SCRIPTURE READING: ACTS 12: 1-23
FOCUS: “After his arrest Peter was put in jail, where he was handed over to be guarded by four groups of four soldiers each. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after Passover.” (Acts 12: 4 GNB)
MEMORY VERSE: “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.” (Psalm 31: 1)
Our Focal Scripture speaks of how Herod had planned to put Peter on a public trial after the Passover. Herod not only had wicked plans against Peter; he also planned to execute his wickedness publicly. He planned to ridicule Peter publicly. He planned to put Peter to shame publicly. He planned to execute wickedness against Peter publicly. He planned to have people watch the public disgrace of Peter. The plan was for public shame.
Friend, hear me as I hear the Lord: you will not suffer any public shame. You will not suffer public disgrace. You will not be put in the news for the wrong reasons. You will not be embarrassed by circumstances that will make everyone to hear about you negatively. You will not suffer wickedness that will embarrass you publicly. You will not be put in a position where your own error or the errors of others will lead to public shame.
Peter was not particularly guilty of anything. He didn’t do any wrong, but the plan was to make him seem guilty in public. The plan was to make Peter look negative in public when he had done nothing to deserve such. Hear me as I hear the Lord: you will not be innocent and yet be made to look guilty in public. You will not be good and be made to seem bad in public. You will not be smeared in negative colours publicly.
One of the ways to sentence people to death publicly, in bible times, was to get false witnesses to speak against them. That was the strategy used against Stephen (see Acts 6). So there was a possibility of lying tongues positioned against Peter to disgrace him in public. Hear me as I hear the Lord: every lying tongue that has been positioned against you, to cause you public shame and disgrace, I shut them up by fire.
You belong to Jesus, and Satan will not prevail with his agenda of public shame and disgrace. No matter how bad things become around you, you will never suffer public shame. Public disgrace shall be far from you.
FURTHER READING: PSALM 31
DECLARATION:
- I reject public shame and disgrace, in Jesus’ name!
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