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“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage” (Ps. 84:5, NKJV).
There came a time in my life when a fierce and prolonged battle was raging around me. There was only one way I was going to survive: “Holy stubbornness.” That’s what Holy Spirit called it.
This was His fresh branding for an ancient concept, that of spiritual resilience. Unrelenting doggedness. It was the only thing that was going to get me to the other side of that season victorious. There was no other choice. I had to determine in my heart that – by God’s empowering – I was going to be more stubborn than the enemy. Sheer holy stubbornness was going to keep me in the fight no matter how much I was bleeding.
Psalm 84 teaches us about this critically important quality. A blessed stubbornness marks the life of every determined believer – each one of us “whose heart is set on pilgrimage” (v. 5). There are seasons in all of our lifetimes when we must resolutely, tenaciously set our heart on the finish line. There is simply no other way to make it through.
During those painful patches, it will seem like all of hell has turned out to fight in the war against our joy. Battle after battle after battle in seemingly unending succession will pummel our will to continue. The testing of our faith will at times feel agonizing. It will be in those moments that we must lock our teeth on God’s promises like a bull dog. No matter what is unleashed against us, we simply cannot let go. Holy stubbornness must possess our souls. Again and again, we must courageously lean into Holy Spirit’s admonition:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9, ESV, bold emphasis mine).
If we do not give up! Sometimes, it is all we can do to put one foot in front of the other – or even one knee in front of the other – as we crawl forward. But we simply can’t give up. Harvest really is coming!! This season of difficulty and distress WILL NOT LAST FOREVER!!!
In spite of our frailty, we know with certainty we can endure. We can pull through to victory. What gives us this confidence? Jesus went before us, showing us how to do it. He accomplished this for us in the weakness of a human body, complete with the vulnerability of human emotions.
Holy Spirit tells us all about it in Isaiah chapter 50. In one breath, He describes some of Jesus’ most anguished moments, as His beard is ripped out (v. 6). In the next, the Spirit gives us this window into our Savior’s heart cry:
“Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed;
Therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know that I will triumph.
He who gives me justice is near…” (vv. 7-8a, TLB).
Do you see it there? Holy stubbornness. “I have set my face like flint to do His will.” Determination as immovable as a rock. Jesus was resolute, unwavering, steadfast. No matter what the cost, He was going through with it. He saw the triumph on the other side of the pain. He saw you in His arms forever. Nothing, absolutely nothing in all of creation, was going to stop Him from obtaining that intimacy with you.
How about you? Is there a war raging around you right now? Mighty warrior, the Spirit of Jesus is one with your spirit. Let His holy stubbornness rise up on the inside of you in this moment. Set your face like flint. Raise your voice and cry out with Him, “Weeping may last for the night, but joy is coming in the morning! I know that I will triumph! He who gives me justice is near!”
Bite down like a bulldog; sink your teeth into the unfailing promises of God; and never, ever, ever let go!
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Have you ever noticed a time when stubbornness came in handy, in a redemptive way?
Feeding On Jesus 
Another good word sister. Seriously I am going to ask God to connect our families some day. Your words are so similar to our own. 😃 Personally I like the description about Joseph where it states ‘his soul entered the iron’. Great visual of that stubbornness we need when we face the headwinds at the faith barrier. When we hunker down and push through, resisting satan’s resistance, it hardens us to difficulty. This is the only way to stay safe in the days ahead.
Blessings,
Homer Les
Uncompromising Faith
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Homer, it would indeed be a joy and privilege to meet you and your family! So neat that there are so many parallels on our journeys 🙂 And yes indeed, what a powerful visual!
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Greatly encouraging.
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I have never heard of “Holy Stubbornness” before, but I love the concept! I have been using it without having a name for it. Now I know what to call the season I have been in the last 12 years. I am holding tightly to Jesus and His Truth and Mercy, and I am not letting go!
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I’m so very glad this post was helpful to you, my sister! May Jesus strengthen and encourage your heart supernaturally as you continue to hold onto Him and never give up. You are so very loved by Him!
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Encouraging and such a blessing. Thank you. In the midst of it ALL. I WILL stand and not FALL. These words from a song came to me as I read your blog. Yes, indeed the occasions have and will come when we must with the tenacity of a bulldog STAND our ground for the Holiness and Authority of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord.
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That sounds like a great song! Do you know the name of it?
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What a well written post to remind us of God’s ever present help. Yes, stubborness can be an asset! While homesteading an isolated ranch in the BC wilderness! It was hard work and loneliness in unimaginable wild beauty. My mantra almost daily was, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” That was where a powerful faith began!
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Wow, I can only imagine. What a faith adventure He’s had you on! Thank you so much for sharing that, my sister. It brought quite a visual to my imagination. He must be so proud of you for following Him into and through it!
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I had to develop faith as a source of power! I’ve written a non-fiction book on my spiritual journey and reliance on God and currently I’m writing a novel series based on those years of homesteading experiences! Do you think our hardships in life come to us so we can develop our faith?
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How wonderful! I bet those are amazing books! I’m in the middle of a couple months of traveling right now but I would love to look into it when I get back home. Are they on your blog?
About hardships, I find that to be a complex question. So much of what happens seems to be the product of simply living in a fallen world, and yet I’m also aware that the Father does allow certain situations to take place for the development of our faith and dependence on Him. So much so that He coaches us to see them as “pure joy!” Amazing 🙂
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It is amazing. It is pure joy to overcome the trials with his help! I’m going to travel to India with my husband in Dec. Nice to meet another traveler. Where are you on your journeys?
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India! How exciting! A missions trip? We just arrived in the US today from our home in Peru.
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