NLT | Ac 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. 3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. 10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. 11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” 13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
The successful transition from change to the reality of moving on is right here in Acts 9. Remember the first stage of change is what I call the “Ending of What Was.” With that said, you will begin to see an important truth in Acts 9. If you don’t move on and transition with the change, you could most likely miss your destiny for your entire life. You must identify what will be lost & Let Go!
Let’s look at what Saul had to give up to become Paul the writer of 13 books of the New Testament. Let’s read again Acts 9:1-2 (NLT).
1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
These two verses tell us a lot about what Paul had to give up in facing the change the Damascus road experience brought. Paul had to move on from the great favor with the Government and within the Jewish Religious Order. Paul was a real somebody! Paul was getting rid of that awful group called the Way, the Church. Paul had position and power. Then suddenly there was change, unexpected change in Acts 9:3-9 (NLT). Paul finds himself blind and in need of someone to lead him around instead of him doing the leading.
Paul begins the journey of facing the first stage of change. The Ending of What Was. Paul had a choice to move on with the change or fight it. I believe if he had fought it he would have been blind his whole life. He could have stayed Saul but it would have never been the same again. When you fight change and resist to try to keep it the same, well, it’s never really the same. Paul had to Move On. He had to walk out the transition time between Stage 1 & 2. It’s called WAITING.
Before we go any further, I have to address our inherit weakness as humans. We hate to wait. Is your life characterized by patience? Did you know that it’s a spiritual watermark of Christ? We need it in every area of our lives, but especially when change comes to our world. Do what Paul did, he waited but he also fasted. He had to make a choice to trust the Voice of God that says “I got this, just move on.” We have to learn the art of waiting calmly in God, and wait on Him to help us through the change.
We’re called to a life of endurance empowered by Christ, and accompanied by joyful thanksgiving. Let me ask the big question… When was the last time you thanked God for a sudden change in your life? Also, when was the last time you waited for what was next with your faith in the reality that God’s got this? Endurance requires patience, because the reward for today’s right choices will come, but it may take some time. Transition and moving on always takes time.
How many times have you watched someone drum their fingers waiting for the microwave to finish? Well that’s a great example to demonstrate that patient endurance doesn’t exactly come naturally. Some changes in life can in ways seem to make endurance in the Christian life seem unattainable. However, failure to patiently endure change and then move through the transition and let go of what was can have devastating affects in your marriage, family, job, relationship, church, or any part of life.
Let Go
Paul was about to let go of his position, favor and power. What do you need to let go of? Has change come and you’re still fighting it because you refuse to let go? If Paul had not let go he would have never seen his real destiny. Are you still trying to dictate to God your destiny? You think you have some special word that trumps the change God brought? You have to let go to be able to have more than you could ever imagine.
Practical Realities About Change
Here are some practical realities of why we hate change so much. Change makes us feel like we have lost control of our territory. Change causes us to think there is too much uncertainty. Change makes us feel like we are walking off a cliff blindfolded. Truth is, people will often prefer to remain mired in misery than to head toward an unknown. Change makes everything seem different. Another truth, change is meant to bring something different. But our mind screams… How different? We are creatures of habit. Routines become automatic, but change will jolt us into consciousness, sometimes in uncomfortable ways.
Change causes us to worry about failing on the other side. Change bothers us because it always brings more work. Here is the universal reality, change is indeed more work. We hate change because we fear the ripple effects. Like tossing a pebble into a pond, change creates ripples, reaching distant spots in ever-widening circles. Change will take you out of your comfort zone and may plant you in a distant land. But that land may be the fulfillment of your destiny. Change causes our minds to think of the worst, not the best. This one thing needs to change, we have got to trust God the Father and realize He is on our side. We dislike change because it never seems entirely foreseeable in our minds. It’s the unknown that change brings that really shakes us. We think that change will put my life at greater risk.
All these things are real in our mind. However, the question remains, is it really real? The other question is, have you brought the change to God to ask Him about it? Have you put your total trust in Him to lead you through the change?
Stage 2
Let’s end here this week with a peek into Stage 2 of Change.
I call stage 2 “The Exploration.” This stage can be chaotic and a bit stressful. Alright, sometimes a lot stressful. What’s out there that I can’t see? Truth is, 97% of what you face is only in your mind with no real substance or facts to back it up. We seem to always view change with a season of wild and crazy ideas of what’s coming and how bad it will be. Yes, you may experience fear, moments of confusion, times of uncertainty, levels of stress not experienced before, other moments of indecisiveness, and you may face the D word…. Discouragement. But you must learn to Transition and Move On.
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