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?
Maybe 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 God loves you and wants what is best for you, but still, you allow
the things of this world to distract you from totally surrendering to His will.

Even though you know your life will improve dramatically when you
allow His will to be in control of your life, your desire to be in control
continues to prevent you from fully yielding to the Lord and enjoying
the blessings available for those who are fully committed to Him, and
His will for their lives.

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 headed in the opposite direction
from Him until the Lord got his attention.

Pause and think for moment about the emotional trauma of Paul’s
encounter with the Lord. God knew what it would take for him to
surrender and He did what was needed to effectively change Paul
and his strong personality, including the temporary loss of his
eyesight.

It may have been for a short time, but Paul didn’t know that. Losing
our eyesight for an hour may ‘feel like’ forever to us. One thing we
know for sure, if we suddenly become blind, we will change our focus.
We don’t know how God will change our focus, but we know that He
loves us, and He will use whatever is needed to change our direction
and make us usable for His purposes.

God knew that when He could channel Paul’s strength in the right
direction, he would be usable for His purposes. And, as a result,
many lives would effectively be changed by the Lord’s use of Paul,
because God could speak to others through him.

The God Paul knew, is the same God we know today. That means
He can do the same thing with us that He did with Paul. God sees
and knows our potential, and He wants to use each of us for His
purposes. He also knows that for some of us, it will take something
dramatic and possibly emotionally challenging to change us. Will
we embrace His changes, or will we resist and rebel against them?

Paul is portrayed as a man of strength, determination and commitment,
After his encounter with the Lord, did he become weaker? When we read
about his life following the event on the way to Damascus, we can see him
as the same person, but with a humble heart. That means he still has the
same strength and resolve but is now controlled by the Lord. That’s what
humility is – strength under control.

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 when he needs 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:
Questions to consider:
    – Have I reached a point in my life where I’ve decided “Enough is enough!”?
    – Have I “kicked against the goads” for way too long?
    – Do I want to grow closer to the Lord and improve my relationship with Him?
    – How do I feel about being used by the Lord for His purposes?
    – What do I plan to do about my resistance (and possibly rebellion)
       to the Lord’s will for my life?

We can make the same choice that Paul and the Psalmist made. We can
stop allowing our life to be ruled by the things of the world and choose
to be ‘all in’ with the Lord. And when we do, we will discover how He
will change our life dramatically for the better (for us, and for others).

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 my life around and choose to
start following You all the time, and not just some of the
time. I know it will require a major shift in my focus and
priorities so I’m asking You to help me make the transition.
Thank You in advance for Your help, 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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