Doubt when it is fully grown, gives way to active spiritual rebellion.  Our fight is a fight of faith, steeling against unbelief and the moment we let doubt into our hearts and allow it to grow, our fight ceases and our rebellion begins.

I think for me it started at my 50th birthday, a general lack of contentment started to build in my life.  A desire for something different, a dissatisfaction or boredom with my life.  A disillusionment with how it had all turned out and the more I thought about it the more I was dissatisfied with my home, my husband, my house, my career, the general direction my life was taking.

It developed a habit of doubt in me, calling into question everything I had learnt about God from His word, I stopped believing.  And slowly rebellion crawled into my heart without me realizing it.  Rebellion increased giving way to pride, a lack of love, a lack of faith, a lack of trust in God.  I entertained the lie in my heart that God did not love me.  Elevated my own goals and became so wrapped up in myself there was not room for God.

What is spiritual rebellion?

A rejection of the life that God has given you

  • For whatever reasons
  • A wish, desire, demand for something different

This decision that can be born out of very painful reasoning and at the heart of it is ANGER.

We are no different to Adam and Eve who wanted a bigger, better, more powerful version of themselves, of God even.  They wanted more than the life they had; they declared their lives as being inadequate.  They made a choice for something other than God had given them.

Perhaps your life has not turned out like you expected it to:

  • Choices were made for you that you had no control over
  • Circumstances have happened that you did not ask for
  • Relationships or situations have fallen on you because you had no-one to consult with
  • It seems that you are in dead end circumstances

When one is living a life over which you have no control, it is easy to blame the ONE who did have control i.e. God.  WE start to question everything about His character.  And rebellion starts to rise in us.

  • Spiritual rebellion rejects the life God has given you. It births a self-hate that says “I hate my life and who I am.” We judge our lives as worthless and thereby judge the God of the universe as worthless.
  • Rebellion is an attitude that resists authority. It resists God’s divinely instituted order.  The first act of rebellion against God’s order of things, was from the devil himself and he took one third of the angels with him.
  • Spiritual rebellion is to elevate your agenda above the agenda of God, and it has one purpose – to block one from thriving and pressing into God.

What is the effect of spiritual rebellion?

  1. Rebellion brings you down from a great height. When your will is elevated, pride is high, no matter what height you have gained in life, rebellion will result in God bringing you down.  In Isaiah 14:12-15, when Satan decided that what he wanted was above God’s order of things, God vowed to bring him down.  What height have you fallen from?
  2. Rebellion cuts you off from Kingdom privileges. In Ezekiel 28:12-15 the human king of Tyre (also describing Satan) lost the privileges he previously had in the kingdom and it all ceased on the day of his rebellion.  Have you felt cut off from God, from His presence, from being used by Him?  Cut off from all benefits of a relationship with Him?
  3. Rebellion leads one into dryness. Psalm 68:6 “The rebellious dwell in dry land…”   Dry of faith, dry of passion, dry in prayer, in finances, in relationships, in vision.  When we are in a dry land, everything about us becomes dry. It becomes a spiritual desert, and you start to thirst for something different.
  4. Rebellion shuts one’s spiritual eyes and ears. In Ezekiel 12:2(MSG) “God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, you’re living with a bunch of rebellious people. They have eyes but don’t see a thing, they have ears but don’t hear a thing. They’re rebels all. “

Rebellion makes it hard to see God’s way, makes it hard to see things in the spiritual realm, it makes it hard to hear his voice and direction.  We lack discernment and we lack confidence in the Spirit.  When our spiritual senses are lost, we are close to destruction.  As king Zedekiah was, the last King of Israel, when Ezekiel gave him this warning.  Soon they would be taken into captivity just as Ezekiel had warned him, but he was unable to hear or see God.

  1. Rebellion makes the Holy Spirit your enemy. In Isaiah 63:10 it clearly states that rebellion grieves the Holy Spirit and where He is supposed to be our helper and comforter, He now encounters a hardened heart that will not submit to His direction.  We set Him up as our enemy.

In short, God withholds blessing from those that are rebellious.

Repent and acknowledge that your attitude is wrong.  Stop all things and all associations that are contributing to your rebellion.  Weed out doubt and unbelief.  Humble yourself and place yourself under God’s authority, embrace His will and purpose for your life.  Get rid of your excuses for your rebellion and pray that you will not be tempted to go back.  Ask Holy Spirit to help you to obey.

Lord the more I reflect on the effects of rebellion the more I have to admit that it has been the state of my heart.  I confess that I rebel against Your will and purpose for my life and instead are determined to have my way and will.  I have been so focused on what I want, that I have not considered what You want.  I recognise that rebellion has led to sinful attitudes in my heart, and I have questioned Your heart and Your purposes for my life.  Please forgive me Lord and release me from this spirit of rebellion in me.  Release me from thoughts that lie about You.  Release me from an attitude that feels You owe me.  Lord, I have been wrong.  Wash my heart, my mind, my attitudes to life.  Clean out my pride and help me to have a will that says; “Your will be done in my life Lord.”