| Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash
In Acts 9, we see the journey of Saul, who would eventually become a follower of Jesus and a mighty man of God. Saul would go through a process of becoming a follower of Jesus, and we all have to go through this very same process.
In Acts 9: 1-6 – we see that Saul was full of anger, hatred and wanted to destroy the followers of Jesus. He wanted the approval to go and to take the followers of Jesus as prisoners and bring them to jail. On his journey to Damascus to destroy followers of Jesus, a light from heaven is shown on Saul. He heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” We see conviction as the first step in becoming a follower of Jesus. We need to realize that we need a Savior and that there is salvation in no one else but Jesus.
The second step is – Conversion! Conversion means having an experience with Jesus! We must accept Christ into our lives and believe that Jesus has died on the Cross to forgive us of all our sins! This is not a program, ritual, or rule but an encounter with Jesus. This is what Saul had on the journey to Damascus.
The third step we see – is Change! Saul was changed when he had an encounter with Jesus! When Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we will be changed! We see that the Lord changed his name from Saul to Paul to show this Change. God’s Word tells us – that the Lord changes us! “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, and the old has gone, and the new has come.” We are changed because of God’s amazing grace!
Lastly, we see the Calling! In Acts 9:15, we read, “Go for Saul, is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kins, as well as to the people of Israel.” We see that God chooses us and calls us. God had a calling on Saul’s life before Saul knew the Lord! What an excellent thought God had called us before we were even saved.
Today where are you on your journey with the Lord? Are you being Convicted, Converted, Changed, or Called? We are all on the journey and must continue allowing the Lord to do His work in our lives!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the Lead Senior Pastor of the International Christian Church (ICC) at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
