Do not harden your heart.

God warns us in His Word over and over and over. The Lord is so passionate and compassionate about warning us, so we should stop everything and take a look at ourselves. Hardening your heart is the absolute worst thing you can do!

Previously, we saw:

1 - You harden your heart when you test God (Hebrews 3:8-9)

What does it mean to test God? It simply means demanding, as a test, to see if He can provide. You aren’t satisfied with what God has provided and start to insist upon more, different, or better, and it is up to God to prove Himself to you by giving you what you want. Doing this hardens your heart!

You callous your heart against God by saying “no” to Him on any matter. Then it becomes so much easier to say “no” thenext time. Heart gets harder, saying “no” gets easier.

For instance, you are sitting in church and the preacher is telling you about Jesus, and you think, “I should receive Christ, I should get serious about spiritual matters.” But you talk yourself out of it, that is, you tell God “no”. The next time the Holy Spirit gives you that nudge, it is much easier to say no. So begins the journey on the world’s most dangerous road.

So here is the next warning from Hebrews:

2 - You harden your heart when you see God at work and still won’t get on board.

Hebrews 3:7-9

says: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. (emphasis mine)

Here is a sure and tragic way to get a hard heart: be right in the middle of what God is doing, but still refuse to allow God to be in the middle of you.

These people being spoken of here did not simply hear of God’s works, or read about God’s works… they saw His works! Firsthand, eyewitness, front row seats! And what would they have seen? The plagues of Egypt, water from a rock, manna from heaven, God’s glory leading the exodus, God’s judgment upon the wicked… we aren’t talking about minor things a skeptic could explain away. We are talking about earth shaking acts of God! And don’t think these were just a couple isolated incidences. They saw God’s hand actively at work for… 40 years. That blows my mind. I am 36 as of the time of typing this. I am trying to imagine seeing God at work for my entire life plus another 4 years! And then walking away doubting and disbelieving.

The problem is just that: disbelief. “I will not believe.” Unbelief never has enough proof. Even if God is standing in front of your face (literally: Matthew 12:38-41).

Think of everything that they saw and still would not believe. But what have you seen? Think of the exposure you and I have had to God at work. Lives changed, forgiveness offered, reconciliation in families, divorces averted, finances provided, health restored…

Come to a passionate worship service sometime. To see people, hands raised, crying out praise. To see the power of the Word at work in people. To hear the testimonies of changed lives…

God is still actively at work, and you do see it! But what are you doing about it? Have you responded in belief? Can you say, “I am seeing the awesomeness of God! I want to be passionately growing in Him and used by Him!” Or are you content to walk away unchanged, not because God is inactive, but because your heart is so hardened?

Do not deny Him. Get on board. Today!!!

p.s. - 40 years?! That’s, like, forever…!