“Conversion As A Gift Of God!”

“Conversion As A Gift Of God!”(Acts 16:8-15).
The psalmist says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain…”
Through the prophet, the LORD says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts”(Zec.4:6).
The Lord Jesus Christ said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…”(Jn.6:44).
What we read out of these scriptures is that conversion is a gift of God and not human effort. However, there must be some human effort that makes the choice definite.
Human effort is the response to: “Today if you hear God’s voice hardrn not your hearts…”
However, if you are God’s choice, you can attempt to run like Jonah, but God will bring you back by any means.
God’s choice and human response are seen in the conversion of Lydia. Paul preached to the women by the riverside. Among those who were listening was Lydia. “She was a worshipper. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” The outcome was that “she and the members of her household were baptized…”
Lydia and the members of her household were Gentiles, who had converted to Judaism. The Jewish population of Philippi was not enough for them to have a synagogue. Ten married men were the requirement to have a synagogue. In the case where there was no synagogue, it was customary for the place of prayer to be located near running water.
Lydia was a worshipper of God. This means she had long decided that Gentile gods were insufficient for her; so she had turned to Yahweh.
We note that they left for Macedonia because in a vision, Paul had seen a man of Macedonia begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
It was God sending Paul to go and preach to the Macedonians. (We note here that Philippi was a Roman colony, and according to Luke, it was “the leading city of that district of Macedonia”).
My friend, you are either a Paul, and in a vision, God is sending you to a Macedonia. Don’t hesitate to do the Lord’s bidding.
Maybe you are a Lydia; may the Lord open your heart to respond to God’s message through his messenger. And like Lydia, may your response be evident through your open doors, kindness, and generosity.
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit, open our hearts to respond to the message of the gospel. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
13/02/2026.
(Dear friend, yesterday was a rough day, and we couldn’t be your messenger. Thank you to the many people who expressed genuine concern asking to know if all was well with me. We are sorry about this).