INTRO Welcome back to The Morning Meditation Podcast, where we take a few quiet moments each day to read God’s Word, reflect on its truths, and prepare our hearts for the day ahead. Today, we’re in Acts chapter 4, a powerful passage that shows us what boldness looks like when the Holy Spirit fills the believer. Let’s listen in as the early church faces persecution — and turns opposition into opportunity. 📖 SCRIPTURE READING Acts 4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:31 (KJV) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 🕮 STORY Several years ago, during our first term in Africa, I stood outside a village chief’s courtyard with a few church members. We had just been told that no preaching would be allowed that day. The chief was angry — someone had told him that Christianity was a threat to his ancestors’ spirits. I remember praying silently, “Lord, give me the right words.” As we waited, a storm began to roll in. The chief’s guards hurried to bring him inside, and one of our men offered him shelter inside our small hangar style building in that village. That simple act of kindness opened the door. Within an hour, we were sitting together, talking about Jesus — the same Jesus Peter preached in Acts 4. That day, the “no preaching” became a gospel meeting under the sound of thunder. The chief didn’t get saved that afternoon, but he asked us to come back — and we did. A few months later, one of his sons trusted Christ. Acts 4 reminds me that God doesn’t always calm the storm — sometimes He uses it to open hearts. 💭 REFLECTION 1. Boldness comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter was the same man who once denied Christ, yet now he stood before rulers proclaiming the gospel without fear. True boldness doesn’t come from personality — it comes from God’s presence. 2. Prayer precedes power. When the believers prayed, “the place was shaken.” God still moves when His people pray in unity and faith. 3. The gospel still changes lives. Whether it’s a courtroom in Jerusalem or a village in Africa, there is none other name under heaven that brings salvation but Jesus Christ. Let’s not be afraid to stand firm, speak truth, and show love — even when the world tells us to stay quiet. 🙏 OUTTRO Thank you for joining me for today’s meditation on Acts chapter 4. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with a friend or post it on social media — you can find all our episodes at consfords.com/podcast. You can also sign up for our ministry updates at consfords.com/connect — and if you’d like to pick up a copy of my book That’s My Goat – And Other Missionary Stories, visit consfords.com/buy. I also want to recommend a few podcasts and radio shows that are a blessing to me and you can find links to them in the show notes.

• Always Abounding with Keith Stensas
• Bible Tract Echoes with Micah McCurry
• Gospel Voice Network Radio with Brother Oliver Araiza
• Dan Woodward’s Saturday Morning Show on WGVD in Dwight, IL.

Tomorrow, we’ll meditate on Psalms 11 through 15 — a beautiful collection of songs about faith, integrity, and God’s protection. Don’t miss it — I think you’ll find encouragement for whatever battle you’re facing. Until then, keep walking with the Lord, and remember — the world may threaten, but our God still reigns.