God's Holy Fire: 'Stubborn People'

Saturday, May 23, 2026

[Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin:] "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!"
— Acts 7:51 NLT

Key Thought

Stephen was empowered by the Holy Spirit and spoke with wisdom. He knew that there was great opposition to the Jesus he proclaimed and the truth he spoke. He also knew that this kind of opposition was nothing new. God's own people had consistently opposed his servants in every age even though those servant leaders had been inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The people's stubbornness made their hearts hard and their ears deaf to the truth of God. The words of Stephen and the prophets were not what the people ultimately resisted: They resisted and rejected God and thereby rejected his Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8). Let's be different than they were. Let's humbly ask God to use his Spirit to convict us where we need to be changed, fortify us where we need to be strengthened, instruct us where we are ignorant, and bring hope to hearts when they are broken.

Today's Prayer

O Father, with the words of King David, I pray: "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." I ask, dear Father, that you cleanse my heart of sin and purify my motives as I seek to serve you and that I never resist the influence of your Holy Spirit within me. I pray this in the name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen.

The quotation in the prayer is Psalm 51:17.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

4 Related Resources by Heartlight

Rejecting the Message of God's Spirit
Devo: Unstoppable!
"[Stephen moved from reviewing Jewish history in response to the accusation against him to challenging his accusers by saying,] "You stubborn people!....."
Resisting the Holy Spirit?
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"[Stephen said to the Sanhedrin,] "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what..."
You Squander It!
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"[In his defense before the Sanhedrin, Stephen said,] "And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the..."
The Spirit of Grace Under Fire
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Believer, Today I want to give you a glimpse of My servant, Stephen. In the verses below, you will see how he followed My example when faced..."

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 7:51 NLT — "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!"

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, May 23, 2026

Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: 1 John 2:6
"Why should Christians imitate Christ? They should do it for their own sakes. If they desire to be in a healthy state of soul-if they would escape the...."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Romans 11:33
"Oh, the depth and riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God's Faithfulness and Unfailing Love'
"Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. When people's lives please the Lord, even their..."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Distrusted' (Acts 9:26)
"When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a..."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations