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Day 308, or November the 4th. Are you willing

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to obey? Our thoughts today come from Acts chapter

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9, verse 11. The Lord told Ananias, Go to the

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house of Judas on Straight Street, and ask for

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a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse.

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The risen Christ confronts Saul of Tarsus, who

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was a key figure in the death of Stephen, who

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became the first Christian martyr. On his way

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to persecute believers in Damascus, Saul is stopped

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in his tracks, and his life is turned around

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for the good. Ananias plays an important part

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in his conversion, as he bravely visits Saul

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in a house on the street named Straight. I have

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visited this street in Damascus, which runs through

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an indoor market, and which seems to have changed

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very little in two thousand years. I can still

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smell the spices on the market stalls, even as

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I read this. Meanwhile, Peter takes a giant step

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for a Jew, as he acknowledges that Gentiles are

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acceptable too. And now, today's action step.

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I love the way Ananias feels he has to warn God

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that what he's asking him to do is dangerous,

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as if God doesn't know. Following our verse for

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today, if you read a couple more verses, verses

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13 and 14, they remind us, But Lord, exclaimed

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Ananias, I've heard many people talk about the

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terrible things this man has done to the believers

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in Jerusalem. and he is authorized by the leading

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priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your

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name. Of course, the difference between Ananias

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and many of us is that he questioned God and

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then obeys. Too often we question God and feel

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we have done enough to stubbornly avoid obeying.

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Stubbornness is all too often a stumbling block

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that stunts our development in Christ. Are you

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going to harden your heart like in Psalm 95 verse

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8 and Hebrews 3 15? Or will you emulate Ananias

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and, despite some reservations, obey and grow?