Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the Brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) —Acts 12:1-3
Notice that Herod vexed “certain of the church.” He did not launch a full-scale persecution of the Church or try to arrest every person who had become a Christian. He was only after certain ones. Anxious to carry favor with the Jewish leaders, he made himself a willing tool of the devil to attack James and Peter.
The devil chose these men because they were filled with the Holy Ghost, preaching the gospel and bringing thousands into the kingdom of God. People who love and serve the Lord are a threat to the devil, and he fights back.
You too may have suffered the sting of his fiery darts. He is not after you because of who you are, but because he knows what God can do through you. He has heard your prayers and felt the deadening blows of the Word of God coming from your lips. He is afraid of you!
Lord, I thank You that those who love
You are a threat to the enemy. Lord,
humble me so that when I resist
him, he will flee. Amen.
