Warning of a Harden Heart

Heb 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 

The warning is given to Christians (brethren) to not allow our hearts to become hardened by sin and temptation. We have not yet arrived at our heavenly home. We are eternally secured in Christ as long as we keep our faith in Christ and don’t allow an evil heart of unbelief to take charge of our life. The doctrine of eternal security, as taught by Calvinist theology, teaches that once you have been saved by accepting Christ that your salvation is sealed for eternity and there is nothing that you can do that can break that seal. (no one can separate you from the love of God). The writer of the Hebrews warns the brethren that if we don’t take heed and be watchful, that it is possible to depart (Leave) from the living God. Getting saved does not remove our will to choose. We must daily choose to pick up our cross and follow Him. This is not salvation by works, but salvation by faith in trusting God to keep us in the palm of His hand. Scripture is clear that there is nothing we can do to obtain eternal life except through Christ. But scripture is also clear that our continual faith in Christ is essential in maintaining a relationship with a holy God. The blood covers as long as our faith remains active. We stay saved by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “Quench not the Spirit.”  (1 Thess 5:9) Don’t extinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit when He seeks to lead and guide you. It is possible to stray away from God, but it is also possible to return. The love of God will never leave us or forsake us, it will always yearn for our return. Don’t allow the world and sin to harden your heart and leave your first love. Seek Him daily, pursue Him with all your heart. “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”(vs 14).

Passing The Test

 Gen. 22:1,2
God tested Abraham…And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

The scripture application to this passage is one of full surrender to God. A willingness to give up what you love dearly to serve God. I certainly don’t claim to understand the mind of God in this requirement. Yes, this was a test to see if Abraham was completely sold out to mind God, but on the other hand, I can see why some would question God’s requirement to have Abram kill his firstborn. In our day, if someone did this, they would be charged with murder and sent to prison for life, or given the death penalty, regardless of their religious beliefs. This subject, no doubt, has been debated and discussed for centuries, so I am not even going to attempt to explain this paradox. 
Looking at it at face value and deeper meaning, this is also prophetic in that God was willing to give His only-begotten Son. This same God, who commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son on the altar, sent His Son to earth, to live among us and sacrifice His life to save ours. 
As we walk with God, we are faced with many trials, tribulations, and tests. Trials and tribulations are given to all who walk this life, but tests are given to see what we are made of. Test of character, test of integrity, test of loyalty, and test of faithfulness are all given for the purpose of bringing glory to God. In our day, God has spoken through His word. When we hear the voice of God, it will not go contrary to His word. We need to test the spirits to see if they are of God. God grants us the wisdom to discern His voice and the strength to pass the test He sends our way.
 

In The Cave

 1 Kings 19:12
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Elijah demonstrates the humanity in each one of us. Even the most spiritual person deals with discouragements, and even a level of depression. We often speak of living at the top of the mountain, and it is wonderful to live in such a state of mind both spiritual and emotionally, but the reality is life is a roller coaster of events that influence how we feel. We sometimes flee to a “cave” and isolate ourselves from the real world.  We have done all we know what to do and believe that we have obeyed God, yet we still question if God cares and sees where we are. Elijah could only see the moment, he was not able to see the big picture of what God had planned. He was hoping that God would send judgment from heaven to destroy the enemies of God, but God does it His way. We may think our efforts are all in vain, and the work we do is fruitless. But God whispers to us that He is in control and all things are going as planned. We are not alone in this battle, there are others who God is using to accomplish His will. He desires that we just trust and continue to obey His voice. Even in the “cave” God wants to speak to our hearts. Take courage, God is in control and He does all things well.

The Still Small Vocie

1 King 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

God reveals Himself in various ways. There are times that He comes as a burning bush, or an angel of light. We like to see God in a demonstrative way. Without a doubt, we know we have heard from God and we are assured that He is in control. But often it is in the quiet times of our day that God chooses to make Himself known. He speaks in a still small voice within our hearts and mind. His word reveals to us his love and care and His desire to be our guide and shield. Our conscience is pricked by the Holy Spirit warning us of spiritual danger ahead. It is in the stillness of our day that we are able to listen to the small voice that shows us the way we should go. We live in a busy world with so much to do. Finding time to get alone can be a challenge for some, but we must make time if we are going to hear the still small voice of God.

Hear The Voice of God

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

To truly hear the voice of God one needs to be a follower of Jesus. God speaks to all of humanity to entreat them to be followers, but the intimacy of fellowship and communion with a God that is divine, comes from living close to God. He will speak to us anytime and anywhere, but we can hear Him better when we are able to shut the world out around us and take time to get alone with Him. Finding a trysting place, to shut out the things that beg for our attention is not always easy.  We can hear His voice and know His desire as we read His word and meditate on His truths. We shall know Him more intimately as we listen and follow His commands. 

The Voice of the Lord

Psalm 29:4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

God’s voice speaks to all men to come unto Him for His yoke is easy and the burden is light. No matter where we live or where we go the voice of God can speak to us. His voice speaks when we are in a crowd of people or alone in a solitude place. His voice can come like a bolt of lightning or like the settling mist of the morning dew. I long for the day when His voice say, “Well done my faithful servant…enter into the joy of the Lord” Many today do not hear the voice of God, they have allowed the things of this world to captivate their attention. But God is faithful, and He will give everyone an opportunity to open their hearts and listen to His voice. I love to hear Him speak, through the reading and preaching of His word, through the lives of others, and His Holy Spirit that quickens our mind and heart to hear what God has to say. 

God Speaks

Heb. 1:2 “ hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds,”

God “speaks” to us in various ways. When something “speaks to the heart”, we normally assume that our heart was touched and a message was received that significantly impacted us. We hear a message, or read a book about showing love and compassion, it speaks to our heart, and we are motivated to show more love and compassion to others. When God speaks, He uses the Word, the Holy Spirit quickens our mind to receive the Word. That is why it so important to take time to read His Word and pray for the Spirit of God to reveal His truth to our hearts. God does speak through our conscience, but we must be careful for it is possible for our conscience to be mislead. If our conscience speaks, we must make sure that it is consistent with God’s Word. God speaks to us through Christ, Jesus, our Savior and elder brother has trodden the path before us, showing us the way to the kingdom of God. Through Christ, we can speak to God, for He is our Mediator to the Father. Hearing God speak will not be by some audible voice, but we must keep our ears open, for the voice of God can be heard at any time of the day. 

America, Bend The Knee

1 Tim 2:1-2 “I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,  for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

America! A Nation that was founded on the principles of God’s word. We celebrate a Nation’s 240th birthday today. The United States of America has drifted far from it moorings. God’s word has been put aside for a more progressive form of thinking. Our Nation has fallen far from it’s God fearing days. Our leaders have no regard for what is right and holy. They ridicule the teaching of God’s word as being outdated and no longer relevant to our modern day culture. Tolerance of sin and deviant life styles has replaced godly Christian living. Standing between the wrath of God and our Nation are those who pray and intercede for the saving of our country. We pray that God will have mercy and that He will show His love to sinners and once again awaken our leaders to listen to the voice of God. God speaks, and He desires America to bend the knee and give thanks and honor to Him. We pray that our Nation will humble itself before the hand of God, confess their sinful ways and turn once again to the Almighty. He waits with open arm to see this great Nation turn their heart toward God.