The Most of This Place: (Praise, Prayer and Power) {Acts 16:16-40}

By Toni S. Troxell

The Most of This Place is a book about the many places one may find themselves. Places such as waiting, conflict, or facing defeat. Acts 16:19-40 explains how Paul and Silas made the most of these sometimes uncomfortable places. For Paul and Silas their place is prison. Their journey from preaching to prison inspires the reader to never give up and to persevere. The journey of this book takes you to many places one may find themselves in the course of life. No matter where one may find themselves, The Most of This Place is a book that is inspiring and practical in its use.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490861326

Toni S. Troxell

Toni S. Troxell earned a Master of Arts degree in religion with a minor in counseling from Liberty University. She has devoted her life to the study and application of God’s Word. Her husband and family share her passion for the truth found in God’s Word. Her many years of experience in retail has given her many opportunities to share and apply the principles found in God’s Word in daily life. She hopes this book will help others walk with Christ and to stand ready when facing the enemy.

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Copyright © 2014 Toni S. Troxell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6133-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6134-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6132-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921087

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/22/2015

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1    The Place of Waiting

Chapter 2    The Place of Another’s Soul

Chapter 3    The Place of Conflict

Chapter 4    The Place of Self

Chapter 5    The Place of Defeat

Chapter 6    The Place of Action

Chapter 7    The Most of This Place: Focus

Conclusion

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Preface

Nothing can substitute the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. God’s Word is powerful, convicting, and beautiful all at the same time. For those who train by God’s Word, they find comfort, guidance, and instructions for life.

With so much to find from cover to cover, where do we start? How do we apply the Bible’s pages? This book has sought to take a small portion of God’s Word and apply it to the here and now. The Most of This Place is a book for those who find themselves at a place of loss, grieving, waiting, conflict, defeat or perhaps you are ready to move to a different level with the Lord. Some of these places are more common than others. These places can be uncertain, perplexing, and confusing. We can find ourselves in some of the craziest places, and in some more than others. We may or may not have chosen these places. However, here we are. These places may last for a short time or be major places that turn our lives upside down.

God has allowed or brought us to the place where we are now. These places can be gold mines where we gain treasure if we learn to make the most of them. God has never made a mistake by putting us in these places. If we allow God to work in and through the moment, life will produce precious, Christ-centered fruit like no other.

This book will focus on Acts 16:16-40. This beautiful passage demonstrates how one can make the most of every situation. Two questions to keep in mind while reading these pages are first, What are God’s purposes or goals in the place where He currently has placed us? and second, What are the steps, movements, and attitudes God is trying to change to align us with His? Prayerfully consider where you are at this moment, and ask God to help you make The Most of this Place.

Chapter 1

The Place of Waiting

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We had the greatest weekend planned. My sister and I were meeting in South Carolina for a weekend to catch up, laugh (we love to laugh), and have fun. It had been years since we had spent real time together, and we had planned this many months in advance. She was coming from Florida and I from Virginia. I was so excited on the morning I was to leave that I could hardly wait. The phrase hardly wait seemed appropriate, for when I got to a certain place on I-95, the traffic was dead stopped, and there I sat for three hours. Hardly wait indeed. Oftentimes out of the blue life takes a turn, and there we sit, waiting. Up and down the highway of life there is a virtual ocean of people stepping out of their current places and looking up and down the road to access the problems they have just inherited. There they sit. And the waiting begins.

Waiting is not the number-one favorite pastime of the vast majority of people. Take a trip with me a minute and ponder this thought: Have you ever wondered what would happen if one day while hiking a trail you found yourself on the same path as a bear? Could you physically lie down and wait to see if the bear would move away? That would take a bit of courage. Our first response might be to run. Remember, the bear may outrun you, and they can climb trees.

As extreme as this may seem, waiting takes courage. Anyone can run. Anyone can hide, but only the brave can stay and wait. And let’s face it; our roads are often filled with a few bears. As we venture into the book of Acts and consider the places we may find ourselves in, let’s look briefly at the word wait.

First note some synonyms for the word wait: pause, delay, halt, rest, stay, and hold up just to name a few.¹ Which word best describes the places of waiting you find yourself at the moment? Second, consider that this waiting is not an activity others want to share. Too often the place of waiting finds us waiting in solitude. Third, waiting is one of the biggest irritants known to man. Waiting, however, is a fact of life, yet no one seems to find pleasure in it. Waiting can turn the godliest of people into a totally different people. And sometimes this is not pleasant. We want to decide when and where to wait. However, God sometimes picks us up and puts us in a place of waiting that is designed solely for us. This place of waiting can come from any direction and at any point of life.

As we continue to wait, questions begin