But Are You Converted - Pastor Clarence M. Jackson II

Devotional

Day 1: Blinded by the Damascus Light

Saul gripped warrants signed by priests, breathing threats against disciples. Dust swirled as he marched toward Damascus to shackle believers. Mid-stride, heaven’s light flashed—brighter than noon sun—knocking him flat. The persecutor’s eyes squeezed shut, his mission halted by a voice from glory. [01:13:18]

This light revealed Saul’s true condition: a zealot blinded by hatred. Jesus interrupted violence with holy confrontation. God still stops us in destructive paths—not to shame, but to redirect.

When has God halted your plans to get your attention? This week, pause when routines feel frantic. Where might Christ be saying, “Stop—this road leads nowhere”? What destructive habit or thought-pattern needs heaven’s light to interrupt it?

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground...”
(Acts 9:3-4a, NKJV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one area where He’s been trying to interrupt your harmful patterns.

Challenge: Write down a recurring struggle. Burn or tear the paper as a surrender act.

Day 2: Surrendering the Old Road

Blinded Saul groped the ground, hearing: “Why do you persecute Me?” His religious credentials meant nothing now. “Who are You, Lord?” he trembled. For three days, darkness became his teacher—no food, no sight, just raw surrender: “What shall I do?” [01:23:18]

Saul’s surrender began when he traded control for obedience. Conversion starts when we stop justifying our way and ask Christ’s way. Jesus meets our rebellion with a question, not condemnation.

Many clutch old identities like Saul’s warrants—achievements, grudges, self-sufficiency. What “papers” do you need to drop? When did you last ask Jesus, “What do You want me to do?”

“So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’”
(Acts 9:6a, NKJV)

Prayer: Confess one area you’ve resisted surrendering. Say aloud: “Your way, not mine.”

Challenge: Call/text someone you’ve wronged; apologize without excuses.

Day 3: Chosen Vessels in Unlikely Places

Ananias hesitated—God wanted him to heal Christianity’s chief enemy? Yet Jesus insisted: “He is a chosen vessel.” Saul’s zeal didn’t disappear; it shifted. The persecutor became a preacher, his boldness now channeled for Christ. [01:27:04]

God doesn’t erase your personality—He redeems it. That “flaw” others criticize? He’ll use it as a bridge. Like Saul’s knowledge of Scripture became a tool for gospel truth, your story equips you uniquely.

What part of your past feels unusable for God’s kingdom? How might He repurpose your pain or skills to serve others?

“But the Lord said…‘he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.’”
(Acts 9:15, NKJV)

Prayer: Thank God for three specific traits He can redeem in you.

Challenge: Share one redeemed part of your story with a non-believer this week.

Day 4: Tattoos and New Creation

Paul kept his scars—marks of stonings and shipwrecks became living sermons. Second Corinthians 5:17 isn’t about physical perfection; it’s about transformed purpose. Your tattoos, accent, or rough edges don’t disqualify you—they authenticate you. [01:39:28]

Conversion isn’t a makeover—it’s a heart transplant. God loves using “flawed” vessels because their cracks highlight His power. Your messiest chapters become platforms for His grace.

What insecurity have you let silence your witness? How could your scars point someone to healing?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

Prayer: Ask God to show you one “scar” He wants to use for His glory.

Challenge: Write “new creation” on your mirror; read it aloud daily.

Day 5: The Mind That Converts Motives

Paul’s conversion climaxed with renewed thinking: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). His killer instincts became missionary fervor. Motives matter—God judges why we serve, not just what we do. [01:40:40]

Jesus shifted from demanding crowns to carrying crosses. Conversion reshapes our why—from self-glory to God’s glory. Check your motives: Is that ministry role about His kingdom or your image?

When do you struggle to align your thoughts with Christ’s humility? What ambition needs surrendering to His timing?

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 2:5, NKJV)

Prayer: Confess one ambition you’ve prioritized over Christ’s mission.

Challenge: Perform a secret act of service—don’t tell anyone.

Sermon Summary

Mother-love names the shape of God’s heart. Biology alone doesn’t make a mother; sacrifice does. A mother “gives up her life” so the child can live better, lays down her happiness to put a smile on that face, and keeps loving “in spite of and not because of.” That kind of love looks like Jesus. Her willingness to stand in the pain so a child can have joy points to the Father who “made himself sad at Calvary to give us joy at the grave.” Gratitude rises for every breakfast after a sleepless night, every Christmas bought with late bills, because that picture draws a line straight to the cross.

Conversion then takes center stage. Any woman can have a baby; a woman becomes a mother when she is converted into someone who can love, guard, nurse, and guide. In the same way, a person can be baptized and yet not be converted. Salvation and conversion are not the same thing. Salvation is gift. Romans 10 and 9 says confess and believe. Ephesians 2 and 8 says grace through faith, not works. Salvation required Jesus to have an encounter with the cross. Conversion requires the believer to have an encounter with God.

Acts 9 shows what that encounter does. Saul the persecutor rides with papers in hand, but the light from heaven stops him in his tracks. A real encounter meets a sinner in the middle of the mess, not after cleanup. Jesus finds people in jail, in hotels, with a crack pipe in hand, because God catches fish before God cleans fish. The encounter then bends the knee. The voice is undeniable. Saul says, “Lord… who art thou?” Recognition becomes hunger. He knows the Lord, and he wants to know of him. Trembling, he asks, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” Surrender sounds like availability.

