We read Acts 10 in the Bible Reading plan for today. I really love this story of Cornelius! He was a "God-fearing and obedient" man! Verse 22:
22And they said, Cornelius, a centurion (captain) who is just and upright and in right standing with God, being God-fearing and obedient and well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house; and he has received in answer [to prayer] a warning to listen to and act upon what you have to say.
He cried out to God as a Gentile who wanted to know this God of the Jews and God led him to Peter! I really like how the Lord prepared Peter ahead of time so that when the request came, he was prepared to go! Our God is SO faithful to put us in position to be blessed AND a blessing! We just need to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and DO what He tells us to do! Also notice that, again, when they were born again, they ALSO received the Holy Spirit baptism! That's how it is SUPPOSED to happen! Then believers can be filled with "power from on high" and fulfill their God-given ministries! I LOVE Acts!
Then we see the power of the spoken word in Genesis. Remember when Rachel stole her father's household "gods"? Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had stolen them, said this in Genesis 31:32:
32The one with whom you find those gods of yours, let him not live. Here before our kinsmen [search my possessions and] take whatever you find that belongs to you. For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen [the images].
Now we see in chapter 35:16-19 what became of Rachel:
16And they journeyed from Bethel and had but a little way to go to Ephrath [Bethlehem] when Rachel suffered the pangs of childbirth and had hard labor.
17When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, Do not be afraid; you shall have this son also.
18And as her soul was departing, for she died, she called his name Ben-oni [son of my sorrow]; but his father called him Benjamin [son of the right hand].
19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.
It would do us all good to remember Ephesians 4:29:
29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
The words of our mouths are very powerful! Remember when Jesus merely SPOKE to the fig tree and it dried up? We need to make sure that the words we speak are things we REALLY want to take place! It's always best to speak HIS Word! Then we KNOW we'll be blessed and protected!
Shalom in Him!
