Acts 26:15

“The Lord communicated to me in a powerful manner...” The reference is Isaiah 8:11. There is no way to avoid the consequences when our Lord communicates. He consistently arrives with his authoritative presence and firmly grasps our comprehension. Have you received direct divine revelation? If it has occurred, you cannot overlook the profound and persistent manner in which it has communicated with you. Divine communication occurs in the language that is most familiar to you— not through auditory perception, but rather through the circumstances that surround you.

God must dismantle our unwavering faith in our personal beliefs. When we confidently assert, “I am aware of what I ought to do,” we are abruptly confronted with the overpowering voice of God, which exposes the profound extent of our lack of knowledge. We demonstrate our lack of knowledge about Him in the manner in which we choose to devote ourselves to Him. We worship Jesus with a disposition that is contrary to His, and harm Him through our efforts to protect Him. We advocate His assertions with the malevolent essence of the devil; our utterances may appear acceptable, but the underlying disposition is that of a foe. “He reproached them and stated, ‘You are unaware of the nature of the spirit that resides within you.’” The reference is from Luke 9:55. The manifestation of our Lord’s essence in His disciples is elucidated in 1 Corinthians 13.

Have I been engaging in the persecution of Jesus by my fervent insistence on serving Him according to my own preferences? If I experience a sense of fulfilling my obligation, but also causing harm to Him in the course of doing so, I may confidently conclude that this was not my true duty. I will not aim to cultivate a submissive and reserved demeanor, but rather a sense of self-contentment. We assume that any disagreeable task is our responsibility. Does that have any resemblance to the essence of our divine ruler— “I take great pleasure in carrying out Your desires, O my God...” (Psalm 40:8).