“Don’t Be a Stubborn Heifer!”

Hosea 4:16, “The Israelites are STUBBORN, like a STUBBORN HEIFER. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?” (NIV)

Once upon a time, there was a heifer named Molly who lived on a little dairy farm. Now Molly had a harder life than some of the other heifers, but don’t feel sorry for her, because IT WAS HER OWN FAULT! You see, Molly was a STUBBORN Heifer! Would she stay inside the fence that was there for her protection? Of course not! She found ways to crawl through it, which meant she eventually received a yoke attached to her head – basically a sturdy Y-shaped branch that made it impossible for her to get her head outside the fence any longer. It was a nuisance; but a nuisance made necessary by Molly’s own STUBBORNNESS! Which reminds me of the quote: “Be Determined, not Stubborn. Determination is positive, feels light and will take you far. It’s a willingness to change as needed; keeping an open mind. Stubbornness is a heavy feeling; a refusal to budge; a negative, closed mind and will hold you back.”

And that’s not all Miss Molly did, you see there were other times when they would try to get Molly to move, and without serious coercion, she would just plant her STUBBORN feet! Then she would also refuse to stand still to be milked, and instead would start charging toward the door. The result? Well, the farmhand – whose job it was to keep the cows inside that little shed – quickly slammed the shovel across the door to keep her in. Needless to say, STUBBORN Molly ran into the shovel and lost part of the cap on one of her horns!

HOWEVER, AFTER PAYING THAT PRICE FOR THE COST OF HER STUBBORNNESS, from that day on, Molly went right in and stood there quietly for milking, no more problems out of Miss Molly.

Which reminds me of another quote that says: “In the face of an obstacle which is impossible to overcome, stubbornness is stupid!”

Hosea 4:16 is God’s description of some of His ancient children, and to be brutally honest, some of His CURRENT ones as well. Our text says, “The Israelites are STUBBORN, like a STUBBORN heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow?” I’ve come to understand, IN EVERY GENERATION, God has problems with STUBBORN HEIFERS! And like Molly, Stubbornness brings on a lot of Unnecessary Hardships. Which makes me wonder if our Heavenly Father looks at us, and thinks, “Here is yet another generation of Stubborn Heifers!”

“GOD said to Moses, “I look at this people—oh! What a STUBBORN, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them…” (Exodus 32:9-10 MSG). Did you know that the word ‘incinerate’ is defined as, ‘to destroy by burning’? Its Latin origin ‘incinerare’ literally means, ‘to burn to ashes.’ Do you know how mad and fed up a Father has to be with His own children, that He doesn’t want to beat ‘em, but burn em’?! Instead of us receiving God’s “beauty for ashes”, our stubbornness is causing us to receive a burning to ashes! I don’t know about you, but that statement would’ve delivered me, rather quickly, from Stubbornness!

“Never Let Your Persistence and Passion Turn Into Stubbornness and Ignorance.” (Anthony J. D’Angelo)

Isaiah even warns, “‘Woe to the OBSTINATE children,’ says the Lord, ‘to those who carry out plans that are not Mine’” (30:1). The word ‘Obstinate’ means ‘Stubbornly Refusing to Change One’s Opinion or Chosen Course of Action; Hard to Deal With or Overcome.’ It’s Latin Origin ‘Obstinatus’ means ‘Persist’. And if the truth be told, ALL of us (I know many may not think so) but ALL of us have Persisted at some point in time to go in a direction that God said is going to lead us over a cliff, and guess what? Our friend the “Road Runner” always manages to stop himself before going over, but cousin “Coyote”, like a family of fools, we head over the cliff with him every time! We don’t sing “Have Thine Own Way, Lord,” we sing, “I’ll Have My Own Way, Lord.” And many of us keep Stubbornly singing it, even as we plummet over the cliff!

Scott Stapp said it best: “I always believed in God and Christ, but I was in rebellion—trying to make my relationship with God fit into my life instead of making my life fit in with Him. I Was Stubborn.”

Farmers have to put Cumbersome Yokes and sometimes Painful Constraints on Stubborn Heifers! Which, if you think about it, may explain why life has been so difficult for many of us! It brings clarity to the reason why there’s been so much Unnecessary Pain In Our Lives! And if we were to be totally honest, we could admit that a lot of our endless cycles of suffering have been the result of our going in directions that are Not On God’s Map! Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all.” (MSG)

I’ve come to find out that a ‘Molly Mentality’ only Makes Your Life Miserable! The Bible says, “But because you are STUBBORN and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:5 NLT). What fool would knowingly store up terrible punishment for themselves?! And yet, that’s exactly what stubbornness does, it stores up terrible punishment for those who refuse to turn from their sin! After all, you shall reap what you sow, therefore, if you sow disobedience, you shall reap the curses that come with it. However, if you sow obedience, you shall reap the blessings that come with it! The Bible Don’t Lie! Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (AMP) I reiterate, why would you willingly want to punish yourself with the curses of disobedience when you can walk in obedience and receive the full blessings of the Lord!

Deuteronomy 28:1-14, “IF YOU LISTEN OBEDIENTLY TO THE VOICE OF GOD, YOUR GOD, AND HEARTILY OBEY ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS THAT I COMMAND YOU TODAY, God, YOUR GOD, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. ALL THESE BLESSINGS WILL COME DOWN ON YOU AND SPREAD BEYOND YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE RESPONDED TO THE VOICE OF GOD, YOUR GOD: God’s blessing inside the city, God’s blessing in the country; God’s blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God’s blessing in your coming in, God’s blessing in your going out. God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he’ll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. God will form you as a people holy to him, just as he promised you, IF YOU KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, YOUR GOD, and live the way he has shown you. All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe. God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that he would give you. God will throw open the doors of his sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you’ll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, AS YOU OBEDIENTLY LISTEN TO AND DILIGENTLY KEEP THE COMMANDS OF GOD, YOUR GOD, that I am commanding you today. Don’t swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.” (MSG)

YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO BANKRUPT THE BLESSINGS OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE!

