“I now send you [to the Gentiles], to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
— Acts 26:18

The Lord’s commission to Saul here shows us the progression of how someone receives salvation. And the real lesson is that, before anyone can turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, the first thing is for their eyes to be opened. Only then can they turn to receive God’s forgiveness and be blessed with a portion among the Lord’s children.

Paul certainly took the Lord’s word to heart; he understood that Satan’s blinding work is the basic frustration to the gospel:

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
— 2 Corinthians 4:4

And just like Paul, we should not forget this in our own gospel work, but pray:

Lord, bind the enemy of the gospel and his blinding work! Open the eyes of so many, even today, to turn them from the darkness they are in to the light, and from Satan’s authority to You, that they may be saved!

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— 15 October 2021 —