"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, & be patient w/ difficult people." 2 Tim. 2:24 (NLT)
52 minutes ago

Stubborn?

Have you ever thought of yourself as stubborn?

Some people revel in their stubbornness, equating it with the qualities of persistence, perseverance or the dogged pursuit of “justice.”  When they grab hold of something, they refuse to let go, even when it hurts others or themselves, and even when they are wrong!

Whether we realize it or not, stubbornness is a bad thing.  The dictionary defines it this way:

“To be obstinate, unmoving, fixed or set in an opinion; difficult to manage or suppress; hard, stiff, difficult to shape or work.”

Stubborn people become fixated on their opinions, judgments and ways.  They tend to be rigid and unyielding.  They usually have a track record of stressed relationships, and live a stressed life.

One of the amazing things about stubbornness is that is often hides under cover.  Externally a person can appear gracious, cooperative and flexible.  Their stubbornness only shows up when something strikes at a strongly held personal opinion, judgment, approach or way of thinking about life and life situations.  At this point the stubborn person loses objectivity.  Anger and entrenchment arise.  Blame is focused on others.  Self-justification begins.

The Bible has a lot to say about stubbornness.  One of the main lessons it teaches us is that stubbornness is a heart problem associated with pride and rebellion.  Stubbornness pains the heart of God and keeps us from the best He has for us.  It was a spiritual disease that afflicted the Pharisees during Jesus’ earthly ministry.  It can afflict us too.

Take a look at a few Scripture verses about stubbornness:

    • “Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols … ”  – 1 Samuel 15:23 (NLT)
    • “The LORD said to me, ‘I have been watching this people, and they are extremely stubborn.’”  – Deuteronomy 9:13 (NLT)
    • “Therefore, cleanse your sinful hearts and stop being stubborn.”  – Deuteronomy 10:16 (NLT)

    The remedy for stubbornness is humility.  Humility sets us free from unhealthy and unrighteous rigidity of spirit.  It protects us from becoming like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.  Humility frees us from an obstinacy of heart that makes us hard and unyielding.


    The Bible reminds us that stubbornness and pride lead to pain while humility leads to a life of blessing and honor:

    • “Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.”  –  Proverbs 29:23

    Let’s ask God to free us from a prideful, stubborn heart.


    Pastor Dale


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