And as he (Saul) 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?”

And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 9:3-5 NKJB).

In the old days the word “goad” was used more frequently than it is today. It was a sharp object such as a pointed stick, used to prod the oxen into a faster pace. It could also be a sharp built-in piece of equipment whose purpose was to hurt the heels of the horse or mule if they tried to kick. Those animals soon learned it was not an enjoyable experience to, “kick against the goads.”

Saul’s principle career had been to destroy the Church of the Living God. He was right then on his way to Damascus to destroy the Christians there. Driven by a religious zeal for Jehovah God, he thought he was doing God service. Now, for the first time, he was suddenly confronted with the fact that he was actually fighting against God! He was a rebel! He was a transgressor! And “the way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). What an awakening for a proud young Pharisee who actually thought that he had been working for God. In agony, he cried, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

What a let down! The Bible doesn’t enlarge, but I am convinced that Saul had been experiencing those sharp “goads” of conscience for a long time! Part of the work of God’s Holy Spirit is to trouble the hearts and minds of the rebellious and make them uncomfortable in their sins. God uses the ordinary things we encounter in our daily lives to convict us of our sin and draw us to Himself.

Saul had watched Stephen die. There was no charge brought against this first Christian martyr, other than the fact he preached the Gospel of Christ and he made God’s plan so clear and simple that the message got under their hide; and they all joined in stoning him to death! The problem was Stephen was God’s man, with a message from heaven. The Bible says:

And they stoned Stephen, as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus receive my Spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59,60 NKJB).

Saul surrendered his stubborn will to Christ that day. His name was changed to Paul; and Paul became one of the greatest Christian Evangelists the world has ever known. But first he had to learn an important reality -- “The way of the transgressor is HARD!”

It all started at a social gathering, where everybody drank moderately. But you couldn’t stop with a social drink. Alcohol became a passion in your life. Before you knew it everything you had has been wiped out. You lost your job. You lost your wife and your home. You lost your prestige. Now you are nothing but a drunken bum!

You remember now the “The strait and narrow path” that you rejected as a youth, because it was so much easier to go with the crowd on the wide and popular road. Now you pray a short prayer asking for forgiveness, then you get up from your knees with what strength you have left and then, while nobody’s watching, you sneak around the corner and take another drink!