What Happens When Manifestation Begins

Today we examine what happens as manifestation begins for us. The moment that changes begin to happen, we may not be aware of it. Too often, we don't even believe that it is happening - since we have been disappointed and delayed for so long (in our opinion). Let's see what happens when our prayers ARE answered:

Acts 12:6-17 (New Living Translation)

Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

⁶ The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. ⁷ Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. ⁸ Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

⁹ So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

¹¹ Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. ¹³ He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. ¹⁷ He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

See that Peter is stunned when the angel appears. The worldly situation seems completely inescapable (v6). At this stage, many people (non-believers and believers alike) will quit their journey. They will look at their surroundings (chained to 2 guards - additional guards at the door) and allow the moment to swallow them up. This is what I call the first filter. It removes about 80%-90% of the crowd on the path. The journey must be completed, whether it is by you or by someone else - God's Plan will be achieved.  God will not be mocked, and His promises for His people are going to be fulfilled. Even though He has tapped you for the journey, He requires that YOU decide to be the one who will go the full distance. 

Now let's see how manifestation unfolds. Beginning in verse 7, Peter is walking out the manifestation of his escape from not only jail, but from a trial that may have sentenced him to death. The angel comes to him and commands him to begin his manifestation (v8-11). Believe it or not, even at this point, the filtering is still going on. After leaving prison and walking into freedom, another 5%-7% will fall short. The second filter is seen in other lessons in the bible as well (see Mark 8:23-25). It is a place where the change is clearly evident, just not yet complete. 

Getting past this second filter may still not be enough. Depending on the calling on your life, still more may be required. Look at verses 12-16. Peter is out of prison, escaped from his pursuers, and he has made his way home. Now he is faced with convincing his friends and supporters who have been praying for a manifestation of his release that their prayers have been answered. This is the final step that MUST be taken for God to see His Plan achieved (in this case to strengthen the faith of Peter's supporters). Peter will stand at the gate (v13) and call until someone comes for him. Additionally, he will not stop knocking and calling until all of them see him and they can see him - and their Faith is strengthened 1000% or more.

Make sure that God can depend on you to not only walk through the manifestation, but take your success and walk further down the path until God achieves His Purposes and Plans! Let Him use you for His purposes and your manifestations will be FAR beyond what you could have imagined.

Be Persistent and Be Blessed,

Bryan