Happy Sabbath friends! We have made it through another week. Thank the Lord that it is finally the weekend. Today I have a message that I am very much excited to share with you all. I truly believe God put this story on my heart as when I was reading it this week, I could feel God’s presence within me.

We are not perfect by any means. I am sure we have all made mistakes along the narrow way with Jesus. I am sure we even have season(s) that come to mind in our lives where we fell away from God. Whatever the case may be, we are not perfect. Only God is. Today I want to share the story of Saul and how God transformed him to be renamed as Paul.

Saul was not a good man. He was as far away from God as one could be. He had a goal to destroy the church and persecute believers of Christ.

“But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now keep in mind, during this time, a man named Philip was preaching the Word of God wherever he went. God was performing miraculous miracles, like transforming the heart of Simon who once was a man who practiced sorcery. Simon was a man who thought he was someone great, who was soon transformed into a man who knew God was greater. There was also Peter and John who were sent to preach the Word of God and to pray over the new believers in Christ. All of these miraculous miracles were taking place in the midst of Saul’s murderous and evil acts against the church.

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is absolutely no way a man like Saul could be saved, right? He’s over here murdering and persecuting followers of Christ. How in the world could Jesus forgive and redeem someone like this? Well this may come as a shock to you, but the greatest miracle of all occurred…

“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s break this down…So Saul loses his sight and is blind for three days. He did not eat nor drink a thing during that time. God then calls on a disciple named “Ananias” who was in a vision of Saul’s as a man who would come and restore his sight. The part in this story that caught my eye is when Ananias says…

““Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.””
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s take a moment here…like I said before, we are not perfect. I am sure we have had moments where we messed up, or fell away from God. I can also imagine that when you welcomed Jesus into your heart, that people may have been in disbelief. I am sure some people were like “What? Joe is a follower of God? Wasn’t he at a party and getting drunk about a month ago? There’s absolutely no way”. That is the exact reaction that Ananias had when God was giving Saul a chance to have a life with God. Isn’t this story so relatable to modern day times? This story has me tearing up because I have a past that I feel a lot of shame for, and I am sure there are people out there that are in disbelief that God still loves me and chooses me each and every day despite the evils of my past. But y’all…this is the best part. God’s response to Ananias…

“But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.””
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Saul was a murderer and persecuted followers of God, and God STILL chose him and gave him a purpose! God STILL loved him despite all the wrongdoings and evils he committed. WOW! Isn’t that such a powerful reminder of how much God loves us and how His love is unconditional. This also shows us that when we give our hearts over to God, that He truly does wipe our slate clean. Amen to that! Our God is truly an amazing God. Wow…And after Ananias did as God commanded, Saul was baptized and gave his heart over to God and was transformed.

“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The story doesn’t end there…Saul grew more and more powerful and on fire for Jesus, that because of his boldness, the church that he once persecuted, was strengthened and increased in numbers. WOW.

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It gets even better y’all…Barnabas and Saul, who was renamed to Paul because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues at Salamis. They encountered a man named Elymas, who was a sorcerer, who was trying to turn a proconsul away from the faith of God. Check out what happened…

“Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭13‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The same thing that happened to Saul (Paul) when he had his conversion, was the same exact thing that happened to Elymas. Isn’t that powerful? Wow. It brings me to tears because Saul was such an evil and murderous man who I am sure many people believed he would never be saved, and yet, God saved him and used him in ways that are so powerful it just brings the presence of Jesus into your heart. This story of Saul (Paul) serves as a constant reminder that no matter what our pasts look like, that if we just give our hearts over to God and allow Him to work in us and transform us, that He can use us in miraculous ways.

Even at our worst, God still sees a purpose in us and loves us unconditionally. He is the only One who will never give up on us, even when we are at our worst.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

““Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Always remember, God is always with you through not just the good times, but the worst times too. Choose God time and time again as He will always be there to carry you out of the trenches, and make you new in Him.

Amen.