There’s an old saying: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” While that phrase might describe animals stuck in habits, it also painfully captures a dangerous posture in the spirit—an unteachable heart.
God cannot work with “old dogs.” Not because He lacks power, but because He will never force Himself on a heart that refuses to yield. Growth in God demands flexibility, humility, and a continual posture of learning. A Christian who believes they have “arrived” spiritually or who resists correction and instruction has unknowingly stepped outside the school of the Spirit.
The Danger of Being Unteachable
When we stop being teachable, we stop being transformable. And when we stop being transformable, we start decaying—slowly, silently, spiritually.
Proverbs 1:7 (KJV) says:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
In other words, teachability is the foundation of godly growth. A believer who mocks correction, who avoids accountability, or who assumes they know enough, is positioning themselves against the move of God in their life. God’s curriculum is progressive. He leads us line upon line, precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:10). If we’re not willing to keep learning, we forfeit His next move.
Examples from Scripture
1. King Saul vs. King David
Saul lost the kingdom not because he didn’t start well, but because he became unteachable. He excused his disobedience, justified his rebellion, and ignored Samuel’s instructions. Eventually, the Lord said:
“Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” – 1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)
David, though he fell into sin, remained teachable. He responded to the prophet Nathan’s rebuke with repentance, not resistance (Psalm 51). God can work with that. He can restore that.
2. The Rich Young Ruler
Jesus invited him to a deeper life, but he walked away sorrowful (Matthew 19:21-22). Why? Because he wasn’t willing to learn the ways of the kingdom. He held onto the “old tricks” of status, wealth, and self-righteousness. And God let him go—because God cannot force growth on a hardened heart.
A Teachable Spirit Attracts the Anointing
2 Timothy 2:21 (AMP) says:
“So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work.”
God uses malleable vessels. The anointing rests on those who are constantly allowing God to shape them, correct them, and mature them. Those who see the voice of their leaders, mentors, and the Scriptures as God’s voice to them—those are the ones He will trust with greater glory.
Jesus: Our Example of Teachability
Even Jesus, though He was the Son of God, modeled submission and obedience.
Hebrews 5:8 (KJV) says:
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
He learned. He obeyed. He grew. If Jesus Himself exemplified a teachable spirit, how much more must we?
Old Dogs Can Become New Creations
The good news is, in Christ, no one has to remain an “old dog.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV):
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
You can decide to become new. To shed pride. To drop resistance. To embrace growth. Every fresh move of God requires a fresh yielding to God.
Final Thought:
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The question isn’t whether God is willing to work in your life—it’s whether you’re willing to be worked on.
If you will unlearn the old and embrace the new, God will make you a vessel fit for greatness. But if you insist on staying an “old dog,” you may find yourself watching others move forward while you’re left behind.
Let the Potter shape the clay. Stay teachable. Stay usable. Stay transformable.
God cannot work with old dogs—but He will gladly remake them into new vessels.
The Message Bearer, Cornelius Bella
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