Listen: Even when we dress up our STUBBORNNESS in spiritual terms like “Conviction” or “God’s Leading,” it’s still our way versus God’s! That’s why it’s so dangerous to forget that the only plans that will ever prosper are HIS! (“…I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG)! People of God, our STUBBORNNESS is Costing Us the Fullness of God’s Perfect Plan For Our Lives! And if that doesn’t make us change, Nothing Will!

Surely, we’ve all got to be tired by now of the pain, the yoke, and the hits! That’s why NOW is the Perfect Time to Yield to the Perfect Will of God! Accept the fact that He’s Allowed Many Difficulties (things to break our horn like Molly) into our life, not to hurt us, BUT TO GET US TO GO WHERE WE WOULD NEVER OTHERWISE GO—STOP WHAT WE OTHERWISE WOULDN’T STOP—AND CHANGE WHAT WE OTHERWISE WOULD NEVER CHANGE! ALL OF THIS, SO HE CAN GET OUT OF US, WHAT HE PUT IN US! “God is the one who began this GOOD WORK IN YOU, and I am certain that HE WON’T STOP BEFORE IT IS COMPLETE…” (Philippians 1:6 CEV).

Keep this in mind, in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus faced the awful prospect of carrying the weight of the world’s sin, He said eight of the most powerful words in the world, “YET NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE” If you didn’t know it before today, God’s been waiting a long time to hear those words from you! Saints, we’ve carried enough burdens; gotten enough scars, and run into enough walls due to our disobedience and stubbornness. It’s time to surrender that Stubborn heart and will to God before we miss out on His best!

“GOD had taken a stand against Israel and Judah, speaking clearly through countless holy prophets and seers time and time again, “Turn away from your evil way of life. Do what I tell you and have been telling you in The Revelation I gave your ancestors and of which I’ve kept reminding you ever since through my servants the prophets.” But they wouldn’t listen. If anything, they were even more bullheaded than their STUBBORN ancestors, if that’s possible. They were contemptuous of his instructions, the solemn and holy covenant he had made with their ancestors, and of his repeated reminders and warnings. They lived a “nothing” life and became “nothings” – just like the pagan peoples all around them. They were well-warned: GOD said, “Don’t!” but they did it anyway.” (2 Kings 17:13-15 MSG).

SURELY YOU DON’T WANT THIS TO BE YOUR TESTIMONY?!

And sadly, we can’t even make any attempts at saying we didn’t know any better, for God states, “…They were well-warned: GOD said, “Don’t!” but they did it anyway.” Israel and Judah knew better, and still stubbornly disobeyed! And what does the Bible have to say about such behavior? James 4:17, “So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” (AMP) And what’s the danger of sin? Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” (TLB) The Message Bible says it like this: “…Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death…” (MSG) Do you really want that to be your eternal retirement plan? Work your whole life for sin and gain the pension plan of death?!

Then James take it even further when he says in: James 1:13-15, “Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.” (MSG) And who is sin looking to kill? YOU! Will you dare allow that to be your final outcome after Jesus laid His own life on the line so that it wouldn’t be?! This is why things such as sin, disobedience and stubbornness have to be eradicated immediately, because sin grows from pregnancy to baby to adult to serial killer! So beware of what triggers your sin, disobedience and stubbornness and get rid of it quickly, remember your life, your eternity and your blessings are at stake!

In addition, put yourself in God’s shoes: If you had the choice between an Obedient Sheep and a Stubborn Heifer, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO LEAD?! WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BLESS?! I can certainly tell you God’s choice: “…you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine]. The sheep that are My own HEAR AND ARE LISTENING TO MY VOICE; and I know them, and THEY FOLLOW ME” (John 10:26-27 AMP).

Therefore, if you’re not listening, not obeying and not following, I only have one piece of advice for you, before the last trumpet sounds: STOP BEING A STUBBORN HEIFER!

Remember, Molly’s Stubbornness Cost Her, Her Horn! And what’s so valuable about a horn? 1 Samuel 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.” (AMP) Do you really want to risk losing something that’s attached to the prophet; attached to the holy oil; attached to the anointing; attached to calling and consecration; attached to the Spirit of God?! I think not!

Therefore, let today be the day that you ask God for deliverance from disobedience! Ask the Holy Spirit to separate you from stubbornness! Ask Jesus to save you from sin! Today is your day to be free and blessed, and the only way that will happen is if you STOP BEING A STUBBORN HEIFER!

Saints, Don’t Lose Your Horn!

Nehemiah 9:29, “And You admonished them and warned them to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and arrogantly and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, Which by keeping, a man will live. But they turned a stubborn shoulder, stiffened their neck, and would not listen.” (AMP)

Jeremiah 11:8, “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear [to listen to Me], but everyone walked in the stubborn way of his [own] evil heart. Therefore I brought on them all [the suffering threatened in] the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’” (AMP)

Proverbs 29:1, “[If People Can’t See What God Is Doing ] For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn, There’ll come a day when life tumbles in and they break, but by then it’ll be too late to help them.” (MSG)

Mark 6:4-6, “Jesus told them, “A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child.” Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.” (MSG)

Acts 7:51, “You stiff-necked and stubborn people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did.” (AMP)

Romans 2:5, “But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (AMP)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
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