Fearless Faith

But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked toward heaven, where he saw our glorious God and Jesus standing at his right side. Then Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”

Acts 7:55–56 (CEV)

Stephen stood out in the early church. He had been assigned to care for the widows. God was using him to tell people about Jesus and perform miracles. And when people argued with him, God gave him the wisdom to win every discussion.

So, his enemies hauled him into court. Stephen was able to deliver a long speech in his defense. He showed how the Jewish Scriptures pointed to Jesus. Listening, the religious authorities got more and more upset. At the end of his speech, God gave Stephen a gift: he was allowed to see into Heaven, and he saw Jesus standing next to God. Excitedly, he shouted for everyone to look and see it, too. That was it. The whole court rushed him outside and killed him by throwing rocks at him.

Stephen was unconcerned about what happened to him. Why? If he lived, he would find joy in serving God. If he died, he would be with Jesus Christ. This hope made him fearless. It didn’t matter what people did: he would keep serving Jesus. So even as he died, Stephen called out to his Lord, and he asked Jesus to forgive his murderers.

Stephen was faithful to God and gave forgiveness to others, even when facing injustice. He stood strong and obedient to the end. Isn’t that amazing? God can give you that fearless faith, too! Ask him to give you unshakeable faith today!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. We will have no room for the Spirit if we are full of selfish desires, busy agendas, or the world’s thoughts and priorities. How can you push back some of this world’s influence today and tune in to the Spirit?

INSPIRATION

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

—Jim Elliot, missionary in the 1900s who was killed for his faith in Jesus

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Refer to the tabbed Bible references to read the passages today.

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 31:14–15

Romans 14:7–8

Philippians 1:20–21

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.