Hard or Soft Hearts?

Hosea 6-9; Hebrews 3 

 “…‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert…But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Hebrews 3:7, 8, 13

The hardening of our hearts toward God is a choice we make in response to hearing his voice. The testing that God allows in our lives is meant to humble us, that we might seek him and live. God’s testing is not meant to discourage or destroy us, but rather to expose our deep need of him. We each need encouragement to seek the Lord and to respond to the slightest promptings of his Spirit. We need encouragement to listen to God’s Spirit and Word in ways that move us in the direction of his ways and his mission. When we either ignore God’s voice in our lives, or listen selectively, we are easily deceived by sin. A hardened heart is vulnerable to temptation and spiritual deception. The Holy Spirit desires to instruct, warn, and discipline us so we can follow God’s will and his ways. Stay soft, my friend.

“Lord Jesus, I humble myself before you, and pray my heart would be soft and quick to respond to your Word and Spirit, for your glory.”