IMPRISONED? GOD CAN BUST LOCKS AND CHAINS

God, our eternal Father, owns everything in the universe, including the locks and keys. No devil, individual, or system can unlawfully detain God’s children. If you find yourself in prison and are innocent, God is going to get you out. The Bible account in Acts 12:1-19 is a riveting testament to the power of prayer.

Herod was angry with the church and killed the apostle James and took Peter next and imprisoned him with the intention that he would experience the same fate. However, God had other plans for his life and the church prayed for him unceasingly. Peter, though heavily guarded and bound in chains, was fast asleep because of the confidence he had in the power of God to get him out of prison. In verse 7 the angel of the Lord stepped into the prison cell and shone a light on peter and struck him on the right side, which alerted him and he woke up. He did nothing but followed the instructions of the angel, which were to “rise” and his chains supernaturally fell off.

The angel instructed him to get dressed and put his sandals on, then follow him. Peter followed the instructions, thinking all the time that it was a vision. However, as they passed the different ward stations, his attitude shifted. The iron gates opened as though they were remote controlled and they went out into the street. The angel departed and Peter finally realized he was a free man. Peter was on his own to carry on with his daily life. The first thing he did was to find his brethren to tell them of his amazing jailbreak! He knocked on the door and the damsel. Rhoda believed it was Peter and was joyous and ran to tell the others he was free. However, when she gladly proclaimed he was at the door, they didn’t believe her. Peter kept on knocking, and when they open the door and saw him they were shocked. They had spent the night in prayer, yet they didn’t believe that God could deliver him. How often we pray for ourselves and others and when the answer comes, we are in disbelief. When you pray boldly, you can expect God to show up and demolish your prison walls, whether it’s physical, spiritual, or emotional. Remember to stay calm because the battle is always God’s.