Surrendering Stubbornness

After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost game 3 to the San Antonio Spurs a few nights ago, the criticism was centered around Russell Westbrook. He shot 10 of 31 from the field, including 3 for 10 from the 3-point line, and even Westbrook admitted he shot too much. Following that game, Sam Amick from USA TODAY Sports said, “Westbrook’s stubbornness needs to come to an end if the Thunder are going to pull off this daunting feat. He’s a special talent, the kind of player the NBA has never seen. But in this context, with this opponent, there’s simply no time to revert back to all those old habits that made him so infamous early in his career.” Flash forward to last night and Westbrook seemed to respond well by helping the Thunder tie the series at 2-2 with a 111-97 win. He only shot 18 times, with just three of them from beyond the arc, and he contributed 15 assists. His willingness to alter his game for the betterment of the team was evident. The idea of Westbrook’s stubbornness after game 3 got me thinking about the areas of our lives we refuse to change because of our own stubbornness. How great would the results be if we stopped being so pig-headed and truly allowed God to do His work in us? I hope we’re challenged to consider negative aspects of our life or character that need adjusting. In Acts 7:51 (NLT), Stephen is speaking to the Sanhedrin and says this: “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!” Ultimately, God wants to do amazing work in us and through us, but too often we fight hard against it.  We are set in how we want to live and hang on too tightly to how we’ve always been. We resist the Holy Spirit and stay fixed in selfish ways. There are freedom and blessings waiting for us as we surrender and let go of our stubbornness.  I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my stubbornness. Please show me the areas of my life that truly need to change. Reveal the aspects of my character you desire to change and give me the strength to not be stubborn and allow you to do your work in me. Help me to surrender fully to the Holy Spirit and receive the freedom and the blessings that are available. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.