Have you ever wondered what it truly means to stubborn? Literally, stubbornness is seen as a strong human trait, sometimes it is tagged as perseverance, a good trait possessed by someone who wants to succeed in life. But, scripturally, stubbornness is seen as a strong resistance against the will of God. When the Bible talks about stubbornness, it is usually linked to pride, rebellion and spiritual blindness. Stubbornness is not just a human character, it involves the position of the heart not to yield and listen to God, and if this behavior is not restrained, it has the capacity to mar our relationship with God and hinder our blessings. Join us in this article as we explore some important Bible verses that teaches about stubbornness, signs of stubbornness, the consequences and how to overcome it;
Some times, it is difficult to recognize a stubborn heart, but let us look at the ways the Bible reveals the signs of stubbornness;
- Refusal To Listen To God’s Word: Refusing to listen to God’s word is clear sign of stubbornness. It means that one consciously and selectively refuses to adhere to God’s instructions, living their lives as they please.
- Unwillingness To Repent; A stubborn person does not admit that he is committing sin, instead he thinks of ways to justify his actions. Even when Christ invites him, he’s unwilling to go to him.
- Not Taking Correction: Another sign of stubbornness is the inability to take corrections from God, insisting to do things same way and pay no attention to God’s warnings and rebuke.
- Self Reliance: Sometimes, stubbornness poses as as wisdom, and having full trust on oneself rather than in God. God calls us to hand over everything to him and trust his timing and process, not to rely on on ourselves.
For every evil that we permit our way, there is a consequence for it. Now, let us see some negative consequences of being stubborn;
Consequences of Stubbornness
- Spiritual blindness
- Separation from God
- Hardened heart
- Missed opportunities and blessings
- Hindrance to personal growth and development
- Increases stress and anxiety
SEE ALSO: 40 Important Bible Verses About Mindfulness
Ways to Overcome Stubbornness:
a. Ask God For Soft Heart: {Ezekiel 36:26} Pray to God to soften your heart and make you listen to his instructions with a tender heart that is willing to learn and grow.
b. Submit To God: Constant fellowship with God, through prayers and studying his word helps to soften the hearts and make it more willing to submit to him in all things.
c. Accept Correction: Seek for godly counsel and accept the counsels being offered to you with an open heart that is ready to change and grow.
d. Walk With Humility: Humility of the heart is the cure for pride and stubbornness, because a humble heart learns, grows and follow instructions.
While stubbornness may feel like strength, it is not the actual strength that is expected of us to exhibit. But in spirituality, stubbornness is a subtle rebellion against God. If you have found yourself in the shackles of stubbornness, do not feel alone and wasted, come to Christ and surrender to him. He will give you a new heart that is willing to learn and grow.
What Does The Bible Say About Stubbornness?
God is very patient with humans, even those that are stubborn, but one thing he wouldn’t do is to force himself on you. God detests stubbornness, and in several scriptures he condemns that behavior. In the Bible, stubbornness is always equated with pride, rebellion and the sin of idolatry. The Bible does not just see stubbornness as a trait or human behavior, it sees it as disobedience to God and unwillingness to yield to him.
Proverbs 29:1 “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” In this verse, God warns about the consequences of stubbornness. If after many corrections and a call for change, the heart still remains stubborn, that soul become destroyed.
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice”. Here, the Bible recognizes stubborn heart as a foolish heart, but a heart that adheres to instructions is a wise heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” In this scripture, Christ calls stubborn hearts to repentance. The cure for for stubbornness is repentance, humility, and a soft heart towards God.
In the Bible, stubbornness is a real spiritual issue that has the ability to hinder us from enjoying and maximizing our redemptive rights in Christ. God still offers grace to those willing to turn away from stubbornness.
Bible Verses About Stubbornness
- Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. – Proverbs 29:1
- The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. – Proverbs 12:15
- My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. – James 1:19
- Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. – Proverbs 19:20
- For I knew how stubborn you were; your neck muscles were like iron, your forehead was like bronze. – Isaiah 48:4
- But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. – Jeremiah 7:24
- Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. – Proverbs 28:14
- There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death. – Proverbs 16:25
- As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. – Hebrews 3:15
- I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. – Exodus 32:9
- Yield to the Lord; come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. – 2 Chronicles 30:8
- Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. – Isaiah 46:12
- But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath. – Romans 2:5
- The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—behaves with insolent fury. – Proverbs 21:24
- Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding. – Proverbs 15:32
- For they are a rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. – Isaiah 30:9
- Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. – Proverbs 26:12
- Get up! Go away! For this is not your resting place because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy. – Micah 2:10
- Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. – Romans 11:20
- Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. – Proverbs 28:13
- And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. – 2 Timothy 2:24
- Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’? – Proverbs 20:9
- Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words. – Proverbs 23:9
- Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. – Luke 9:62
- The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. – Proverbs 4:7
- For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. – 1 Samuel 15:23
- But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people. – 2 Chronicles 36:16
- Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. – Philippians 2:3
- In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. – 1 Peter 5:5
- But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. – Psalm 81:11-12
- Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8
- You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. – Acts 7:51
- Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. – Psalm 32:9
- And that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. – Psalm 78:8
- But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. – Zechariah 7:11
- Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:20
- But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. – 2 Kings 17:14
- But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. – Jeremiah 5:23
- Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
- They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you. – Jeremiah 23:17
