The good news faces opposition because our enemy, satan, opposes Jesus’ saving grace. Satan does not want anyone to receive salvation and have their lives changed so they have eternal life. Satan cannot get at God, so he works to destroy the people He has created. As Saul began to proclaim the good news of …
Why did Saul go to Arabia after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus? Scholars think this is the area around Mt. Sinai. Luke doesn’t give us this fact in Acts; Saul (Paul) writes this himself. Galatians 1:17b I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.[1] Mt. Sinai …
God gave Saul divine revelation to Saul on the road to Damascus. Contrary to what Saul believed, Jesus is the Son of God. Saul thought he was doing the will of God by persecuting followers of Jesus. He did this because he thought they were heretics. Suddenly, Jesus confronted Saul. Acts 9:4 Saul fell to the …
God’s surprising plan for Saul shows us that He can shape and mold any person to fulfill His plan for humanity. Saul was a strict Pharisee and a persecutor of believers until he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus came as a bright light shining on Saul and his companions. Acts 9: 4 He …
Jesus intervenes in Saul’s life and radically changes him so he can fulfill the Lord’s plans. Saul thought he was doing the Lord’s work as he traveled to Damascus to persecute believers in Jesus, but he was deceived. In God’s mercy and grace, He has plans to save Saul, which will take his intervention. Acts …
I have experienced how accountability makes me better. When we are accountable to someone, we can hear the proper counsel and encouragement when we are honest about our faults. Doing this helps us fulfill the plans the Lord has for us. If we need to correct or be corrected, it should be done with love …
Has God broken into your life? I know someone who experienced God breaking into their life during a terminal illness. He was far from God until the Lord broke into his dark world and drew him to Himself. The Lord showed him what was important in life during his illness. In his illness, the Lord …
Praising God during persecution is difficult, but we can with the Lord’s help. Praise is like turning on a light in a dark room. Have you ever noticed that praising God changes the spiritual atmosphere? Instead of complaining when your day isn’t going well, praise God and see how that can change things. As I …
The enemy wants to silence believers, which has happened since the first person gave their life to the Lord. I remember meeting a pastor in Russia a few years ago who spent time in prison for passing out Christian tracks as he brought the Light of Jesus into a dark community. The enemy wanted to …
The spiritual battle is real; I experienced it personally on my first foreign mission trip to Mexico. Our mission team was building a small home next to a house where a young family with three children lived. At lunch, the interpreter told us the woman next door had previously been living with a man involved …