“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.” Acts 9:10 NKJV
RELATIONSHIP:
In the beginning, God created everything, and you and me. He visited us in the garden and had a personal relationship with us, a friendship with mankind. The curse of sin, which has a price tag of death, came upon the earth thanks to the devil’s trickery and changed everything. Although nothing can separate man from the love of God, sin does physically separate us from God. God created us to commune with Him and the enemy knew sin would destroy that bond. So, God created hell to punish the devil and his demons. The enemy knows it is his punishment, but he plans to take as many humans with him as possible to continue to hurt God. Because God created heaven where he can be reunited with people. Well, people needed help to overcome the enemy so God sent laws and formulas for worship and sacrifice that should point people into a position of acting in love. And the enemy attacked it over time and twisted it until it became punitive. But God so loved us that He then sent His only son, Jesus, to break the curse of sin over mankind by bringing it down into the grave, paying the required price for it, and then conquering it by rising again! Jesus ascended to heaven after 40 days. So that we know through Him we can access a relationship with The Father. God made a way to reconcile with mankind and commune and have fellowship with them again! This is GOOD NEWS.
God also created us with free will. Just as we do not want to be married or in a relationship with someone who is forced and manipulated to be in the relationship (we do not want a partner who is chained and a prisoner to us), God also wants us to freely choose Him. Or we can choose to believe the devil’s lies and go to the devil’s punishment – hell. It is our choice.
I know this sounds like a children’s story. It is simple, moral, and almost imaginative. God made it simple so that even children can believe and be saved from the wrath to come. God wishes that no one parishes. He wants us to at least give a relationship with Him an honest try – and see that He is good. He says that if you repent and seek Him, you will find Him!
Now imagine if you will what it could be like to have your best friend be the creator of the universe, all-knowing, all-powerful, having all wealth, and super generous – not like a genie in a bottle granting wishes, but a friend with mutual respect and trust and love, who is willing to use His resources to help you. He is willing to talk to you can since he can see ahead, he can prepare you, position you, and protect you from all the craziness in this world. Oh, and all that crazy? It is the enemy knowing his time is short and working very hard to destroy people and distract them from being reunited with God.
It feels like just yesterday, I was crying laying on my floor, exhausted from trying to fix the mess I made. My sin and poor choices caused broken hearts and broken friendships and broken families and despair and death… yes, I made a huge mess of my life. As I lay there with no way I could fix anything, nor could I go on like that – God reached out to me and made me feel like He still loved me and was ready to help me through it. I had tried God before and it did not seem to work out the way I expected, how could He help me this time? As I thought I realized the last time I treated Him like a genie in a lamp and not as a loving and kind Father and Friend. So I looked up and shook my fists and said – fine! Ok! I surrender! I give up and will do things your way! Things can’t get any worse. BUT!! You MUST be a real God. You MUST be who the Bible says you are! You must be an ever-present help! You MUST be the: I AM! You MUST be the God of fire shut up in my bones! I expect to see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, demons cast out, and addiction destroyed in people’s lives starting with mine!!! I expect life and relationship!
It is now years later and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS! I have seen miracles. I have heard His voice. I have experienced Him personally. Oh, and I have to also put in the work because relationships go both ways. Not works like doing good things to earn heaven – that is NOT how this works. I have to put the work into the relationship, you know like talking to Him (because He talks back), spending time with Him (because we both enjoy being in each other’s presence), reading His word (I love learning about his stories and getting to know Him, He already knows me and this is how I can learn of Him), and worshiping Him (because He is faithful and just and worthy!) You know putting the work in as in keeping up on my side of the relationship.
In this world of lies – this simple truth is hard to understand. We can have a relationship with the Father through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.
Do you want to know the truth? Be able to discern lies? Know how to figure it all out in these confusing times and have peace? The Bible says Jesus is the truth. I have experienced it and it has changed my life. I was a whirlwind of sin, promiscuity, drug and alcohol use and so much more. I was lost and I could not find my way, or find a truth, I numbed it with bad choices. Then I found Jesus, and truth while lying on my floor crying that day. He challenged me to accept Him, trust Him and follow Him and I challenged Him to be who He says He is – I found peace and deliverance from sin.
If you want a relationship with God without truth you will get the counterfeit, hypocritical Christianity that has kept some of you away for too long. You need truth and a relationship. You need to be honest with yourself and God (including honest repentance) and the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you. It becomes the two-way, interaction that your relationship with God is built on. This is why Jesus is called the truth because he is our only way to the Father.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me, through a real personal relationship, to grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen
If you have said this life-changing prayer and really want a relationship with God, please reach out to me. You can reach me in the comment section here (comments need approvals so you can use it as an email to me and I will not publish / approve it), or you can PM me on Facebook or DM me on Instagram. I do not always have instant access to my accounts, but I will respond when I check them. I would like to follow up and let you know the next steps to forming a healthy relationship.
BIBLE READING:
Dear Heavenly Father – Please give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who you are, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. Open the eyes of our understanding, please, so we may know the hope of our calling and the vast sovereignty and power of the grace of the cross. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your Word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your Word and our sound mind. And please keep us, bless us, shine your face upon us, pour your grace over us, and give us peace! And we pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Thank you! – In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
Today’s reading is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, at verse 1 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).
