Stubbornness Punished by Pastor Kumuyi

Stubbornness Punished
TEXT: LAMENTATION 2:1-10

Key verse: “The LORD was as an enemy: He hath swallowed up Israel, He swallowed up her palaces; He hath destroyed his strongholds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation” (Lamentation 2:5).

Stubbornness is being unreasonably  determined to persevere in a course against good advice. When a man decides to stand in his stubbornness against God and shuns His warning and entreaties, this stand-off will result in his undoing. Though God sincerely loves his soul, will stand against him, for His wrath  is consuming as His love is endearing.
    For many years, God  sent His word through His prophets to Judah that they repent and turn to Him. Yet,  the people resisted not only the prophets but also the entreaties from God. In our text, God’s justified wrath is come upon the land. All the inhabitants of Judah, men, women, children, princes and rulers languished as the invading enemy army plowed through the land with the sword and their instruments of war to destroy the cities because of their obstinacy against God. The former beauty, glory and pride of Judah suddenly became eclipsed by a cloud of gloom that spread over the whole land. The cities were destroyed; stately-built mansions of the rulers, the palaces, fortresses and defense towers were all pulled down, while the king, the princes and the inhabitants of the land were taken captives by their enemies. Disobedience to the Word of God is stubbornness that have grave consequences.
    Stubbornness begins when we say. “I will only believe if I receive a miracle” or “I will yield my heart but not now” or “I have a particular goal I want to achieve first”. When we know what God wants and refuse to do it, we show we are stubborn and rebellious. If we continue to harden our hearts, if we refuse to move or change our ways, we develop a hardened resistance to God and will incur His severe judgment upon us.
    Stubbornness will keep you from doing what is best for your soul, and thus, in the end evoke unmitigated disaster. Therefore, when God’s message comes to you, there is but one thing to do: just obey.

Thought for the day: Obedience is better than sacrifice.