Acts 9:17-20 “Then 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." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
I am no Paul and I know it wholeheartedly. I guess one could say I relate more so to Saul than Paul. At least before God changed me. I did have my own Damascus Road experience, although not near as dramatic. I did hear from Christ, although not audibly like Saul. I did have my own Ananias come pray with me but he came before my Damascus Road and not after. He came with love, not fear, but yet still out of obedience to God. I did have scales fall from my eyes but it was spiritual scales from spiritual blindness.
Like many of us, I got wrapped up in this thing called life. I allowed the cares and stress of life get me twisted around the axle to the point of breaking and break I did. I fell. I didn’t trip up… I fell. I fell past my knees and flat on my face. I laid there for almost 2 years. I could not get up. I wanted to get up, but I wanted to stay down. I had scales on my eyes and could not determine the right direction. I was deceived.
My Damascus Road experience was in Colorado overlooking Lake San Cristobal. I was on a motorcycle ride with 3 others. It really was more of a spiritual journey for me as this was the lynch pin in my restoration back to God. My Ananias had already come and had spoken God’s Word to me Wednesday after Wednesday for weeks and weeks. I then chose to step out on faith and be obedient to God’s Word even though I did not necessarily feel it inside yet. By making that decision, God began His restorative work in me that brought me to this overlook outside of Lake City, Colorado. My Damascus Road.
On September 16th, 2011 while standing at this overlook, God clearly dropped in my spirit a vision and He called it BONE. I did not know exactly what it all entailed yet. I just knew that He said there were others. Other men needed this. The scales fell from my eyes and I saw then what God was calling us to do. The message was clear.
Years later, the wife that I had almost lost because of my actions, text me at work. “Jim, when did God give you the vision for BONE?” The date was burned in my head so I immediately shot back, “Sept 16th, 2011. Why?” She replied, “I was cleaning up and found an old note I wrote on a scratch pad. I will send you the picture. Look at the date.”
So, she sent me the picture of the note. The note reads:
“When Jim returns from trip to Colorado, he will not be the same. The scales will be removed from his eyes. ALL that I have promised is about to come to pass. New husband, new home/family, new priorities, new ministries, new love. Praise me & thank me & trust me. I am God”.
The date? It was dated Sept 15th, 2011. The day before my Damascus Road. Literally, the day before God gave the vision for BONE, God spoke to my wife and said “It’s coming to pass.” The next day… it did.
While I so want to share the 2 other confirmations for this ministry, which are just as powerful, the point I am needing to make is that we don’t have to fall or be in sin to have spiritual scales on our eyes. That is the devil’s lie. We can be involved in good works, ministries, helpful things, and even be super active in our church, but have spiritual scales on our eyes and not see what God really needs us to see.
If whatever we are doing is keeping us so busy that we spend more time with it than we do with Him, we might have spiritual scales. “But I am doing God’s work and God’s Will!” Maybe so. Maybe not. Don’t let pride or spiritual scales keep you from being completely true and honest. Spending time with Him changes us. It makes us become more like Him and not the world. It makes us want to share the Truth about Him as often as we can.
The most powerful testament to the fact that we are following the Will of Christ is that we spread the Gospel of Christ. When we preach the Gospel of Christ we are being obedient to the call that ALL believers are called to do. Make Disciples. If we are not making Disciples, we are not fulfilling the call.
It really is that plain and simple.
Do you have spiritual scales on your eyes? Don’t answer that. You probably wouldn’t know if you did.
So, let’s ask this instead. Are you preaching the Gospel? Are you making Disciples? Are you changing eternal destinations?
When Saul’s scales were removed from his eyes he saw things differently. When the spiritual scales were removed from my eyes, I also saw things differently. I don’t want anything hindering me from seeing what God really wants for me or needs from me.
Do you feel that way? Are you willing to have spiritual scales removed from your eyes if they are there? Not everyone is.
Be prepared if you are. God may be calling you to something big.
Of this... I can testify.