Sunday, July 27, 2025
Apostle Billey.
Acts 16
23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Victory consists in being reconciled with God.
Imagine a very good family: father, mother and just one son.
As the child grows up, one day he decides to leave the house because he no longer wants to belong to this family and become independent.
And so, until several days, weeks, months, ten years later, there is no news from him.
How do these parents feel? They will feel pain. And this pain is the pain of the soul.
So what does victory mean here?
Victory comes one day when that child knocks on the door. And the mother looks and sees the child who had been gone for ten years standing in front of the door. So she opened the door, all happy, and so was Dad.
In this case, that’s victory. The child who was lost has returned.
This is what Jesus came to accomplish for us. Reconciliation with the Father. This is the real victory: to return to our Father God.
And from this victory, all other victories will be won.
Man was created in three parts: spirit, soul and body.
Why was this pain hurting the soul/heart of the parents? Because it’s the soul that manages relationships.
To win, you need to know the role of the spirit and the role of the soul.
And first of all, for the connection with God to begin, you have to receive the Word into your spirit and soul. And from there, give your life to the Lord.
So you have to commit your whole life: your will, your perception, your love, your conscience, … to follow the Lord.
And when we receive God’s Word into our inner man, it will produce fruit. So if the person’s life was troubled in the past, it will no longer be so.
So whoever accepts the word will produce good fruit: peace, self-control, joy, faithfulness, humility, kindness, love…
But whoever doesn’t know God, whoever doesn’t accept God’s Word, will produce bad fruit: adultery, anger, hatred, idolatry, jealousy, selfishness, envy, covetousness, murder, lying, drunkenness…
The Christian must walk by the Spirit every day.
When we are born again, God wipes away all our sins. And the spirit and soul must now seek God.
But the soul is always going to be a little weak compared to the spirit, the soul not very quick in the things of God because it was used to something else in the past.
For example, when it’s time to go to church, the Christian may say: “I’m tired, I’m not going…”.
But who says that between spirit and soul? It’s the soul, because it manages the material.
Beloved, consider this:
You’re being asked to choose between a million dollars and the Bible. What will you choose?
This battle within you: the soul will consider everything it’s possible to do with that million dollars. And the spirit will consider only that which glorifies God.
This is the battle between spirit and soul.
However, in reality it doesn’t have to be this way for a spirit-born Christian.
So what will enable the Christian to choose the Bible is when he sees, can perceive the immense greatness of God…
But if you can’t get that, you’ll choose money. And in the end, as soon as he’s spent it all, he’ll find himself back at ground zero.
The material is temporary, but the spirit is eternal.
Beloved, you must be firm in the way of God.
Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel to the people. And despite the fact that the Holy Spirit was in them, a difficult situation befell them.
Acts 16
23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
What would you have done in their place?
Those who don’t have the Word will start complaining.
But they didn’t. Instead, they praised God. Which means they walked by spirit.
Acts 16
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Despite the fact that the body was chained, in prison, they had understood that they were spirits.
So their spirits are not chained. The devil manipulates men with equipment.
Why did the Lord allow Paul and Silas to be put in prison?
Because there’s a dimension above physical things like prison: It’s the spiritual dimension.
Those who live in this dimension are the ones who can overcome the flesh, the principalities, Satan, the forces of darkness…They exercise their authority. Everything they do succeeds.
That’s why Jesus came into this world.
Paul and Silas did not lament. The spirit in their bodies sang. For this spirit received the Word of God, which said to them: “I am with you”.
They were in the spiritual realm. And when they praised God, they were also giving a message.
Beloved, when there’s a situation, and there’s sadness in you, that’s not a good sign. For the problem seems a reality, but there is also the reality of God.
And this is a choice to be made every day.
There will always be requests or difficulties with equipment. What’s more, the way people relate to each other isn’t always easy, and it tires the soul. So it’ll tire you out, and that’s how the oppression, depression, sadness, fear… begins.
Brother, sister, if you wanted to accomplish two things today and at the end of the day you find that you’ve only been able to do one thing, bless God and go and rest.
Be at peace in your soul.
If you were expecting $1,000 and ended up receiving $800, don’t be angry with the person, just bless God because you might not have received anything at all.
You must manage your soul according to God and not according to the soul’s own agenda.
Paul and Silas overcame the problems, and it is in this position that one is healed, delivered…Whoever acts in this way will encounter the Holy Spirit, who will direct him.
Acts 16
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
Beloved, victory is found in the spirit, whether in your marriage, prosperity, against the devil, an earthquake…
Consider this: one morning you leave the house, and your car doesn’t work. What are you going to do? You have a choice: act in spirit or through your soul.
If in your heart, it’s as if the world has collapsed, and you feel this anger inside you: we call that being in the flesh. And the devil is there, taking note to use against you some time later.
Beloved, this is all a test. You must remain calm, knowing that there is a God somewhere who is your God. He is in control of everything. You don’t let yourself be manipulated by the situation, even if you have an appointment with the president.
The love of money doesn’t have to be in our hearts, there’s abundance in God.
Paul and Silas were in prison physically, but today it’s mostly spiritually.
And many are in spiritual prisons.
What does it mean to be spiritually imprisoned?
It’s when you think it’s impossible to cope with a situation, impossible for my condition to change.
And this happens in our thoughts, in the way we see ourselves, the way we perceive things…
It’s a spiritual prison. The person will think, then confess negative things: no, that’s not possible, the doctor told me this, someone else experienced that…
But with Jesus all things are possible!
Beloved, accept no more prisons. Listen no more to the words of the enemy.
Accept what God says and you’ll see that you’ll accomplish what you must for the glory of God.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, Let Us Pray… →
Lord Jesus, my spirit, my soul and my body belong to you.
Touch my spirit and soul with Your Word.
And help me to be victorious every day in Jesus’ name.
May every spiritual prison raised against me be destroyed in Jesus’ name.
May Your Word take root in my spirit and soul.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.