Marked By God: Part 4

Marked By God: Part 4 || Day 2

Acts 9:1-19 NKJV

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

This end time harvest will have thousands of John the Baptists. It will have thousands of giant killers. It will have thousands of Elijahs who will destroy the altars of Baal and rebuild the altars of God. And in line with our text today, there will be thousands of Apostle Pauls raised up in this hour. People whose lives were once so contrary to the will of God for their lives. People that, when others mention their name, they say, “There’s no way they live for the Lord now.” People who built their lives around silencing God, but now have been radically changed by Jesus and now their lives are even more loud for Jesus!

To carry the mark of God you can’t allow the life you once lived to be greater than the Light you’ve now seen.

The devil had Paul deceived into believing that he was alive for this moment to persecute Christians. The devil had Paul deceived into believing that he was alive in this moment to tear the church apart. The devil had Paul deceived into believing that this was his call in life. And Paul was doing it to the best of his ability. He actually thought he was serving the Lord as he went from city to city locking up Christians.

He thought he was doing God a service as he held the coats of the crowd that stoned Stephen to his death. The devil had him deceived and on his way to hell. However, as he went down the road to Damascus, Jesus came to Paul and a bright light shone around him. That day Paul realized how deceived he really had been. He was so grieved in his spirit about this that he wouldn’t eat nor drink for three days.

Beloved, there are some of you that the devil has deceived for a long time now. He’s had you believing that there is no hope for someone like you. He’s had you believing that because you backslid, you can never come back. He’s deceived some of you into believing that as long as you have some religion in your life, everything is good.

He’s deceived some of you into believing that you can live how you want to and still go to heaven. He’s deceived some of you into believing that the trauma that you have endured is too much for God to heal. He’s deceived some of you into believing that the life you once lived is greater than the light you have now seen.

BUT THE DEVIL IS A LIAR!

Ezekiel 18:21 says, “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

In John 1:1-5 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”