Inspirational: ARE YOU STIFF NECKED?

By: Linda Kirby/WGON 5.11.26

God spends our whole lives teaching us lessons meant to help us walk wisely through an evil world, endure trials, and recognize deception before it ever reaches our doorstep, yet so many people move through life without learning a thing. Scripture calls them “stiff neck” Act. 7:51: “You stiff‑necked… you always resist the Holy Spirit. They repeat the same mistakes because they never stop long enough to ask, “Lord, what were You trying to show me?” Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15), but many don’t have those ears — not because God didn’t give them, but because they won’t use them. They ignore the Holy Spirit’s nudges, they don’t learn from their own consequences, and they choose the hard road when God was offering the wise one. It’s just like when our parents tried to keep us from trouble, but we insisted on doing what we wanted anyway, and then we found ourselves in a mess. Christians can be the same way — not all, but many — because God says, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21), and we still wander off. The Holy Spirit is always speaking, always teaching, always guiding, just as Jesus promised: “The Spirit of truth… will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). But He doesn’t force us; He invites us. And when we refuse to listen, we become easy prey for deception and repeat the same painful lessons. Yet for those who do listen, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). The Spirit is speaking — the real question is whether we will finally listen and learn. Are we going to remain a stiff‑necked bunch who stay on milk, or will we grow up, mature, and move on to meat?” (Hebrews 5:12–13)