Let us pray. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison. And he smote Peter on the side and raised him up saying, Arise, arise up quickly, and his chains fell off from his hands. Acts 12:17. Through the mighty name of Jesus, I declare that the works of hell will not prevail against the works of Jesus. When others seek to use their influence to terrify and intimidate my purpose, I will all the more boldly declare the mighty works of Jesus. Like James in Acts 12, I will hold my ground and speak up even when the sword of unjust abuse pierces my life. When I find myself in the chains of despair, I will pray and meditate on your words, Jesus. I will meditate on the truths found in Acts 12 that show me that through your power, you will send supernatural deliverance my way in order to set me up and send me off into the next season of opportunity, free from the chains of man and free from their limiting beliefs about me. Thank you, Jesus, that even in the face of death, you always provide a way of escape.

In Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story brought to you by Bibleinnear. Com.

I'm Cheryl McCleom, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Here, Carrie Lawson, daughter of the notorious serial killer, BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killer's children.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be walled off, prepared. And if you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out, and they're going to be like, Nope, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you.

Here, great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a cold case expert.

As well as I.

Do.

Cops weren't even aware of it back then, so they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together.

Unless, of course.

He confesses. Listen to Zone 7 with Sheryl McClellum on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello.

I'm Bishop TD, Jake. I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms.

Close your eyes and focus on God. Picture Him as your shepherd that knows you and surrender to Him.

Each episode guides you on a serene exploration of Psalms. Thankfully calming every nerve and restless mind turning adventure that keeps you up in the middle of the night, transposing you into the safety of His arms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop TV-Jakes on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Our world is blaring with the white noise of culture, politics, and products. Don't you think it's time for a message that goes beyond the pointless chatter?

You've perfected us by that one sacrifice.

That I can.

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Death.

And escape. In our last story, Saul and Barnabas teamed up to advance the Gospel in Antioch. Saul was still learning about what it truly meant to walk with Jesus, and Barnabas acted as a brilliant mentor and friend. Now we witness the tragic end to one of Jesus' chosen 12. Violence against the church increases and the gates of hell threatened to overcome the work of Jesus to no avail, inspired by the Book of Acts.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham, and once again, you've connected with the Bible in a year podcast. We're really glad that you've joined us. In our previous episode, we heard about the spread of the gospel with more non-Jews turning to Christ because of the faithful witness of believers who had scattered throughout the Roman world. We also learned how Barnabas and Saul began to work together to disciple new believers in Antioch so that they would remain firm and strong in their faith. Today, we'll hear of more persecution and another faithful servant who dies because of his faith. The enemy of the gospel, Satan himself, is pulling out all the stops to keep the name of Jesus from being proclaimed. But through it all, God strengthens His Church and makes His name known because the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Gospel is unstoppable. Let's hear now the reading from the Book of Acts.

Herod watched as homes burned in the distance. Piers of flames pierced the cold, dark night. Herod's cruel smirk was illuminated by the light of burning houses. As men and women ran out of the burning buildings to escape death, they were captured by Herod's guards and thrown into prison. He was sick of Jesus' name, continuing to challenge his power. The keepers of his words were the only thing standing between him and control. He needed them to die. He needed the city streets to run red with the blood of Christians so that all would know that Herod was King, not Jesus. James gaced upon the ruin, screams of his brothers and sisters rang like bells throughout the city. His heart broke for them. The next morning, James stood boldly in front of the palace, declaring that there is healing in the name of Jesus. He focused on the restoring work of Christ, how even in the most brutal of circumstances, the name of Jesus would live on and save. As James preached, he could see Herod's guards standing at a distance. On the other end were scowling Jews, awaiting his demise. James stepped forward and looked them in the eye.

