by leaps and bounds

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:29-31).

Acts chapter three records the miraculous healing of the lame man who laid at the gate called beautiful. We would think that the entire city would be amazed at this great miracle. Surely people would rejoice to know of such a great event. However, the priests, captain of the temple, and the Sadducees completely rejected this miracle because of the fact that the apostles were teaching the people and preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. They could not stand to hear the name of Jesus preached. Besides, the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.

The next day, all the religious rulers assembled to deal with Peter and John. They commanded them not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus. Their answer was to the point, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). A genuine prayer meeting was in order.

Peter and John went back to their fellow believers and told them what had happened. Prayer began to rise to Heaven. There was no self-pity. There was no surrendering to opposition. The prayer was powerful. The prayer moved Heaven.

II Timothy 3:1-3 says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinentfierce despisers of those that are good.” Notice the phrase- “despisers of those that are good.”

The apostles were despised because of who they stood for. Peter and John had heard Jesus say, “They hated me. They will hate you.” I doubt that they were surprised by this hatred. As last day Christians, we should not be surprised by it either. As our society moves further away from the holiness of God, it will reject the name of Jesus more. As we proclaim His name, the persecution will come. We need boldness more than ever before.

Prayer went up in Acts chapter four. It was straight to the point. “Lord, see their threatenings. Give us boldness to speak your word. Stretch forth your hand.” Then the building began to shake, they were filled with the Holy Ghost. They went out and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Somehow we have to bring ourselves to this type of prayer. Resistance to the name of Jesus is ever increasing. Disrespect and hatred for His people is ever increasing. We need prayer that causes us to be filled with His Holy Spirit and gives us the boldness we need to proclaim His word to a lost world. We need prayer that causes the Lord to stretch forth His hand to do the miraculous.

In closing, business as usual will not be effective in our present situation. It is going to take much more than that. It will start with prayer that brings boldness to God’s people.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Before going to work Tuesday morning, I listened to a very interesting — yet disturbing — news report. There was a job fair held in one of our large cities. Expectations were that at least five thousand people would attend this event. Instead, only around one hundred people showed up. Immediately, with regard to our nation, I questioned, “How did we get here?”

What about our personal lives? How many of us have had times in our lives when we questioned, “How did I get here?” I believe we have all had tough times when we wondered how things could be such a shambles. Right on the heels of that first question is, “Where is God in all of this?”

You know, we try to believe. Yet, sometimes the human side of us makes it difficult for us to see through eyes of faith. Like the desperate father in Mark 9:24 we say, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” Somehow we must discipline ourselves to see through the eyes of faith.

Scripture says that God goes before us. God dwells in eternity, so He always gets there before we do. Once we get there, His promises are clear: “I will be with you. I will not fail you. I will not forsake you.”

In the present time there are events and circumstances that actually breed fear. God tells us not to fear and not to be dismayed. We are human and we will ask again, “How did I get here?” Let’s make it a practice to remember that God was there before we arrived. He went before us and He certainly will stay with us for the duration.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. (I Kings 19:21)

On February 19, 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes set sail for Mexico. His entourage included 11 ships, 13 horses, 110 sailors, and 553 soldiers. The indigenous people they would encounter outnumbered them by a 7,541 to 1 ratio.

It is reported that upon landing he gave the order, “Burn the ships.” Can you imagine how those men felt as they watched the ships burn and sink? There would be no Plan B. It was Plan A or nothing! Now, let’s go back to Elisha.

Elisha was born and raised in a region called Abel Molah. The English meaning for this Hebrew word is “meadow of dancing.” This region was the breadbasket of the Jordan River valley. Most of the farms in the valley were small. The fact that Elisha had twelve yokes of oxen indicated that he was from a fairly wealthy family.

Elisha felt God’s call to be a prophet. Although he could have spent a prosperous life in this valley, he stepped out in faith and made a definitive statement. He slaughtered his oxen, burned his plowing equipment and cooked his source of wealth for dinner. Again, there was no Plan B. It was Plan A or nothing. So it is with the important things in our lives.

Whether we are getting an education, beginning a career, or getting out of debt, the first step is always the hardest. That first step is simply making a definitive statement about our Plan A – “burning the ships” so to speak. It is no different when choosing to really follow and serve our Lord.

How did Elisha’s choice turn out? In II Kings 2:19 Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before he was taken up into heaven. Elisha’s answer was, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” Well, Scripture records twenty-eight miracles that occurred in his life. This was exactly twice the miracles that took place in his mentor – Elijah’s life. Stepping out with finality to live for God is always the best Plan A to which we can commit ourselves.

So, let’s “burn the ships” of past failure, past success, guilt and fear. Plan B will never accomplish our ultimate goal. However, God will reward absolute commitment to Him – which should be our Plan A.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting (I Timothy 2:8).

Let us define the word “disciple” — particularly “disciple of Christ.” A disciple is one who follows, learns from, and is devoted to one who is a teacher and a leader. However, a disciple does not become a disciple in an instant. There is a process involved.

Often we are “product” oriented. We like the finished product, but we don’t want to go through the process. The process can be tough, but the process of becoming a disciple is quite rewarding. Disciples are made because of the ongoing process. One component of this disciple-making process is prayer. Let us look more closely at this necessary element of discipleship.

In Matthew 6:6-7, we find these words from Jesus: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Prayer isn’t about who notices us. Prayer isn’t about how much we talk. Prayer is about spending time with our Father who will make it apparent to this world that we have spent time with Him.

We live in a fast-paced, rat race society. Prayer teaches us to do something we are not accustomed to doing: waiting. While waiting on the Lord to answer in His time and His way, strengthening and lifting takes place. Isaiah 40:31 says it beautifully, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” In waiting, we turn to God and His ability and away from ourselves and our ability.

Prayer helps us avoid the “High Anxiety” lifestyle that is prevalent today. Jesus’ invitation from Matthew 11 still stands, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This is our privilege to draw away from all of the chaos and lay our concerns at His feet.

Finally, in prayer we really get to know God. Psalm 27:8 says, “When thou sadist, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord will I seek.” Notice, we don’t just seek His hand — what He can do for us. We seek His face in order to really know Him. In order to know someone, you have to talk to them. Obviously, it is no different when it comes to knowing God.

So, if we want to be disciples, we need to embrace the process. It takes time and prayer. In fact it takes a lifetime of continuing the process.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.