A soft heart is the cure for a stiff neck.
Nothing is worse (with God) than a “stiff neck.”
Israel came out of Egypt and immediately began refusing to obey God’s commands. They rebelled, defied, and obstinately chose their way.
God had enough. He called them “stiff-necked” people.
All He had in mind for them was a blessing!
Instead, they spent forty years circling in the wilderness around the same spot…and all died.
What is a “stiff neck,” and how can we avoid it?
A stiff neck is a hard, stubborn, and unyielding heart.
I heard about a little boy who kept standing up in his seat at the movies. His Dad finally told him he would have to leave if he did not sit down. He sat down, arms folded, and announced, “I’M SITTING DOWN ON THE OUTSIDE BUT I’M STANDING UP ON THE INSIDE.”
God is not looking for angry compliance. He was tenderness, yielding, and a broken will.
2. A “stiff neck” refuses to change an attitude or behavior.
My mother used to call it a “tude.” It was when a child refused to stop pouting about something they did not want to do.
“Attitudes determine altitudes.”
I have seen a child repeat a behavior several times after being told to stop.
“Slow obedience is no obedience.”
Isaiah said, “If you are WILLING and OBEDIENT, you will eat the good of the land” (Isa.1:19). You must have a soft, pliable will and obedient behavior.
3. A “stiff neck” chafes at a yoke like an ox.
Who likes to pull a load? The ox would chafe, kick, and try to lead a cart off course because of the yoke he had to pull.
God has an assignment for me. It may not always be a trip to a romantic place. It may be with people I don’t particularly care to be with.
I may have a better idea.
God’s will, done with joy, is the happiest place you can be on planet earth, regardless of the location.
Stop planning the will of God for your life. Slip your shoulders into the yoke and start to pull toward his assignment for your life.
Trust me, where you end up will be TRUE HAPPINESS.
4. A “stiff neck” is non-responsive to the Holy Spirit.
The apostles said, “It seemed GOOD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT and to us” (Acts 15:28).
He is the “good Spirit” and the “Spirit of grace.”
He is not leading you somewhere crazy.
Follow the cloud. Follow the pillar of fire.
Let HIm make the decisions. Just follow Him. He’s more intelligent than you and me.
He designed the world and oversees its systems and cycles.
Don’t “buck” His direction.
Honor the Holy Spirit. Ask His direction in every situation and choice. Follow His peace in your spirit.
Ask yourself a question today:
“Am I being stiff-necked about a correction? About an assignment? About an attitude? About a behavior? About a direction?
GET TENDER.
God’s blessing upon your life cannot tolerate a “stiff neck.”