He did not call for them to be damned. He did not ask for fire to be called down from heaven. He simply proclaimed the love of God. Then before the entire city, Herod's guards walked up to James and shoved a blade into his stomach. The Herodian soldiers left James to bleed in the city streets. James gasped for air, unable to catch any oxygen as blood filled his lungs. The corners of his eyes began to darken and James remembered the words of Jesus years ago. Are you prepared to drink the cup that I am about to drink? James, still writhing in pain, gave a brief smile. Jesus had asked if James was willing to die for the sake of others. Back then, James did not understand what he meant, but now as his blood ran like a river through the cobblestone, James understood. He closed his eyes, praying for God to embrace him. And in that moment, James exhaled his last breath on Earth and inhaled into eternity. The persecution of Herod did not cease. There was hysteria in the streets and flames lit up the night for weeks. Peter was brought to the ground by several of Herod's guards.

They struggled on the ash and stone, but Peter was eventually brought back to prison. Four squads of soldiers were responsible for watching him since the last time he had escaped. So Peter sat in the cold, wet cell. The only sound was the constant drip of water echoing and the silent whispers of Peter's prayers to God. The sun had set and it was about time for Peter to be taken before Herod. For days now the two guards had come into his cell to beat him. Peter sat in the corner of his cell. His cheeks were split open by clubs and his ribs were cracked under the large fist of drunken soldiers. Yet Peter continued to pray for deliverance, and only hours before he was to appear before Herod to be judged, he heard the sound of chains cracking. Peter looked down to see if his chains had been removed. He looked up and saw a light shining through the cell. It was an angel of the Lord. Arise, the angel said. Be quick and dress yourself. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me. Peter did not ask questions. He draped his hood over his head and moved through the prison halls.

It was damp and dark, but the light of the angel lit Peter's path so he would not stumble. As Peter followed the angel past the second guard, he could not help but wonder if he was dreaming. However, Peter was quickly proven wrong as he stood at the large iron gate that separated the prison from the outside. He looked down at the locks on the gate and they were left wide open. Peter walked right through and went to visit Mary and John. Weeks later, Herod sat upon his throne listening to the forced praises of his servants. He had them sing before him with words of worship. The voice of a God, they sang. The voice of a God and not a man. Herod settled into his throne as he drifted away to the sweet voices of his servants. But he was eventually struck down because there would be no robbing God of his glory. Eventually, Barnabas returned to Jerusalem with Saul. So the word of God increased and and the gates of hell could not prevail against the work of Jesus.

As today's scripture unfolds, we find Herod turning up the heat on the followers of Jesus. He was determined to stop the church from growing anymore and had begun to lay hands on the disciples, not just threatening them, but bringing violence upon them. Among his first victims was one of Jesus' own apostles, James, the brother of John, was put to death by the sword. What Herod did not understand was that even in the act of killing James, Herod was giving him an even greater reward. This faithful servant of Jesus was welcomed into the arms of the savior because he had fought the good fight of faith and died then as a martyr. When a believer dies, the Christian goes straight into the presence of the Lord. For the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But of course, those who are left behind, family, friends, loved ones, we grieve. That's what happened when James died. The believers who knew and loved James saw this as a tragic loss, and it was in so many ways. But they could take comfort in knowing that their brother was with the Lord and rejoice as they did when they faced imprisonment and beatings.

Rejoice because they knew that James was counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ, and so if necessary, would they. Herod, on the other hand, saw only that killing James was pleasing to the Jews, so he also seized Peter and had him thrown into prison. There, Peter was kept under close guard. Herod intended to bring him out before the people after the Passover, surely to face a similar fate to James. But as Peter set alone in his cell, he was really not alone. He was supported by the church and the prayers of God's people. Acts 12:5 says this, So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Some might hear this and think they prayed because there was nothing else to do, but that would be a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding of the power of prayer. The church prayed not as a last resort, but as a powerful weapon against the enemy. Prayer is our first option, not our last chance. This was not a desperate act of hopeless people. It was the humble, faithful act of God's people as they prayed for Peter. With the prayer, they brought their request for Peter before God because God was the only one who could really deliver him.

