Acts 9:13
“Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:”
Ananias almost made a great mistake because he believed the reports he heard about Saul. After Saul’s conversion, God told him to go to Jerusalem because Ananias would tell him what he needed to do. When God came to Ananias and told him to meet Saul, he was afraid because of the report he “heard by many of this man.” Ananias nearly missed the greatest opportunity of his life because he allowed the reports he heard to influence his thinking about Saul. Fortunately for the Gentile world, God had confidence in Ananias to not act off what he heard from man, but to obey by what he heard from God.
Many people have never been helped because people reacted off negative reports from others without ever validating those reports. They allowed hearsay to influence their thinking about someone which negatively impacted their actions towards them. There are some lessons we need to learn from this story that will help us to influence more people for right.
First, just because many say that something is true does not make it true. The verse above says that Ananias answered the LORD by saying, “I have heard by many of this man…” Basing your opinion on someone with whom you’ve never met, talked to or had any dealings with is truly a foolish move to make. I have found in my own life that there have been times when what others told me about someone was not exactly true when I approached the person whom these reports were about. You must be very careful about judging someone off the reports of others.
Second, allow people the opportunity to change from their past. What Ananias heard about Saul was true, but he had changed. The person he was about to meet was a completely different person from what he used to be. You must be careful about holding grudges against someone who did something several years ago. People do change! Someone may have made a mistake in the past, but that doesn’t mean they are that same person today. What if we judged you off everything you have done? Are you who you used to be? Someone may have made a mistake years ago, but that doesn’t mean they are the same person today. Don’t hold someone’s past transgressions against them today because people do change.
Third, don’t ever lose your belief in someone’s ability to change. You must never allow yourself to believe that someone is beyond changing. They may have messed up several times, but God can still be working on their heart. There are many people whom God could use mightily, but someone must believe they are willing to change. Situations happen in the lives of individuals that can truly change their heart. If we believe in the power of God, then it should not shock us when someone who was once hardened and rebellious has changed by God’s power.
Friend, there is someone in your life who you need to give another chance. Don’t let what others say about someone stop you from helping them. Always believe that God can change someone and that you may be the agent He uses to make that influence. If you will listen to God and not to people, then you can be the agent of change.