Have you ever awakened in the morning with a stiff
neck? You can’t move your head the
normal way so you have to turn your whole body?
I remember having one so badly and for so long that when I went to my
chiropractor he told me to move my head as far to the right and to the left as
I could. I did and he re-iterated the
request as though maybe I had not understood the first time. I told him that I had moved my head. He informed me that I had not…I had moved my
eyes to the right and to the left, but my head had not moved. It took six weeks of intensive adjustments
and therapy to regain my full range of motion.
I thank God for him! He found
that years before in an auto accident, I had gotten whiplash and it had never
been detected, but it had over the years progressed to actually moving my spine
in an S shape that was not the normal one.
He had to repeatedly twist my head in an unnatural way to realign my
spine to the way the good Lord had intended.
I still have to go back from time to time for an adjustment.
In
most cases, if someone breaks their neck it is not a good thing. It can leave one paralyzed and unable to do
anything for themselves. In the
spiritual sense it can be the best thing we ever have happen to us!
In
the Scriptures, the Lord repeatedly talks about the danger of being “Stiff
Necked”. He calls Israel a stiff necked
people. Thirteen times God uses that
term or a form of it in the Old Testament:
Exodus 32:9 (New International Version)
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said
to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people.
Exodus 33:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way."4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.' "
Exodus 34:9 (New International Version)
9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."Deuteronomy 9:6-13 (New International Version)
6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.The Golden Calf
7 Remember this and never forget how you provoked the LORD
your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived
here, you have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 At
Horeb you aroused the LORD's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of
stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on
the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger
of God. On them were all the commandments the LORD proclaimed to you on the
mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.
11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the LORD
gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12
Then the LORD told me, "Go down from here at once, because your people
whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away
quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for
themselves." 13 And the LORD said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed!
Deuteronomy 10:16 (New International Version)
16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.Deuteronomy 31:27 (New International Version)
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!2 Chronicles 30:8 (New International Version)
8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.2 Chronicles 36:13 (New International Version)
13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.Psalm 75:4-5 (King James Version)
4I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:5Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
Psalm 75:4-5 (Amplified Bible)
4I said to the arrogant and boastful, Deal not arrogantly [do not boast]; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn [of personal aggrandizement].5Lift not up your [aggressive] horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck and insolent arrogance.
Jeremiah 17:23 (New International Version)
23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.Wow! That does not sound like something I would love someone to say about me! Being “Stiff necked” is a real pain to God and others!
God had been so good to Israel. He had delivered them out of the slavery of Egypt, had conquered all of their enemies for them, and had provided abundantly for them on the way to the Promised Land. One might think that they would have been really grateful and willing to follow God in obedience. However; they were not and did not.
Now before we get
down on them, let’s look at ourselves.
God has:
· given Himself as a sacrifice for our sins,
· has forgiven us when we in no way deserve it,
· has given us grace and mercy in abundance to live each
day in joy and victory over sin
· has given us
His Spirit, Pastors/shepherds, teachers, encouragers, brothers and sisters in
Christ in the church,
· and has promised to provide our NEEDS (not all wants)
So why would we not be always willing to be
mindful of Him and to be obedient? The
reason? Because we are as “Stiff necked”
in nature as the Israelites and allow that nature to rule us. Even though we have “been crucified with
Christ” We want to be on the throne of
our lives. We want to run our own
show. We want to make our own rules. Then we wonder why we don’t have the power
God promised us.We need revival in our own lives and then in the church! God always had to send pain and judgment to the house of Israel before they would yield to Him. He had to “break their stiff neck”. We do not have to wait for that to happen in our lives. We can, and need to, break our own stiff neck! How do we do that?
Here are some very important steps we can follow:
1. Get into
God’s Word daily. You cannot follow a God that you do not know.
2. Pray! No great
awakening happened without the fervent prayer of God’s people.
3. Humble
yourself and be willing to take
long hard look at yourself in the mirror of His Word.
4. Be honest
with God about your sin. He already knows about it, so you won’t surprise
Him, but He wants YOU to be honest with who and what you are and what you are
doing.
5. Confess! Just agree
with God about what you have done, or have not done. If you are sincere, He will forgive you. If you are just going through the motions to
make yourself feel better…don’t bother!
God sees right through that and you are adding insult to injury. GOD
HATES HYPOCRISY!
6. Repent! Turn away from
those sins and walk toward God.
7. Obey what
He has commanded. Again, you cannot obey what you don’t know, so
being in His Word daily is of ultimate importance.
8. Find
someone who will hold you accountable. Do not ask someone you can
intimidate or manipulate, but look for someone who is walking with God and will
be honest with you.
9. Rid
yourself of things that would draw you away again. This could be
the computer, TV, telephone, credit cards, etc.
Do not expect that this will be a one time deal. Revival is a
lifetime process and takes WORK and DILIGENCE!
If you want the
abundant joy-filled life that God has for you, “BREAK THAT STIFF NECK!” Allow God to send you through the “Refiner’s
Fire” of revival. He promises that you
will come out as pure gold.
I
once read how silver is refined. The
silversmith heats the raw material over and over. Each time he skims off the dross (crud/
impurities) and heats it again. This
process continues until he can see his reflection in the silver. Our Father does the same with us. I don’t know about you, but when the Father
looks at me, I want Him to see Himself…not the sinful critter that I am. Are you willing to go through the fire with
me?Someone said that the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible. It is God’s living LOVE LETTER to us. He wants us to be full of joy no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. He wants us to walk in the power of His Holy Spirit. He wants to be able to use us to reach the lost and dying world for Christ. We can do none of that effectively in our own power and will have none of that power without revival.
