Immediately Proclaiming This One
Just as Saul’s message pierced through the familiar fog of religion, the risen Christ now shines through us to confound and awaken the world around us.
Inspired by eManna, April 11, 2025
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The heart of today’s devotional centers around a remarkable shift—one so sudden and Spirit-born that it turned a persecutor into a proclaimer overnight. Luke records Saul’s immediate preaching in Acts 9, not after years of theological training, but right after his encounter with the risen Lord. His message is stunningly simple yet boldly revelatory: “this One is the Son of God… this One is the Christ.”
There is weight behind that phrase—this One. It carried a personal and public history. Everyone knew who Saul was referring to. The Jesus of Nazareth. The One he formerly hated. The One his peers rejected. The One his heart had just encountered.
Luke intentionally uses this One twice to anchor our attention on the Person of Christ, not just His teachings or His works. Paul’s new voice wasn’t just religious reformation—it was a Spirit-filled announcement that the crucified Jesus was indeed the risen Son of God and the long-awaited Christ. And with that proclamation, Saul turned their world upside down.
A Journal Entry in the Voice of the Holy Spirit
You have encountered this One. You have beheld the glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. You know in your spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And now, you are joined to Him. His life is your life, and His message has become your testimony.
You were not called to remain silent about the One who saved you. Just as Saul did not delay, you also are empowered to proclaim. I have written My truth upon your heart. My love compels you. My Word flows from within like a living stream, testifying not to a religion but to a Person—this One whom your soul loves.
Do not wait until you feel adequate. Do not stall, evaluating your ability. I have made you My witness. You have the anointing. You have My presence. You have My words, stored and sealed within your spirit, ready to pour forth at the proper moment. As I gave Saul boldness in Damascus, I give you clarity and courage in your circles of influence.
And when you speak of this One, know that the world will be confounded, just as the Jews in Damascus were. For you are not merely arguing points—you are unveiling a Person. You are not preaching ideas—you are expressing a risen Lord. And in doing so, you become a living epistle, proclaiming with your life and words, “This One—He is everything.”
Scriptures referenced: John 1:14; Matthew 16:16; Galatians 2:20; Acts 1:8; 1 John 2:27; John 7:38; 2 Corinthians 3:3
My Prayer
Father, thank You that I don’t proclaim a system, a moral code, or a set of doctrines—I proclaim a Person. This One, who met Saul on the road, is the same One who met me in my despair and filled me with Your Spirit and life. I rest in the truth that You have already qualified me to proclaim Jesus—not by my preparation but by Your presence within me.
Let today be marked not by rehearsed words but by a quiet readiness to speak of this One. And if You so choose, may even a whisper of His name confound the wisdom of the world around me. Thank You that Jesus is not a concept I follow but the living Christ who lives in me. I trust You to express Him through me in whatever way You see fit today.
Amen.