Jesus and show his power in their ministry! No wonder the place shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit to speak with boldness. So let's follow their example and recognize God's greatness, realize we are where we are for such a time as this, and ask God to embolden and empower us to share Jesus and demonstrate his power in our lives and ministries.

Today's Prayer

O Sovereign God, our Abba Father, you know our times and the challenges we face far better than we do. But we, your children all around the world, join our hearts, and we praise you for your gracious use of your power and might. We know you have great work for us to do and have given us great tools to do it, even though we live in a time of growing opposition to our faith. So we ask that you embolden us and demonstrate your power so that Jesus is proclaimed with power and grace. In Jesus' name, and in anticipation of the Spirit's empowering presence, we pray. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of Acts 4:31 NLT — After [the disciples'] prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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