Genesis 32:22–30, NLT
22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

Jacob’s story is all about transformation. From the moment he was born, grasping his brother’s heel, Jacob was known as the deceiver—the one who grasped, tricked, and schemed his way through life. But here at the river, everything changed. When he wrestled with God, Jacob came face-to-face with the truth: his strength wasn’t enough.

His blessing wouldn’t come by manipulation. It would come by surrender. In that moment, God gave him a new name and a new identity. The deceiver became Israel, the one who wrestled with God and prevailed.

As we continue this journey of transformation, remember: real change doesn’t come by holding tighter to what you can do. It comes by holding on to God and refusing to let go until His blessing defines your life.

Isaiah 6:1-8, NLT
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Isaiah’s transformation began with a vision of God’s holiness. The glory of the Lord shook the temple, and Isaiah realized how unclean he was. But God didn’t leave him in shame. He sent an angel to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal, symbolizing cleansing and forgiveness. That moment changed Isaiah forever. From confessing, “I am doomed,” he moved to declaring, “Here I am - send me.”

This is what happens when we see God as He really is. His holiness exposes our sin, but His mercy removes it. And when we experience His cleansing, we can’t help but answer His call. Transformation always moves us from being undone to being sent.

John 4:4–15, 28–30, NLT
4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

The woman at the well came burdened by shame, avoiding the crowds by fetching water at noon. But one encounter with Jesus changed everything.

He didn’t just expose her past.  He offered her living water, a brand-new life. She left her water jar behind, symbolizing the old life she no longer needed, and became the first evangelist in her town.

That’s the power of transformation. Jesus doesn’t only meet us in the places we hide. He restores us and sends us out as His witnesses. When we drink the living water He gives, our shame is replaced with boldness, and our isolation turns into influence.

Mark 5:1–8, 15, 18–20, NLT
1 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”

15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

This man’s life was a picture of torment… cut off from people, chained by others, and chained by his own destruction. But when he met Jesus, everything changed. The demons that controlled him had no power against His authority. In one moment, he went from naked, broken, and isolated to clothed, restored, and sent out as a witness.

That’s transformation. Jesus doesn’t just free us from what binds us… He restores our dignity and gives us a mission. The man begged to follow Jesus physically, but Jesus sent him back to his community with a story. Transformation always gives us a testimony.

John 21:15-19, NLT
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow

Peter had promised he would never deny Jesus, but when the pressure came, he denied Him three times. Failure weighed heavy on Peter’s heart, but Jesus didn’t leave him in shame. Around another charcoal fire, Jesus gave Peter a chance to reaffirm his love three times, undoing his denials. Then He restored Peter to his calling: “Feed my sheep.”

That’s what transformation looks like. Jesus doesn’t just forgive our failures; He redeems them. He takes the moments we regret most and rewrites them into testimonies of His grace. Like Peter, we can move from shame to purpose when we let Jesus restore us.

Luke 15:11–24, NLT
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

The prodigal son walked away from everything good, chasing his own desires until he ended up empty, starving, and ashamed. But when he came to his senses, he realized he could go back to his father. What he expected was punishment, but what he found was mercy. Instead of rejection, he was embraced. Instead of humiliation, he was restored as a son.

This is the heart of transformation: we are not just forgiven… we are welcomed home. Our Father runs to us with compassion, covers us with His grace, and celebrates our return. No matter how far we’ve wandered, His love can restore us to life.

Acts 9:1-9, NLT
1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.

9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

Alright PORVA… here we go! We’re stepping into 30 Days of Transformation together. For the next month, we’re going to see how God changes lives, starting with ours. Today’s passage is about one of the most dramatic transformations in the Bible: Saul, the church’s biggest enemy, meeting Jesus face-to-face.

In one moment, his mission flipped completely. The persecutor became a preacher. His entire identity and purpose were rewritten. That’s what Jesus does! He doesn’t just improve who we are, He changes who we are.

As we begin this journey, remember: the same God who transformed Saul can transform anything in your life.