Have you ever awakened in the morning with a stiff
neck? You can’t move your head the
normal way so you have to turn your whole body?
I remember having one so badly and for so long that when I went to my
chiropractor he told me to move my head as far to the right and to the left as
I could. I did and he re-iterated the
request as though maybe I had not understood the first time. I told him that I had moved my head. He informed me that I had not…I had moved my
eyes to the right and to the left, but my head had not moved. It took six weeks of intensive adjustments
and therapy to regain my full range of motion.
I thank God for him! He found
that years before in an auto accident, I had gotten whiplash and it had never
been detected, but it had over the years progressed to actually moving my spine
in an S shape that was not the normal one.
He had to repeatedly twist my head in an unnatural way to realign my
spine to the way the good Lord had intended.
I still have to go back from time to time for an adjustment.
In
most cases, if someone breaks their neck it is not a good thing. It can leave one paralyzed and unable to do
anything for themselves. In the
spiritual sense it can be the best thing we ever have happen to us!
In
the Scriptures, the Lord repeatedly talks about the danger of being “Stiff
Necked”. He calls Israel a stiff necked
people. Thirteen times God uses that
term or a form of it in the Old Testament:
Exodus 32:9 (New International Version)
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said
to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people.
Exodus 33:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way."4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.' "
Exodus 34:9 (New International Version)
9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."Deuteronomy 9:6-13 (New International Version)
6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.The Golden Calf
7 Remember this and never forget how you provoked the LORD
your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived
here, you have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 At
Horeb you aroused the LORD's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of
stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on
the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The LORD gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger
of God. On them were all the commandments the LORD proclaimed to you on the
mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.
11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the LORD
gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12
Then the LORD told me, "Go down from here at once, because your people
whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away
quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for
themselves." 13 And the LORD said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed!
Deuteronomy 10:16 (New International Version)
16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.Deuteronomy 31:27 (New International Version)
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!2 Chronicles 30:8 (New International Version)
8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.2 Chronicles 36:13 (New International Version)
13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.Psalm 75:4-5 (King James Version)
4I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:5Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
Psalm 75:4-5 (Amplified Bible)
4I said to the arrogant and boastful, Deal not arrogantly [do not boast]; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn [of personal aggrandizement].5Lift not up your [aggressive] horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck and insolent arrogance.
Jeremiah 17:23 (New International Version)
23 Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline.Wow! That does not sound like something I would love someone to say about me! Being “Stiff necked” is a real pain to God and others!
God had been so good to Israel. He had delivered them out of the slavery of Egypt, had conquered all of their enemies for them, and had provided abundantly for them on the way to the Promised Land. One might think that they would have been really grateful and willing to follow God in obedience. However; they were not and did not.
Now before we get
down on them, let’s look at ourselves.
God has:
· given Himself as a sacrifice for our sins,
· has forgiven us when we in no way deserve it,
· has given us grace and mercy in abundance to live each
day in joy and victory over sin
· has given us
His Spirit, Pastors/shepherds, teachers, encouragers, brothers and sisters in
Christ in the church,
· and has promised to provide our NEEDS (not all wants)
So why would we not be always willing to be
mindful of Him and to be obedient? The
reason? Because we are as “Stiff necked”
in nature as the Israelites and allow that nature to rule us. Even though we have “been crucified with
Christ” We want to be on the throne of
our lives. We want to run our own
show. We want to make our own rules. Then we wonder why we don’t have the power
God promised us.We need revival in our own lives and then in the church! God always had to send pain and judgment to the house of Israel before they would yield to Him. He had to “break their stiff neck”. We do not have to wait for that to happen in our lives. We can, and need to, break our own stiff neck! How do we do that?
Here are some very important steps we can follow:
1. Get into
God’s Word daily. You cannot follow a God that you do not know.
2. Pray! No great
awakening happened without the fervent prayer of God’s people.
3. Humble
yourself and be willing to take
long hard look at yourself in the mirror of His Word.
4. Be honest
with God about your sin. He already knows about it, so you won’t surprise
Him, but He wants YOU to be honest with who and what you are and what you are
doing.
5. Confess! Just agree
with God about what you have done, or have not done. If you are sincere, He will forgive you. If you are just going through the motions to
make yourself feel better…don’t bother!
God sees right through that and you are adding insult to injury. GOD
HATES HYPOCRISY!
6. Repent! Turn away from
those sins and walk toward God.
7. Obey what
He has commanded. Again, you cannot obey what you don’t know, so
being in His Word daily is of ultimate importance.
8. Find
someone who will hold you accountable. Do not ask someone you can
intimidate or manipulate, but look for someone who is walking with God and will
be honest with you.
9. Rid
yourself of things that would draw you away again. This could be
the computer, TV, telephone, credit cards, etc.
Do not expect that this will be a one time deal. Revival is a
lifetime process and takes WORK and DILIGENCE!
If you want the
abundant joy-filled life that God has for you, “BREAK THAT STIFF NECK!” Allow God to send you through the “Refiner’s
Fire” of revival. He promises that you
will come out as pure gold.
I
once read how silver is refined. The
silversmith heats the raw material over and over. Each time he skims off the dross (crud/
impurities) and heats it again. This
process continues until he can see his reflection in the silver. Our Father does the same with us. I don’t know about you, but when the Father
looks at me, I want Him to see Himself…not the sinful critter that I am. Are you willing to go through the fire with
me?Someone said that the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible. It is God’s living LOVE LETTER to us. He wants us to be full of joy no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. He wants us to walk in the power of His Holy Spirit. He wants to be able to use us to reach the lost and dying world for Christ. We can do none of that effectively in our own power and will have none of that power without revival.
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