Stubborn
Posted on May 11, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call
I know it’s hard to believe, any of you that know me, but on occasion I have been accused of being stubborn. Shocking right? What one person (my husband) sees as stubborn another (me) sees as determination and decisiveness.
According to www.merriam-webster.com the definition of Stubborn is 1) unreasonably or perversely unyielding; 2) performed or carried on in an unyielding, obstinate, or persistent manner; 3) difficult to handle, manage, or treat.[1]
I’d be lying if I denied that sometimes Merriam-Webster describes me to a T. But more seriously, as I searched the Scriptures for what God had to say about stubbornness, hard-heartedness, rebellion, and being stiff necked – I saw myself here as well. It is so easy to look at Israel and shake our heads with a tsk-tsk, but I am more like Israel than I care to admit, and unfortunately it’s neither determination nor decisiveness – it’s just plain sin.
There are many examples of stubborn individuals (i.e. King Nebuchadnezzar– Daniel 5:20) and stubborn peoples (i.e. Israel). In the Bible, stubbornness is associated with pride (Daniel 5:4), disobedience (Deuteronomy 9:23), rebellion (Deuteronomy 31:27), unbelief (Acts 19:9), idolatry (2 Kings 17:14-15), deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13), resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), unfaithfulness and a wavering heart (Psalm 78:8), following one’s own counsel (Psalm 81:12), being far from righteousness (Isaiah 46:12), unwillingness to listen (Ex 3:7), being stiff-necked (Ex 32:9), and having a hardened heart (2 Chronicles 36:13).
Biblically, stubbornness screams of self and denies there is an authority or power greater than self. So now the question is not, “Does Merriam-Webster describe me to a T?” but “Does God’s definition describe me to a T?” I dare say, at times? Yes.
To put off a stubborn spirit we begin with confession and repentance:
And then…
Put on fear of the Lord– Proverbs 28:14
Put on obedience– Ex 23:21
Put on faith and belief—Psalm 31:23
Put on submission—James 4:7
Put on a yielded spirit– 2 Chronicles 30:8
Put on a listening ear– Proverbs 1:24-25, 33
Put on Spirit and truth filled worship – John 4:24
Put on a steadfast spirit– Psalm 57:7
Put on faithfulness– Psalm 37:3
Let’s do some soul searching. Do I have a hardened heart? Am I stiff necked? Am I rebellious? Am I stubborn?
Lord, in the many ways I resist Your way, forgive me. For all the ways I fail to submit to You, forgive me. For the stubbornness in my heart, forgive me. For when I have failed to listen to You, please forgive me. Lord may there be evidence to others and to me that I have a yielded, submitted spirit.
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “When asked, what is more important: praying or reading the Bible? I ask, ‘What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?’” – Russ Scalzo
The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 20, 65-67, 69-70, 2 Samuel 11. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9