From our vantage point on Mount Stubborn’s Peak, we look down on all who try to shape our lives to their specifications. They don’t like us as we are. That is too bad!
They insist we must change when we feel no need. They stick needles in our anti-authority nerves. They make us angry.
If we want their input, we will let them know. We are fine just the way we are. We did not ask for their opinions. We know what is best for us.
I am pretty sure you can resonate with that description. Our stubbornness motivates us to do only what we want. We want our way in everything. Is that such a bad thing?
It is worse than bad. It is as lethal to the wholeness God desires for us as a Fentanyl overdose is to our physical bodies. Just as we naturally resist people who try to change us, we also resist God’s attempts. That will not end well.
A narrow winding path connects Mount Stubborn’s cloud-surrounded heights to the Valley of Humility. The more well-worn that path the better. There isn’t enough oxygen on Mount Stubborn’s Peak for us to think clearly! Without humility, there is no repentance. Without repentance, there is no spiritual life.
Humility is seeing ourselves as God sees us. His perception of us is reality. It is wise to live in reality rather than in the fantasy world of “I know what is best for me.” Leaning on our limited knowledge and perceptions rather than on the One who knows the end from the beginning and everything about everything is foolish.
Jeremiah 11 and Galatians 5 spell out the consequences of doing what we want instead of what God wants. God’s patience has limits.
“For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, ‘Obey me!’ I have repeated this warning over and over to this day, but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant” (Jeremiah 11:7–8 NLT).
Galatians 5:19–23 NLT also describes the consequences of ignoring God’s will versus the benefits of cooperating with it. We are slaves either to our sinful nature’s evil desires or God’s desires. No other options exist.
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
So, it is wise to live constantly in the Valley of Humility where God’s will is done, and His blessings are enjoyed. But most of us have at least a vacation home on Mount Stubborn’s Peak and occasionally suffer from the “high attitude” sickness associated with it. While we work on selling that home, let’s install an elevator for rapid descent back into the valley where we can thrive. #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
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God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free devotional, evangelism, and discipleship resource. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 2,400 people to faith in Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 4,093 people. I invite you to check it out. https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness