Stubborn

Proverbs 28:13,14
“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
14How blessed is the man who fears always,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”


Stubbornness is a great evil……Anybody can be stubborn and excuse it for some notion of righteousness.

I am not fond of the idea that says, "Oh your stubborn? That's okay, being stubborn is a good thing sometimes. You know, sometimes we need to put our foot down about things, to be resolute you know?"
I think we need to call being resolute and determined, just that. We need to set our face like flint when it comes to obeying God. But being stubborn and most of the behavior usually described as being stubborn is just plain pride.
In fact, don't even call the behavior of being stubborn, "stubborn," call it, "Oh, I'm being obstinate today." One definition of obstinacy is: " perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion."
It doesn't take very long to practice this discipline before you are either a) are forced to lie to people or b) shape up and call your actions what they really are.

Here's an illustration:
“Hey Jim, how's that project coming that your employers are teaching you? Oh, to be honest, I am being immature, petty, cocky, arrogant and a prideful ignoramous about it. Oh...okay.. Well, thanks for sharing there Jim, I am just gonna go down the hall here and get a drink of water alright?"

It doesn't take very long of being honest and doing that, to get you serious about pulling up your spiritual pants. "Hey Philip, how are you? I'm strugglin'….. I am so frustrated about what I need to do. Oh..... you mean you are feeling sorry for yourself about lifting up your nose up at obeying God and you're angry at Him for controlling your life? Uhh, no man.... I am just strugglin'. Yeah right, you don't even know what a hard providence is. Now shut your trap, pull up your socks and see with wisdom."
Now, I'm not saying we go around with each other like this! But we need to argue with ourselves like this the next time we want to call ourselves stubborn or that we are “struggling” with something.

Let's commit to not using soft and morally neutral labels to excuse sin. For example: "I am very annoyed today, I've had many irritating things happen to me." Can irritating and bothersome things happen to us? Of course. But saying, "That's annoying, stop it!" Or "He annoys me," needs to be restated as "He angers me," or "you are making me angry." Ah, but it doesn't seem as self-serving to say, "he angers me," or "I'm just arrogant." And yes, it is not self-serving to call sin sin, it is self-condeming, and that is the point. Rather we should say, "I am arrogant, and bent on my haughty attempts to justify myself" which doesn't sound like you're trying to elicit everyone's pity for your tough time with your own sin, it is calling a spaid a spaid.

If we force ourselves to use biblical terminology as much as possible we will be more careful to cut off excuses for our sin.