“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”
When I was a kid, we had some little kittens. We raised them inside with love and all the comforts of home: enough food, a clean litter box, and plenty of tummy rubs. One day, we let them outside to explore, and what a time they had. At one point, I saw one of them looking for a place to go potty. He tried to dig a hole in the concrete, but it didn’t work. Then he moved to the caliche road, which didn’t work either. He went around scratching and scratching at places that were too hard to dig. Finally, we helped him out after having a good belly roll of laughter.
Chapter seven in Acts is Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin. It is a short history of the Israelites from Abraham to Solomon. He outlines how the leaders of Israel always seemed to be on the offensive toward God. From the retort in Egypt, “Who made you lord and master over us? Are you going to kill us like you did the Egyptian?” to the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai, to the 40 years in the desert, constantly complaining, they seemed to be obtuse toward the Lord.
He mentions David and how God blessed him. Because of this, David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but it was Solomon who would build it. Even then, the Lord said in verse 48, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?” From this, our verse comes into play. Stephen, moved and guided by the Holy Spirit, tells them that their hearts and ears are still uncircumcised, meaning they act and think like Gentiles and are nowhere close to the Lord. After a loud cry of disbelief and anger, they drive Stephen out and stone him to death.
Today, realize that resisting the Holy Spirit is accepting the world and its customs and habits. Even the religious elite, who were knowledgeable and looked the part, had hearts and ears that were still far from God. We can go to church and check the box on Christianity every day, and still, our hearts and ears can be far from the Lord. Jesus told us that His sheep hear His voice, and in Corinthians 5:17 it says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Check your heart and your ears today. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your ears and change your heart so you can seek the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Doing the Christian thing is not enough; you have to live it. Stop resisting the Holy Spirit. Listen to Him and follow His direction.
Stephen asked the Sanhedrin whether there had ever been a prophet they had not persecuted. Are you persecuting the ones who want your walk to be more like Jesus? Open your ears and your heart so that the Lord can do a mighty work. Those little kittens needed our help to find some soft ground. You need the help of the Holy Spirit to put you in the right place where you can see the Lord work in your life.
Prayer: I pray that I will humble myself every day and remain in a posture of humility so I can do what the Holy Spirit tells me to do. I pray for boldness and direction. I pray for clarity and correction in all I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
Leave a comment