Like their reception at Antioch, the reception of Paul and Barnabas at Iconium as described in Acts 14:1-7  was positive at first. As usual, they went into a Jewish synagogue to speak and great numbers of Jews and Greeks believed (v. 1).  Some of the Jews refused to believe and they kept things stirred up.

Paul and Barnabas spent a considerable amount of time at Iconium as God enabled them to perform signs and wonders (v. 3).  The city was split between those who believed and those who did not and among the non-believers a plot was developed. They began to mistreat Paul and Barnabas to the point of threatening to cause harm so Paul and Barnabas set out to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe (v. 6).

When faced with opposition, continue to stay positive because God will equip for the task. When God raises us up, we can expect those against us to try and bring us down but like Paul and Barnabas, we must persist even when we feel like giving up.

Many were for Paul and Barnabas but many were against them. Those against them even plotted to stone them. It takes courage to make a stand for the Lord and even in today’s world, people can try to destroy our future but kneeling in prayer is what gives us strength.

When we stand in faith and trust, we should expect miracles. Father God, we come to You in prayer today. The forces of evil tried to bring down Paul and Barnabas but with courage they persisted. Help us today to persist in standing strong for You. We pray today for Your strength, for Your protection, and for our trust in You for a brighter future. In Jesus name. Amen.

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