Making Your Faith PublicSample

Praying People Out of Prison Acts 12:1-19 tells the story of some of the apostles and what happened to James (verse 2). What do you think motivated Herod to arrest Peter (verse 3)? Pleasing people and perhaps popularity. Now Peter was in a very bad situation--he was facing execution. BUT according to verse 5, what was the church doing? They were praying earnestly for him! Do you know of someone who is praying for you? Who is it and how does it make you feel? Why do you think the disciples were so surprised to find Peter knocking at the door? Was it unbelief? Was it because of weak faith? Do you believe God can do just as great things today as He did for Peter? You and I may know a person who is in a real prison today. But all of us know people who are in other kinds of prisons. For example, some people are in the prison of drug or alcohol addiction. Other people are in a prison of emotional pain because of something that happened in their past. Still others are in a prison of physical suffering. Remember, James 4:2 says: “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” Let’s pray in faith today that God will set the prisoners free. Let’s believe that people’s lives will be dramatically changed because we are praying. Pray: For someone whom you is “in prison.” Pray that God will begin breaking him out of his prison today! Go: In His teaching about the final Judgment, Jesus said He was pleased with believers who go out of their way to visit people in prison. As we have talked and prayed about setting captives free, has God reminded you of someone you should visit this week? Make time to go to that person. Encourage and pray with him.