It is written by THE SPIRIT in Acts chapter 8:
1 Now Saul was consenting to his (Stephen’s) death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Saul gained notoriety for being an enemy of the believers, especially those who were vocal about their faith in Christ. He imprisoned both men and women for their faith and trust in Christ thus he was ruining the lives of families throughout the region. He was zealous in his mission to eliminate the message of Love preached among the believers yet Jesus was not move by Saul’s actions and current path when He appeared to him on the road to Damascus in chapter 9:
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then 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?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
If there was anyone who needed to release the past, it was Saul. His malicious intent and acts were to the extreme yet Jesus appeared to him anyway. He was easily classified as a vessel of dishonor but later was to become a vessel of honor.
We must not allow our past determine our present focus and our future. As we are cleansed by The Word, our carnal man will bring up the past in order to dissuade us from moving forward toward fully purifying us and bringing us to a state of being classified as vessels of honor. By the fact that the Holy Spirit filled Paul (who was Saul) and enabled him to write what we know as 2/3 of the New Testament Epistles is a confirmation to us that no matter what our past would suggest, The Word can and will cleanse us so that we may be used for FATHER’S purpose. This cleansing caused a nature change in Saul who became Paul, from dishonor to honor.
We must not allow the old man to win the battle in our mind by bringing up the past as though our past would define our future. Let us see ourselves as FATHER sees us and move forward in boldness. Let us not be discouraged as we persist in cleansing every aspect of our being even though past thoughts and events are brought into our consciousness. Just consider that to be the dross or impurities being removed from us as the cleansing takes place, never to return to that state.