In my opinion some of the scariest verses in the Bible are…
- Hebrews 3:7
- Hebrews 3:15
- Hebrews 4:7
We are commanded by God in the Scriptures that, when we hear His voice to not harden our hearts.
How do we harden our hearts? Simple…by KNOWING what God’s Word clearly says about something but refusing to obey because doing so might seriously interfere with the lifestyle that we are wanting to pursue.
- It happens when people know they should respond to the Gospel but keep finding reasons to say no.
- It happens when a person knows they are in an ungodly dating relationship but fears being alone more than they fear God.
- It happens when a person knows their life is out of control…but fears if they confess their sin and ask for help it may seriously damage their reputation.
- It happens when someone knows they should stop spending money the way they do…but have become dependent upon numbing their pain with the temporary satisfaction that trinkets bring.
- It happens when a church leaders knows the direction God is wanting him/her to take the ministry…but they refuse to do so because they fear being unpopular with the people.
- It happens when a person knows they should not continue to pursue the “innocent flirting” with someone at work…but…it feeds their ego or fulfills their emotions so they continue the practice.
- It happens when a person knows they should stop the intimate connections they are making online…but refuses to stop because of the pleasure it brings.
- It happens when we know we should invite someone to church and/or share Christ with them…but we convince ourselves that they would not be interested OR that we will simply do it later.
I could go on and on…but we all get the point.
When people harden their hearts in Scripture it just doesn’t go well for them.
My question is this…is there anything in your life that God seems to be relentless in coming after?
If so…are you repenting or defending? Because, when you defend what you are doing in the face of a Holy and awesome God who wants nothing but the best for you…then you are actively hardening your heart. AND…one day…you might not even be able to hear His voice anymore if you don’t deal with what He’s dealing with!
It’s not that most of us don’t hear the voice of God…it’s that we don’t like what we hear and so we either fight with Him or ask Him to tell us something else. BUT…until we deal with what He’s dealing with we will NEVER get past where we are right now. (See Ezekiel 14:1-6)
Today…if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!