Wasting time.....

Discouragement. What an ugly word? But I can tell you from my own personal experience that this is the devils biggest weapon. He wants us to be discouraged because he knows once we allow ourselves to become discourage we will not carry out what Christ has called us to do.

I will confess that I have been hesitating to write. I have let the devil discourage me. Over and over again I have said to myself you do not know enough to be telling others about Christ. But God is so faithful. He does not want us to stay discouraged or not move forward in what He is calling us to do. Sometimes we just have to recognize when we are being attached and let Him move us forward. In the midst of my discouragement, I came across a man named Saul in the book of Acts. Although not much is written about the Saul of Acts, his short insertion in this book is truly powerful.

Saul hated all followers of Christ. He went to the chief priest and requested that arrest warrants be granted for all those who were preaching the word of Christ Jesus. On his way to issue the warrants, the Lord stepped in.

^{Acts 9: 3-22-
3}As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

⁵"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. ⁶"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.

¹¹The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

¹³"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" ²²Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

You see Saul was not afraid. He did not hesitate to tell others about Christ. He did not feel he needed a degree in order to preach the word. In fact, when he came against opposition he grew even stronger in Christ! Please do not get me wrong I think it is very important for us to be knowledgeable about what we tells other about Christ. But I think sometimes we get so concerned with knowledge and not concerned with we are all called to do: spread His word. He will give us the knowledge we need through His word and through a personal relationship with Him. We just need to simply follow Him and seek His knowledge. You are His ambassador. He has called you to be a light for the world. Do not be discouraged for Christ does not call the equipped, He equips the called. Always let your light shine for Christ.

Be Blessed,

Kara