The Damascus experience.

“Saul,Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Acts9:4

The man i was talking to explained how he didn´t recognise the guy looking back at him in the mirror. It was like looking at a stranger. He didn´t understand why he acted like he did, best he could descrbe it was how he felt remorse right after having been abusive or violent to his wife. How guilt and shame over his actions would drag him down deeper and deeper until it was like he was shot by a slingshot back up in an outburst of violence over and over. Sometimes he felt like he could justify his actions, other times he felt like he was on the side watching himself unable to stop.

The stories are different but often the feeling of being thrown back and forth between shame and outburst is the same.

There is one person in the bible who stands out with a story of total change...

Saul was a violent man justified in his own actions participating in killings and dragging both men and women off to prison

Acts7:54 -8:3.

The transition begins when Saul travels to Damascus, a journey he starts in Acts9:1-2 with planning violence against the believers there.

In the following verses something remarkable happens, 3 Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul,why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”

Those moments of remorse, guilt or feeling like you are standing watching, is Jesus confronting you asking why you are doing this to Him. He will ask you to stand up and follow His instructions!

If you do as He says some things will happen for you as we see happened for Saul in the following verses Acts9.8-31....

As Saul was made blind and sent into the hands of those he came to persecute, so you will be humbled and asked to trust Him fully.....

He will send someone to walk with you like Ananais and He will fill you with His Spirit.....

Some people will doubt you but eventually, they will see the change in you as they did in Saul.....

He will let you walk beside His trusted servants, you will be trained and shaped.....

You will see the people you used to abuse starting to rise and restore....

And finally Like Saul who was also known as Paul but stopped using the first when he entered his first mission trip Acts13:9 and he started acting in the fullness of the role he was assigned, so will you be free from the past and be able to fully stand as the man God intended you to be.

The man I presented in the intro embraced his "Damascus experience" and as he said later, the man i used to see in that mirror used to be a stranger some kind of monster I didn´t recognise, now finally after years I see the man I always knew I was supposed to be, I recognise myself.

But he is not alone many have had their own Damascus experience and their lives have been turned around for good... you can be next if you listen to Christ next time He asks why do you persecute me?

By: Mike Petersen

Lord may you soften hearts and touch them, let every abuser meet you with repentive hearts,

so they can be transformed by your mercy and grace