The God Who Still Goads His People
God still pricks hearts today. The same Lord who spoke to Saul on the Damascus road still speaks to stubborn hearts, saying, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” The hand that holds the oxgoad is not cruel – it’s merciful. God goads us not to wound us, but to guide us. He pricks not to punish, but to point us back to His path.
Friend, hear me – resisting the Lord only drives the point deeper. Every time we harden our heart, every time we justify our disobedience, we drive that goad further into the soul. The pain you feel may not be the devil – it may be the mercy of God urging you to move!
Praise the Lord for His persistence! He refuses to leave us wandering in circles when He knows the straight path ahead. Let this word awaken you: it’s time to stop kicking and start yielding.
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What Is an Oxgoad?
In Bible days, an oxgoad was a long wooden staff tipped with a sharp metal point. It was the farmer’s tool to guide his oxen – not to torture, but to direct. If an ox refused to move, the plowman prodded it gently. But if that ox kicked back, it only made its pain worse. The oxgoad was both direction and discipline in one tool.
That’s exactly how God works with His people. His Spirit prods us, His Word guides us, and His conviction stirs us. When we resist, it’s like an ox kicking against the very thing meant to lead it forward. The pain isn’t punishment; it’s correction.
Shamgar and the Oxgoad – Power in Ordinary Hands
In Judges 3:31, a man named Shamgar rose up and delivered Israel. The Word says he slew six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. Now pause and think – six hundred trained warriors, and one man holding a farm tool? That’s not luck. That’s the Spirit of the Lord empowering an ordinary man with extraordinary courage.
When others saw a stick, God saw a weapon. When others saw weakness, God saw faith. Brethren, never underestimate what God can do with the tools in your hand. A surrendered plowman becomes a soldier when God takes hold of the handle.
Are You Kicking Against the Pricks?
When the risen Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, He said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (Acts 9:5)
That was the language of the field – the talk of the plowman. Jesus told Saul, “You’ve been resisting my direction. You’re fighting my leading. You’re kicking at My correction, and it’s only hurting you.”
How many of us are doing the same thing? God convicts, yet we excuse. God prompts, yet we delay. God calls, yet we argue. Every kick drives the iron deeper. Every act of stubbornness tears the flesh of our conscience a little more.
The Holy Ghost is God’s oxgoad today. He pricks our hearts when the Word is preached, convicts us when sin feels comfortable, and calls us to repentance when pride digs in its heels. That sharp sting in the soul isn’t cruelty – it’s grace in motion.
We Are God’s Oxen
Paul asked in 1 Corinthians 9:9, “Doth God take care for oxen?” He was reminding us that those who labor in the Lord’s work are like oxen treading out the corn – faithful, steady, often unrecognized, yet essential to the harvest.
The plowman doesn’t muzzle his ox. He lets it eat from the grain it treads. Likewise, God rewards His laborers. The laborer is worthy of his reward. (1 Timothy 5:18)
But here’s the truth – oxen must submit to the yoke before they can serve the master’s field. Rebellion wastes strength. Submission multiplies it. When we yield to the Spirit’s leading, we stop fighting the goad and start breaking up fallow ground.
“Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” (Jeremiah 4:3)
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy.” (Hosea 10:12)
It’s time to plow again – time to prepare hearts, time to seek the Lord till He comes and rains righteousness upon you.
Be Not Unequally Yoked
2 Corinthians 6:14 warns, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” Imagine one ox eager to obey and another constantly kicking. The whole plow jerks, the furrow breaks crooked, and the work becomes chaos.
That’s what happens when we bind ourselves to people or causes that resist the Spirit of God. Whether it’s in marriage, ministry, or partnership – if they won’t follow the Master’s direction, you’ll both suffer. The unequally yoked life is full of drag and damage.
Take Jesus’ Yoke Upon You
The Lord offers a better yoke – His own.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29–30)
The world’s yoke is heavy with guilt and striving. Religion’s yoke is hard with rules and fear. But Jesus’ yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
When you submit to His leading, you find rest, not resistance. You stop kicking and start walking beside the One who carries the load with you.
The Pricking of the Heart – The Call to Obedience
When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, the Bible says, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.” (Acts 2:37) They cried, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter answered clearly, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
That’s the proper response to conviction – not argument, but obedience. Not kicking, but surrendering. The same goad that convicted Saul, the same Word that pierced hearts at Pentecost, still pricks hearts today.
Friend, don’t fight what’s meant to free you. When God goads, He’s guiding you home. When He pricks, He’s pointing you toward life.
Final Call: Stop Kicking – Start Following
The oxgoad was never meant to destroy the ox – only to direct it. The Lord’s corrections may sting, but they save. His prods may wound our pride, but they heal our path.
Are you kicking against the pricks today? Are you resisting His promptings? Then stop where you are, and lift your heart to heaven.
Say, “Lord, guide me where You will. I’m done fighting. I’m ready to follow.”
And when you do, you’ll find rest for your soul, strength for your labor, and peace in your steps.
Praise be to God – the Master still holds the goad, and He never misses His mark.
Call to Action: The Question That Demands an AnswerIn Acts 2:37 Peter and the Apostles were asked the question – What Shall We do? And in Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Do you understand this? After hearing the gospel and believing, they asked what should would do. The answer hasn’t changed friend, Peter clearly gave the answer. The question for you today is, Have you receieved the Holy Spirit Since you believed? If you’re ready to take that step, or you want to learn more about what it means to be born again of water and Spirit, visit: Come, and let the Spirit make you new. |