10 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.”
11 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. 12 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.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much [b]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 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[c] of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord [d]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.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Acts 9:10-19 NKJV
MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:
“But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” Luke 9:55-56 KJV
BIBLE DISCUSSION:
Welcome back. I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I am sure you went to church or watched your favorite internet preacher (or both). Whichever the case, I am sure you were challenged to go ye therefore! Dared to say: Here am I, Lord. Send me.
Many people dream about being used by God to cast out demons, heal the sick, and speak in front of hundreds of people and have them all moved to tears! As we read through the Book of Acts we can clearly see the personal cost that must be paid for that kind of power – moreover, that it cannot be connected to if you even perceive it as power! But it is a side effect of a deep loving relationship with God. He loves you deeply and you love Him deeply. You love Him as much as He loved you. He laid down His life for you, will you lay down your life in love for Him? Oh yes – the cost of serving God.
There is no denying that certain things come with that level of love for God – like the signs and wonders. Oh, and he reveals things and talks with you which is the highest, best thing ever – yes, spending personal time with Him is the thing we should strive for above all else. And He promises that through you, He will do great things! So exciting!
“10 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.”
Ananias was one such believer. Ananias put in the work, had the personal relationship, knew the Lord’s voice and he was living his best life waiting for the big call! And when that call came, like Isaiah, like Samuel, like so many before him Ananias says “Here I am, Lord!”
“11 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. 12 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.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
I LOVE THIS STORY and I LOVE Ananias! I bet Ananias was not the kind of guy to tell God things He already knows and probably not the kind of guy who says no to any of the assignments God gave him leading up to this point. And I am sure there were a few training sessions to prepare Ananias for this assignment. God knew He could trust Ananias.
And what I love so much is how real Ananias is with God. How he doesn’t mince words and definitely needs to make sure he heard God right on this one. This is like being told to go lay hands on Hitler, to heal him – not to lay hands to kill him!
OK, God! Here I am! Send me! – Oh wait, not there!
I know I personally have, in moments when I am enveloped in His love, poured myself out and said I am willing to do Your perfect will, send me, and make me your chosen vessel to bear Your name!!! It’s a dangerous prayer. Because what if He sends you someplace you do not want to go? What if He asks you to do something you do not want to do?
“15 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. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Paul speaks about the suffering of the Christian more than anyone else (then again he wrote more letters than anyone else) and he experienced great sufferings. Ananias is lucky that his call is just to pray for Paul while Paul’s calling is to suffer. Are you willing to answer your call no matter what it is?
“17 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.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.”
Imagine that, actual scale-like things fell off his eyes. No one saw these scales until suddenly they fell off. That is God! That is cool! As we move into a time more like the early church, we are going to see things like that more and more. But please do not be a spectator only, jump in and say to God: Here I am!
“19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.”
Let’s talk more about those spectators. The believers in Jerusalem got word about Paul’s conversion and they were spectators. While the believers in Damascus ended up accepting him and ministering to him and loving him. If Paul was converted in Jerusalem, he would have never received the love of Christ through those people – God had to get him out to Damascus where the believers were participators.
I am part of a team helping a pastor who has put out a call for prayer and fasting for the USA. I have shared it on our Facebook page. One of the things I do to make ends meet is to help manage social media for people – I am using those skills for this call. The page, according to Facebook’s data has been shown to over 1000 people and only 40 followed the page. Now, obviously, not everyone wants to fast – but they can follow to support a good cause, can’t they? As I looked at the numbers I realized – it is the very thing America has to repent from!! We watch, maybe we’ll click later, but we watch. We do not interact with posts, with services, with the needy, with missions – we give money and therefore fulfill our obligation – let the few do all the work.
Today’s reading is about two men answering really hard callings, but we cannot even click a button on the internet. It is a tough thing to do because someone might see that I liked it and ask me if I am one of those Christian Nationalists. You do not need to answer. You can ask them why they do not want to stand against evil and pray for our nation. You can say, like I say, I am proud to be a Christian, not ashamed of my Lord, and I am a patriot who loves our country. But first and foremost I am a Child of the King in His service in love for ALL people.
It just seems to fit here, as we talk about callings to show an example of exactly 1007 people who did not answer the call and decided to just watch instead.
What is also interesting to me is that the Facebook algorithm favors interaction. If people interact with a post, then Facebook shows more people. If people do not interact, then Facebook shows fewer people. People need to interact for a page like this to succeed (or for any business page including ours). The world understands and values interaction yet, it is usually the Christians who are sitting back, eating popcorn, and waiting to see. It is time to wake up and answer the call!
If you’d like to join the fast, get more information on it, or just support it and you have Facebook, just go to: https://www.facebook.com/PrayerFastForTheUSA
Please join us tomorrow as we continue to “go” through the book of Acts.
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Are you interested in learning more about fasting? Join the Facebook group, designed to be interactive and give you all the Bible verses on fasting, all the types of fasting, and how to fast! In the group are specialists to help us along the way, like the creator of The Fasting Protocol (fasting for health and weight loss; which is part of fasting and important to know about – He can also speak to fasting in a healthy manner). Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/509149707741862
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Thank you for reading in 2023 – a Year of Grace and Provision
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace. Walk in wisdom.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!
If Not For Grace 