And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.’ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Acts 26:14-15.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
When I conceived you in My heart, I gave you assignments that outnumber the sand. I have a fruitful and prosperous life planned for each person and it is full of goodness.
How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19.
And the amazing plans I have for you are not lonely paths, I surround you with love and compassion, I have other believers that are joined with the plan I have for you to walk the unique plan I have for them. The Church, the Body of Christ, functions as a whole as each individual member walks out his or her part together.
We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16.
So with Paul I joined others in the glorious mission of the saving of souls by the preaching of the gospel, such as Barnabus, Silas, Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy, Titus, and Lydia, but each was a minister walked in their own path as well. Never feel that you have to have your own ministry where you are in charge, you are all in charge of your own area of the vast enterprise which is the Body of My Son. There are many gifts but One Spirit, who is in all and over all.
And it was no different when My Son first revealed Himself to Paul and they had a conversation. After that My Son had a conversation with a disciple in Damascus, who then obeyed the direction and went to Paul, which resulted in a conversation between Ananias and Paul, which resulted in Paul being baptized and healed by Ananias. And you know the rest for from that day forward Paul pressed forward to follow his high calling in Christ. And he kept the faith and finished his race. He left nothing that I had for him to do undone. He finished the work I gave him to do.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
So let us go to that glorious revelation of conversation that opened the door to the miraculous in the life of the apostle Paul, then named “Saul.”
Saul, breathing threats and murder against the disciples of My Son, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if Paul found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. His intent was to destroy the lives of those who believed in Jesus as the Way, the truth, and the life, those belonging to the Way. And as he was traveling along his way to persecute the Church and put its members to death, as he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, brighter than the sun, and it was shining all around him and those who were journeying with him. And when they had all fallen to the ground, Paul heard a voice saying to him in Hebrew, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.” And Paul replied, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And My Son answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ And then My Son gave him immediate directions for the moment, “Get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound of My Son’s voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Acts 9:1-9; Acts 26:12-17.
Paul had seen My Son in full glory and the light that emanated from Heaven around Him was far brighter than the midday sun in its full strength. Many years later, My apostle John had a conversation with the risen Christ in His glory and he too fell to the ground.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw the Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” Revelation 1:12-18.
John, the beloved disciple, knew My Son well, but Paul did not. But Paul was seeking Me and he loved My Word and do you remember what I tell you in Psalm 91?
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and cause him to feast his eyes upon My Salvation (Yeshuah).” Psalm 91:14-16.
I showed him My Salvation, Yeshuah, Jesus. The Name of Jesus in its original Hebrew is “Yeshuah,” which literally means “Salvation.” And He is. Salvation in every situation.
Well, Paul was told to enter the city and there it would be told to him what he had to do. So, temporarily blinded by the radiant glory of My Son, he had to be led by the hand into the city of Damascus. But Paul cherished within his heart what he had seen and heard. He had seen into the spirit realm, I had lifted the veil, and he experienced the closeness of My Kingdom to every one of you. And later I would even take him up to the third heaven where I dwell and show him things beyond what he could describe, beyond all you could ask or imagine. And things he had seen and heard make him strong to face opposition. He knew his purpose, his mission was to enlighten those dwelling in darkness and sin with the beautiful light of life that he himself had experienced first hand.
And right after appearing to Paul, My Son had another conversation but this time with a disciple who knew Him well and was used to conversing with Him, that is, praying without ceasing. His name was Ananias. And this is the only time you hear of him in the Bible but know that he lived an amazing life, walking out the good deeds I had prepared for him in Christ Jesus since the foundation of the world. He was born for such a time as he was on the earth. Now he is with Me forever in My Kingdom, shining brightly, sharing the glory that is on Paul for with Ananias, Paul was born again and filled with the Spirit.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” Acts 9:10.
He was ready, like Abraham. Like Isaiah, “Here I am, send me!” And Jesus had a work He needed Ananias to do.
And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” Acts 9:11-12.
Jesus had it all planned out and had already introduced Paul to Ananias in a vision. But Ananias had his doubts about approaching Paul for fear of persecution.
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” Acts 9:13-14.
Many times in prayer people think they need to inform Me of things I do not know. But I am omnipotent, which means I know everything, and I am omnipresent, which means I am everywhere at once. So I know everything that is going on everywhere and even before the word forms on your lips I know your thought that is forming it.
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. Psalm 139:1-10
My Son assured Ananias that it was safe to go to Paul and that it was from Me. Ananias was doing what you should do as a believer, always make sure you are hearing from Me.
The Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine, to bear My Name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16.
Assured it was My Will for him to go despite Paul’s track record of arresting and seeing to the imprisonment and death of Christians, Ananias departed, found the place Paul was, and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Paul was overwhelmed with joy as he regained his sight, for as soon as Ananias laid hands on him there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight. Ananias then told him what to do to be saved and born again from above, and Paul got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Acts 9:16-19.
Paul would never be the same again. He was walking in newness of life. And so are you who have been saved. And that day he got filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, and later he told the church at Corinth that he spoke in tongues more than any of them. And he had more revelation than any of them as well. Speaking in tongues edifies you.
Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
And did you notice? Ananias was ready to talk and have fellowship with Jesus any time. He was not too busy to listen nor to go.
I love you. Jesus did not stop having conversations with you when He ascended back to His throne, in fact, now He is with you always wherever you are. And so am I. We are one and you are one in us. Call on Me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things you could not know. When you have glimpsed My glory as Paul did, you will never turn back, you will press forward.
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14.