STOP KICKING

Acts 9:3-6 – As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

I suppose human nature can be quite stubborn, none of us want to be told what to do. Apparently, that was a big part of Paul’s problem, when you are large and in charge you don’t want anyone to try to effect the plans that you have in motion. That was Saul of Tarsus, he was headed to Jerusalem to shut down this Christian insurgency but Saul was literally stopped in his tracks. Jesus was basically saying, “Hey Saul, stop fighting me. I have a plan, a better plan for your life if you will just surrender”. So that’s exactly what happened that day, Saul surrendered and the Lord set Saul’s path in motion. The Lord has a plan for each of us: a unique plan that can only come about with a surrendered heart. Here is how Barclay describes Saul’s moment.

“In that moment, the long battle was over and Paul surrendered to Christ. So he went into Damascus a changed man. And how changed! The one who had intended to enter Damascus like an avenging fury was led by the hand, blind and helpless. There is all of Christianity in what the risen Christ said to Paul: ‘Go into the city, and you will be told what to do.’ Up to this moment, Paul had been doing what he liked, what he thought best, what his will dictated. From this time forward, he would be told what to do. Christians are men and women who have ceased to do what they want to do and who have begun to do what Christ wants them to do.”

How do you know if you are off track as far as God’s plan is concerned for your life? It starts by surrendering to the Lord. Just be still and know He is God, put on His yoke and walk closely with Him. He will direct you by His word and by His Spirit. Listen closely, He often speaks in unusual moments in unusual ways.