Did God ever come through? The walls of the prison and the chains on Peter's wrists were no match for his power. As Peter slept between two guards the night before Herod was about to bring him out on trial, the Lord sent an angel who awakened Peter and told him to get up. Peter watched as the chains fell from his hands. The angel told him to dress himself and wrap his cloak around his body. Peter followed the angel as they walked right out of the cell. The prison doors were opening for them. At first, Peter thought he was having a dream or a vision. But as they reached the street, the angel departed and Peter knew he was not dreaming. He was free. God had answered the prayers of his people and delivered Peter from Herod and those who wanted to kill him. Peter went immediately to see John Mark and his mother, Mary, where believers were gathered, their prey. At first, they couldn't believe that God had answered their prayer. They couldn't believe that it was Peter actually knocking at the door. They didn't open the door, but finally they did. I can only imagine the joy that they experienced together as they saw the answer to their prayer.

Simon Peter delivered standing right in front of them. Today's scripture reminds us of the mighty power of prayer and that through prayer, God may choose to deliver us from the most dire of circumstances that seem totally hopeless. Yet we trust the will of God in all of this when we pray. As we just heard at the beginning of this reading, James, the Great Apostle, died for the cause of the Gospel, yet Peter was delivered. None of this really is understandable this side of eternity, but we can trust the purposes of God and know that he is sovereignly working all things together for good and for the glory of his name. Herod, when he discovered that Peter escaped, was livid and had the guards put to death. He was so convinced of his own power and importance that soon people were singing praises to him, calling him a God, and he gladly received their praises. But God sent an angel to strike him down because he did not glorify God. His reign of terror was now over and the church continued to grow and multiply. This is the power of the gospel and the power of a praying church.

Dear Lord, we thank you for this privilege of prayer, and we know that we can come to you about anything for anyone, even in the most desperate of circumstances. We pray, O God, that you would deliver us from every enemy that we face. And when we have trying times in our lives and the lives of our loved ones and friends, may we go to our knees first. May we find in you our hope and our help. And as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in this generation, Lord, make us a praying church. Help us to know that you are our strength and our help, our ever-present help in times of trouble. In Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the pray. Com app and make prayer a priority in your life, just like over 20 million people have done to this date. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know and love because by sharing this message of the word of God, you can make an eternal difference in someone's life. I want to encourage you to go to jackgrahem.

Org. That's me at jackgrahem. Org. We have resources available to you. We're also taking a trip, two trips next year, one to Israel, leaving April the first, and then an Alaskan adventure and Bible study cruise in July of 2024. You can go to our website, jackgram. Org, or Prestonwood. That's P-R-E-S-T-O-N-W-O-O-D. Org, Prestonwood. Org for information about the trip to Israel and the cruise to Alaska. God bless you, and we look forward to joining you again the next time.

This episode is sponsored by Metashare, an innovative healthcare solution.

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Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.

Come to me, boy.

You and your God.

Will crumble beneath my feet.

He beckened the giant and said.

I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts and creator of the stars.

You know, we all have giants that we face in our life. When you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

Look past.

His.

Height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.

Listen to Heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Cheryl McCleough, host of the Cold Case Podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call.

You out. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCleom on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello. I'm Bishop TD, Jake. I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop TD, Jake, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

Pray. Com's meditative prayers podcast is the best way to bring God's perfect peace into your night. Each meditative prayer helps you focus on God, fight anxiety, sleep better, and more. As you.

Close your eyes, ask God to come and have fellowship with you. Open yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask him to minister to you.

Listen to meditative prayers on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Immers yourself in the most extraordinary narrative in history with pray. Com's podcast, Stories of the Messiah with me, Rabbi Kurt Schneider. The light is in the skies, revealing the agony of the Messiah's face. In that moment, people beheld the full weight of God's judgment, release onto his shoulders. Listen to story to the Messiah. I'm iHeart Radio app, the Apple podcast app, or wherever you get your podcasts.