WHEN DO YOU THINK ENOUGH, IS ENOUGH?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(Psalm 18:2)

MEDITATION:
Do you ever just get tired of not yielding to the Lord’s Will for your life?
You think about it from time to time, but so many other things vie for
your attention that you put aside your thoughts for later. You know that
God loves you and wants what is best for you, but still you allow the things
of the world to distract you from giving in to His Will. Even though you
know that your life will improve dramatically when allowing His Will to
rule in your life, your desire to be in control continues to prevent you from
fully yielding to the Lord.

Paul was busy doing ‘religious’ things he thought were good, but he was
wrong. He was persecuting and imprisoning those who believed in Jesus.
But then, on the way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, he had
an encounter with the Lord. Paul was going in the opposite direction from
the Him until the Lord got Paul’s attention.

Look at what the Lord said to Paul.
    About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road,
    I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun,
    blazing around me and my companions. We all
    fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to
    me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
    me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
    (Acts 26:13-14)
He told Paul that his rebellion against God was a
losing battle – “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip that
was used to prod the oxen when plowing. The farmer would goad
the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal
would rebel by kicking out at the goad, and this would result in the
tip being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more
an ox rebelled, the more it suffered.

The Psalmist may have ‘kicked against the goads’ at one time,
but we can see that he reached a point in his life where he
thought, “Enough is enough!” As a result, he discovered the
value of making a conscience effort to stop being influenced
by the world, and start following the Lord.

He described the Lord as the One he goes to for safety and confidence.
He could not have described the Lord any better. He called Him his
“rock”, his “fortress” and his “deliverer”. That sounds like a place of
safety doesn’t it? He said that he “takes refuge” in his rock, God. He
tells us that the Lord is his “stronghold” and “shield” of protection.
Lastly he states that the Lord is the “horn” that called him to salvation.

ACTION:
Have you reached a point in your life where you have decided
“Enough is enough!”? Have you “kicked against the goads” for
way too long? You can make the same choice that Paul and the
Psalmist made.

You can stop allowing your life to be governed by the things
of the world and totally ‘sell out’ to the Lord. And when you
do, you will discover how He will change your life dramatically
for the better.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father I have procrastinated long enough.
The world is full of problems and disappointments and
yet I have allowed the things of the world to distract me
from You. I want to turn around and start following You
all the time. It will be a major shift in my focus and
priorities so I am asking You to help me make the transition.
Thank You in advance for Your guidance and the new blessings
I will discover. I want to follow You so closely that whenever
problems arise, You are the first One I run to. I also want to
share my joys with You because I know You love me and are
interested in what is going on in my life.”

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