Tag: hardened hearts
Watch out for unbelief!
Scripture reading for October 16: Hebrews 3
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is written, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:12-19
God had the prophets and apostles write down the story of His redemption and work to bring His people into full salvation and an inheritance. The story of God’s people being delivered by Moses from slavery in Egypt was recorded by Moses and retold by the psalmist in Psalm 95 and by Paul as examples for us. (1 Corinthians 10:6-12) Their journey from Egypt to the promised land should have taken a short time, but His people would not listen to God’s direction and instruction. They suffered from the sin of ‘unbelief.’ It is not that they did not hear, but that they chose to ignore and suppress God’s Word. This brought consequences that cost them their lives and a delay in obtaining what God had promised. It took forty years for the older generation to die in the wilderness. What they had feared came upon them!
Now the writer of Hebrews exhorted Jewish believers in Jesus to watch out for the evil and sin of unbelief in their own lives. “Today” was the only day promised to us and we must use the present to live by faith and trust in God’s Word. We must not complain or rebel against God’s Word. We must watch over each other and encourage one another to stand firm. If this sin of unbelief takes root, it causes hard hearts and affects others who are believers. The end result is failure to enter into God’s promised rest of eternal life in His presence. It can lead to eternal separation from God.
Have you ever heard God speak to you concerning something in your life needing attention? Are you the type of person who readily obeys or do you procrastinate? Do you have strong believers or pastoral guides that give you strong encouragement and warning when needed?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the Scripture and the stories You recorded as examples for us. They are a source of encouragement to me. Thank you for your church and those who watch over me daily and give me the full counsel of Your Word. Use me daily to watch over my family and Your people. Amen.
Jesus rebukes unbelief!
Scripture reading for March 3: Mark 16
“Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My Name the will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:14-18
In our permissive and spoiled culture we tend to let each person believe as they want and accept their attitudes and actions. But Jesus had a different assessment of His own disciples who had been given the opportunity to walk with Him for three years. They had watched and then participated in healings, deliverances from demons, and even raising the dead. They had witnessed Jesus teaching and demonstrating His authority and the Father’s compassion. They had been plainly told on numerous occasions about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. He had patiently appeared to many of them on numerous occasions after His resurrection and eye witnesses had shared, but they had refused to believe and had hardened hearts.
After Jesus’ loving rebuke, He charged them with a clear mission of doing what He had taught them to do and preaching the Gospel to all. He emphasized that those who would believe and baptized would be saved. Those who hardened their hearts and refused to believe would be condemned. By faith God would work with them and through them to continue Jesus’ ministry of compassion and spoiling Satan’s kingdom of demonic oppression, sickness, and withstanding Satan’s attempts to destroy them. Their faith would move them forward to go, preach and obey in response to Jesus’ powerful Word.
Have you ever mocked or rejected a believer in Jesus who sought to witness to you? Have you responded to the Gospel message of Jesus and His followers? What does Jesus’ rebuke to His disciples say to you and your current life direction?
Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for Your life-giving rebuke for those who follow Jesus and harden their hearts. I have been there and done that. Thank You for the clear instructions on how to walk in faith and fulfill the Great Commission to preach the Gospel and proclaim Satan’s defeat. Use me today! Amen.
Hardened by sin’s deceitfulness
Scripture reading for August 10th: Hebrews 3
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 3:12-15 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Knowing God’s Word and will does not guarantee that we will believe it and obey God. The Israelites had God’s Word and knew His laws and decrees. They had experienced God’s presence in the cloud and fire and heard His voice on Mt. Sinai. But unbelief still plagued them and they fell away from God! Notice that falling is always ‘away’ and never ‘towards’ when unbelief is found in a hardened heart. Notice that ‘today’ is this day that we now find ourselves in. It is a day to ‘take care’ to listen to God’s voice. It is a day to exhort one another to guard our hearts against sins deceitfulness and hardening character. It is a day of salvation, as we never know if a ‘tomorrow’ is in our future here on earth. Sin often brings presumption that we have lots of time to do our own thing and then repent. Beware, a hardened heart is coming your way!
Hebrews 3:16-18 “For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father, thank You for exhorting me and warning me by Your Holy Word and voice. Use me to exhort others and watch over their souls. Help me to stay humble and soft in my heart, responding today to Your Word and call for repentance and faith. Today is the day of salvation and now is the time to receive grace!
2nd Corinthians 6:1-2 “Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Prayer moves heaven but not hardened hearts!
Scripture reading for December 26th: Revelation 8-9
Revelation chapter 8 begins with the Lamb opening the seventh seal. ( I heard a questionable story where a person said that we can know for sure that no women will be saved because there was silence in heaven for half an hour!) This seal reveals seven angels who had seven trumpets. Another angel stood at the golden altar in front of the throne and was given incense to offer. We are told this incense was the prayers of the saints. Our cries, worship, adoration and thanksgiving have a special place close to the seat of all power in the universe!
The response to these prayers is instructive! The angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the golden altar and then hurled it to the earth. This act produced thunder, lightning and an earthquake. Prayers have the power to move God to shake the earth! We must never take the privilege of prayer lightly!
Then the angels with the trumpets began to sound them one by one. With each trumpet blast, there was a corresponding reaction on earth that brought judgment and destruction. As John watched the first four angels, an eagle that was flying in midair spoke in a loud voice. “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the last three angels.” (Revelation 8:13)
The fifth trumpet sounded and John saw a star that had fallen from the sky. This star was an angel who was given the key to the Abyss. When he opened it smoke rose and darkened the sky. Out of this smoke, creatures like locusts were instructed to sting only those without the seal of God. Their sting brought horrible suffering but not death!
The sixth trumpet released four angels of death who were bound by the river Euphrates and brought death to a third of mankind through an army of two hundred million mounted troops. These troops killed the third of mankind with plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur. Even this display of mighty power did not cause the unsaved to repent of their idolatry, murder or sexual immorality!
As God’s wrath is poured out, saints are praying! Their prayers cause action from heaven upon the earth. What amazing power is released by praying saints! However, wrath does not produce repentance in the last days!