Take Your Eyes Off the Persecution and Troubles You Are Passing Through
- Baptist Daily Devotional
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
Rev. Tse Amable | April 25 2025 | Acts 7:54-56
KEY VERSE: “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
In the preceding verses, Stephen spoke with boldness and courage, calling the Sanhedrin “stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears”. His words made the council very angry because Stephen’s message hit the target. They could not dismiss or ignore what he said. The Sanhedrin reacted with rage instead of submission to the Holy Spirit. They began grinding their teeth before Stephen finished his speech. All they could do in their frenzy was to gnash their teeth. It was not a sudden outburst, but rather a prolonged one.
In stark contrast to the council's behaviour, St. Luke noted that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God. What a difference! Stephen took his eyes off the huge stones about to be thrown at him. Instead, he shifted his focus to heaven, where he saw the Lord of glory, standing at the right hand of God. Stephen took his eyes off his troubles and focused on heaven. What he saw dulled the pains and encouraged him to hold on to the end. We are told that Jesus Christ was standing in Stephen’s vision, contrary to the more common description of Him sitting in heaven. The glorified Christ was standing in solidarity with Stephen at this moment of crisis. The fact that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit shows the source of his courage, wisdom, and power in preaching.
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
What would you do with your dying minutes with a gun pointed at your head or a cutlass ready to chop off your head? Learn from Stephen’s example not to focus on the bad things you are going through, but on the good things the Lord has already done and the greater things he will do. Focus more on the positives and less on the negatives.
PRAYER:
Father, I pray that when I am going through persecution and storms of life, you will empower me to take my eyes off the troubles and fix my gaze upon you, ready to help me through. Give me visions of heaven to encourage me. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen!
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 115: Joshua 22 - Eastern Tribes Return and Build an Altar
DAILY word study: LOOK
In Acts 7:55, the Greek word translated “look” is atenizō (ἀτενίζω), which means “to gaze intently” or “to fix the eyes upon.” It is formed from the prefix a- (an intensifier) and tenizō, meaning “to stretch or strain the eyes,” conveying a deep, unwavering focus.
Stephen didn’t merely glance toward heaven—he strained to see, locking his attention fully on the glory of God. His vision wasn’t casual; it was Spirit-directed and rooted in supernatural clarity.
Reflection:
Where your eyes settle, your heart follows. If you keep looking at the stones, fear will rise. If you look to heaven, faith will. Stephen looked up and saw glory.
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