Acts 9:21-22, NIV

All 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?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

It's hard to imagine a drastic life change like Saul's. It proves his committment to God and the power the Lord has to change someone but at the same time, I can't help but think about this in today's context. How many people want to change but don't? Diets, habits, addictions -- they can all be conquered, but more often than not I tend to think that, when people try to change, not much time will go by before they slip back into their old way of living.

I'm glad that the change God produces in someone, if sincere, is longer lasting than a trendy diet or giving up an addiction cold turkey. But this story of Saul reminds me that this might be the exception. Without proper encouragment from the Body, new believers are often left alone and might either (a) not show any outward change of their decision or (b) slowly crumble and go back to their old ways when the difficulty of changing your entire thought process, decisions, speech, etc. proves to be too much to do "alone" with out the Body.

I'm going to pray right now for new believers, whoever or wherever they are, to have the confidence of Christ and encouragement of the Body to stick out the race marked for them.