The Truth About Being Stubborn

The LORD said to Moses, How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?
Numbers 14:11

We think we have all the time in the world. We think that because God is a loving God, He won't really mind if we keep putting Him off - pushing Him to the back burner. You know - being stubborn. After all, we're going to get to Him eventually, right? It's not really rebellion... or is it?

Let's think about that for a moment. Last time I checked, not doing what you were asked to do - expected to do - was a definition of rebellion. 1 Samuel 15:22-23a NLT reads this way:

"What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols."

Let's read that line again. "Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols." What does God do to idol worshipers? Does that change our stubbornness thinking at all?

Prayer:

Father,
          King David proclaimed of You, "The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." Forgive us for sinning against You. Forgive us for our rebellious ways. We submit our stubborn hearts to You. Deliver us from them. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Lesson in Strength

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 KJV 

 
I remember thirty-something years ago when I wanted to quit smoking, I couldn't do it on my own. In my younger days, I could do anything I made up my mind to do. Not so, with the nicotine addiction. I smoked three packs a day - smoked them, not watched them burn. I tried to quit so many unsuccessful times. However, until I submitted that addiction to the Lord, I didn't stand a chance of stopping. Even then, this is how it went.

I literally would watch the clock and say to myself, “You’ve been without a cigarette for 3 hours and 7 minutes. If you pick up a cigarette now, you’ve put yourself through 3 hours and 7 minutes of agony for nothing.” "God, I can't do this." “God, please get me through the next 60 seconds. I can only do this if You help me.” And that was the Truth, I COULD NOT, but by HIS grace and HIS mercy and HIS strength and based on HIS WORDS,  I was victorious. 1st Corinthians 10:13b, And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

And He did.

Do I think cigarettes will keep someone out of Heaven?  I’m not God. Scripture tells us to work out our own salvation, and I believe that means God will work on us as individuals regarding the things that He wants out of lives and what He wants in our lives and what He wants done in our relationship with Him…because He loves us.

That’s what we have to recognize. ALL that He does, ALL that He speaks to our hearts, ALL - Everything  - is because He loves us.

I had prayed and prayed for God to just supernaturally deliver me from the nicotine addiction – to take away the desire because I’d heard so many testimonies of how He had done that for others. After all, He’s no respecter of persons, right (according to Acts 10:34)? So why didn’t He just do that for me?!? However, that’s not the way He chose to deliver me from it. Why? I think it's because I'm rather headstrong and stubborn-willed, and He didn't want me to think I could do it on my own. I learned a very valuable lesson about relying on God because I couldn't do it in my own strength.

Hebrews 12:10b-11 NLT, reassures us; God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Be encouraged today. He will see you through - no matter WHAT it is you're going through or trying to get through. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Do it in HIS strength. That's REAL strength training.

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for the reminder that You are always there for us - to cause us to be victorious. Your Word encourages us to confess our struggles so that we may be healed. Hasten to perform Your Word in our lives, O Lord our God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Hell to Pay +

They will answer, “We will come back, because you are the Lord our God. On hilltops, we worshiped idols and made loud noises, but it was all for nothing—   only you can save us."
Jeremiah 3:22b-23 CEV

I don't know if you've ever done this before, I just know I have. I'm talking about trying to convince God why He should let me have my own way in something He knows is not the best for my life. In reality, I would know it, too, or I wouldn't have tried to rationalize it. 

However, the Truth is that more than likely, we will do it anyway, and try to convince ourselves it's all good...until it's not. You see sometimes, it's as though God says, "Go ahead..." He knows we're going to anyway. It's not His will, but just like a child, before you get understanding, sometimes you have to incur the consequences.

Oh, and there will be consequences! Christ has already paid the price for us, but if we don't come back at His invitation, there WILL be hell to pay. Literally.

Prayer:

Father,
         O that we would recognize the futility and the sheer stupidity of arguing with You over what is best for our lives. Just like Your Word says, our hearts are deceitfully wicked and will lead us astray. Apart from You we cannot know what is good and right and holy. Remove the blinders from our eyes, the hardness of our hearts and break our stubborn wills as we submit to Yours. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen