SUNDAY, JANUARY 1
Scripture: Acts 24:24-26

Acts 24:24-26 is a passage that describes Paul’s experience enroute to Rome where he faced a greedy king who was demanding a bribe. The Holy Spirit would not allow Paul to bribe the greedy king. It is interesting that in verse 25 we are given a key to the Kingly Character of Christ that qualifies us to access the spiritual nuclear option. It says, “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’” There were three things that Paul mentioned that brought the fear of God on the King: righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come. Through Christ, the blood cleanses us from all sin. The question is, what are we doing about self-control? The Greek word is eng-krat-i-ah. Eng-krat-i-ah means dominion over passion and appetite. The determination to embrace dominion to righteousness is the goal. Self-control is simply the determination that I will allow the Holy Spirit to rule in every area of my life. I embrace dominion of the Spirit exalting the God within. Are we willing to take dominion over our own life and submit it to the Word of God? If we are not, we will probably never see the fear of the Lord flowing through us. If we are, then today’s ‘Herods’ better shape up before they get shipped out.