Finally, the encounter shifts motives. Blindness teaches a new walk by faith, not sight. Ananias’ hands open Saul’s eyes to a new assignment. God does not erase design; God repurposes it. The same zeal, the same grit, the same persuasive tongue get turned toward the Gentiles, kings, and Israel. The street credibility doesn’t get thrown away; it gets sent back to the streets with a new message. That is conversion: not a total personality wipe, but a catalytic shift in intentionality. Old things pass; all things become new, beginning with the mind of Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Mother-love mirrors Christ’s sacrifice This love spends itself for another’s life and teaches how the cross works: one becomes sad so another can be made glad. Gratitude for a mother’s costly joy becomes training in recognizing God’s heart. The reflection may be imperfect, but the outline of Calvary can still be traced in her everyday givenness. [63:41]
2. Salvation differs from conversion Salvation is received; conversion is encountered. The cross finished the saving, but the Spirit begins the re-making through a lived meeting with God. Without that encounter, confession stays thin and baptism stays wet. [70:14]
3. God interrupts sin with light The Damascus light does not wait for better behavior; it arrests motion and redirects destiny. Grace is not permissive; it is invasive, stepping between a sinner and the next wrong step. Holiness often begins with a holy interruption. [72:29]
4. Surrender asks, What do you want? Recognition of the Lord ripens into availability to the Lord. Real conversion does more than admire Jesus; it reports for duty. The question “What will you have me do?” becomes the steering wheel of a converted life. [83:18]
5. Motives shift, gifts get repurposed God keeps the wiring and changes the current. Zeal, courage, and influence are not scrapped; they are reassigned to carry the Name. Conversion turns natural strength into gospel service without sanding off the hard-won credibility that mission needs. [87:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[37:55] - Honoring Mother of the Year
[59:12] - What turns a woman into a mother
[63:41] - God made himself sad for joy
[65:31] - Motherhood and spiritual conversion
[67:52] - Salvation is gift, conversion is encounter
[70:36] - Three marks of a God-encounter
[73:18] - Stopped in the middle of mess
[78:23] - Surrender that asks for orders
[84:35] - Shifted motives, same zeal
[86:17] - Blindness and walking by faith
[87:16] - Chosen vessel to carry the Name
[89:35] - Back to the streets with a new song
[98:02] - Conversion as catalytic shift
[99:08] - New creation and the mind of Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 9:1-19 (ESV)
[Read Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, including his encounter with Jesus, blindness, and Ananias’ role in his healing.]

Observation Questions

In Acts 9, what specific actions did Saul take against Christians before his encounter with Jesus, and how did Jesus interrupt him?
How did Saul respond to Jesus’ voice, and what did he ask after recognizing Him as “Lord”? [01:19:40]
What role did Ananias play in Saul’s conversion, and why was he initially hesitant to help?
According to the sermon, what are the three key outcomes of a genuine encounter with God? [01:10:36]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus met Saul during his persecution of Christians rather than waiting for him to “clean up” his behavior first? [01:13:18]
The sermon says, “Salvation is received; conversion is encountered.” How does Saul’s story illustrate the difference between these two ideas? [01:10:14]
Saul’s zeal and persuasive skills were repurposed for the gospel instead of erased. What does this reveal about how God uses our natural traits and past experiences after conversion? [01:28:29]
Why might surrendering to God sound like asking, “What will you have me do?” instead of just admiring Jesus? [01:23:18]

Application Questions

When has God “stopped you in the middle of your mess” like Saul, and how did that moment change your direction? [01:13:18]
What area of your life still feels resistant to asking, “Lord, what will You have me do?” What practical step could you take to surrender that area this week?
The sermon says God repurposes our “street credibility” for His mission. How could your unique background, skills, or struggles be used to reach others who relate to your story? [01:29:35]
Reflect on a time someone loved you sacrificially (like a mother’s love described in the sermon). How does their example help you recognize God’s heart for you? [01:03:41]
Are there parts of your faith that feel more like “baptism but not conversion” (e.g., routines without surrender)? What would a “catalytic shift” look like in your daily walk with God? [01:38:02]
Who in your life is “on the road to Damascus” right now (stuck in sin, resistant to God)? How can you pray for or support them without demanding they “clean up” first? [01:16:49]

Sermon Clips

32s

“A mother is kind of like Jesus. The way she puts her life on the line for you ought to remind you of how Jesus put his life on the line for us. Y'all ain't gonna help me here. I know I know there are some mothers in this room, you will lay down your life for your child. If if if if it depended on your life for your child to live, you will gladly give up your life for your child to live.”

37s

“Maybe this ain't for nobody but me and Kim. There are some people in this room today who didn't find Jesus in church. And that's the problem with the church today. Church folk want to make you believe that the only place you can find Jesus is at church but can I bless you? You ain't got to find Jesus at church. Jesus is everywhere you go. If you make your bed in jail, he's there. If you make your bed in prison, he's there.”

58s

“The last thing I want to show you is that not only will an encounter with god stop you in the middle of your mess. Not only will an encounter with god make you surrender to the Messiah. Yes. But a real encounter with god will shift your motives. Somebody say, shift god. Shift. Shift god. Shift. Shift god. It will change how you operate. Yes. If you look at verses number seven all the way to the end of the book of Acts chapter number nine, what you're going to see is when Paul met Jesus on Damascus Road”

56s

“from just simply being somebody who's able to have a child and when she converts into a person that's able to care for a child, love a child, protect a child, nurse a child, nurture a child, raise your hand if you believe she has to shift, she has a transition. She has to be converted. Raise your hand if you believe that. Yes. Yes. Okay? Now, grab your neighbor one more time and say it now. It's about to get hard. The same way having a baby doesn't make you a mother, giving your life to Christ and being baptized doesn't mean you're converted. I”

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