"Do not harden your hearts"
Hebrews 3:7-19
That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger, I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
We know people in our life who fit the above description. Some have refused to believe in Christ not even attempting to know God, to seek Him, or to read His word. Some whose hearts have hardened because of the difficulties or circumstances that have endured. This chapter, also says sins harden our hearts. When we are so rooted in the things of the world and we revel in the sins of the world, it makes us stubborn and harder to follow God because it requires us to leave that life behind and give up everything that is not pleasing to God.
Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years. They were led faithfully led by God. He provided for them, protected them, delivered them from their enemies, and gave them a promised land. Yet, seeing all these amazing things God did for them when circumstances were difficult, they doubted God, tested God and His faithfulness. You would think right now, after all, that God did for them, they were so unfaithful. But is it not happening today in our lives where when circumstances become difficult or things don't go according to plan, we doubt God, we harden our hearts, we say God isn't for us, He is against us. It is so easy to see only the storm but hard to imagine that eventually the storm will subside and become calm and then there will a rainbow.
We forget God's faithfulness, what He did in our lives and choose only to see the worst that is yet to come. The Israelites did the same claiming even that they were better off in Egypt, being in slavery. What happened to them, those who did not believe? They did not enter God's rest meaning the promised land, Canaan. They were not only punished for their unbelief but missed out on seeing the promised land and entering God's rest.
Do not miss out on the opportunity to enter God's rest in the form of peace that we have in Jesus through faith or eternal life that awaits us. Do not miss out on the opportunity to hear His voice, listen, He is speaking to you. In the midst of the difficulties of your life, in the midst of the struggles, in the midst of your sin, He is calling out to you. Have you hardened your hearts that you can't hear anymore?
Hebrews 3:12-14
Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Encourage one another who are struggling in their journey of faith, overcoming their sins by the grace of God but in the process don't make your own heart unbelieving but help each other so we can stay strong in faith and run the race of life and receive the crown of glory and celebrate eternal life with our Father. There will be difficult days ahead and a lot of trouble may come our way but we wait with bated breath for our Saviour who will take us forever into God's rest. AMEN
So my friends, do not harden your heart when you hear His voice today.....God bless you
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