When God Changes Your Plan (08-23-2026)

Paul’s story begins with a man who loved God, knew the Word, and still stood strong on the wrong information. Flawed truth takes hold when somebody grabs one verse, one hurt, one opinion, or one piece of information, then blocks out everything else God is showing. Saul knew that anyone hung on a tree was cursed, so he could not understand how Jesus could be the Christ. Saul’s flawed truth turned his zeal toward persecution, Stephen’s death, and a plan to throw praying believers into prison.

Prayer, however, was already doing something while Saul was riding down Damascus Road. The believers did not know their enemy was coming, but God knew. Prayer keeps people connected to God when interruptions, pain, distraction, and the enemy try to break that connection. The devil does not mind church, Bible reading, or prayer that never gets through, but real prayer changes things.

Christ met Saul with a bright light, knocked him off his beast, and asked, “Why are you persecuting me?” God’s plan interrupted Saul’s plan. Saul’s answer, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” showed that he recognized the One he had been fighting. Theophany names that God moment when God gets somebody’s attention, sometimes with a whisper and sometimes with a Holy Ghost two by four.

Christ also corrected Saul’s reading of the curse. Jesus was hung on a tree, not because He deserved the curse, but because He became a curse to take away the curse resting on sinful lives. Christ took guilt, shame, hurt, pain, and the judgment humanity deserved. Christ breaks the yoke that controls the neck, pulls the heart toward what it does not want to do, and fuels the war Paul later described in the flesh.

Testimony becomes the fruit of God changing a plan. God does not only redirect a life for that person’s benefit, but for the help of somebody else who needs to hear how God brought them through. Prayer and testimony belong together: prayer prepares people for battle, and testimony gives God glory when deliverance comes. The church is called to be seen praying, to carry one another’s pain, and to share openly what Christ has done.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Flawed truth can become dangerous. Flawed truth is not always an obvious lie; it can be a partial truth held too tightly. Saul knew Scripture, but his reading of the curse blinded him to Christ standing before him. A heart that refuses correction can use even true words to defend a false direction. [33:42]
• 2. Prayer works beyond human sight. Prayer was rising while Saul was on the road with destruction in his heart. The praying believers could not see the threat approaching, but God was already dealing with the man behind it. Prayer is not empty religious activity; it is fellowship with the God who sees the whole road. [31:59]
• 3. Christ interrupts destructive plans. Christ knocked Saul down in order to raise Paul up. God’s interruption can feel painful, confusing, or unexpected, but His changed plan is better than the plan built in rebellion or anger. A real encounter with Christ turns “my way” into “Lord, what will You have me to do?” [34:38]
• 4. Jesus became the curse breaker. Christ did not merely suffer beside human guilt and shame; He took the curse upon Himself. The yoke of sin controls people, pulls them into things they hate, and leaves wounds after the battle. Christ has power to break that yoke and set wounded lives free. [39:59]
• 5. Testimony gives others room to overcome. Testimony tells the truth about what God has carried a person through. Hidden deliverance may leave another wounded person thinking freedom is impossible. Shared testimony glorifies God, strengthens the church, and puts the enemy to shame.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [22:25] - Standing Strong on Wrong Information
• [24:56] - The Danger of Flawed Truth
• [27:43] - Saul’s Problem With Jesus
• [29:00] - Stephen and Saul’s Persecution
• [31:59] - Things Happen in Prayer
• [34:06] - Saul Meets Christ on Damascus Road
• [35:06] - When God Changes the Plan
• [39:59] - Jesus Became the Curse
• [41:33] - The Yoke and the War Within
• [45:00] - Testimony Helps Somebody Else
• [46:27] - Be Seen Praying
• [48:14] - Prayer for Healing and Freedom
• [51:29] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Reading

Acts 9:1-19
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
[34:06] [34:38] [35:06]

Deuteronomy 21:23
his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.
[28:02] [33:42] [39:59]

Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
[39:59] [40:12]

Romans 7:15-20
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
[42:52] [43:01]

Observation questions

1. What details in Acts 9 show how serious Saul was about stopping believers before he met Jesus?
2. What question does Jesus ask Saul, and what does that question reveal about Jesus’ connection to His people? [34:38]
3. How did Saul use the truth of Deuteronomy 21:23 to reach the wrong conclusion about Jesus? [33:42]
4. In Romans 7:15-20, what repeated struggle does Paul describe between what he wants to do and what he actually does? [43:01]

Interpretation questions

1. How can a person sincerely love God and still hold tightly to a flawed truth that leads them in a harmful direction?
2. Why does Galatians 3:13 say that Christ “became a curse for us” instead of saying that Jesus was cursed because of His own sin? [40:12]
3. What does Saul’s response, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” show about what happens when Jesus truly interrupts a person’s plans? [35:06]
4. What might Paul mean when he describes sin as a force at work within him, pulling him toward things he does not want to do? [42:52]

Application questions

1. Is there an area where a person may be standing strong on only part of the truth—perhaps because of one Bible verse, one painful experience, one opinion, or one piece of information? What could help them remain teachable before God? [33:42]
2. When have interruptions, distractions, pain, fatigue, or busyness made prayer difficult? What simple step could help make space to stay connected with God this week? [32:29]
3. Saul had a plan that was headed toward destruction, but Christ stopped him and gave him a new direction. Is there a plan, attitude, relationship, or habit that may need to be placed before the Lord with the question, “What will You have me to do?” [36:01]
4. Jesus took guilt, shame, hurt, and pain upon Himself. Which of those burdens is hardest to release to Christ, and what would trusting Him with it look like in a real situation? [40:31]
5. Paul’s words in Romans 7 describe doing things a person hates and then living with the consequences. Where does the “war” feel strongest right now, and who is a trusted believer who could offer prayer and encouragement? [44:40]
6. Prayer prepares God’s people for battles they may not even see coming. How could the group become more ready to carry one another’s needs in prayer—not just when there is a crisis, but regularly? [47:35]
7. A testimony of God’s help can give hope to somebody who feels trapped or wounded. What is one brief part of God’s faithfulness that could be shared with someone who needs encouragement? [50:48]