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A Hard Heart Leads to Unbelief
Andrea Lende • January 25, 2020
Hebrews 3:13 and 19
A Hard Heart Leads to Unbelief
Daily Word:
Hebrews 3:13 and 19
“But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may play on him].”
“So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest], because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God [unbelief had shut them out].”
The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown other than he is thought to be a second-generation Christian.
He is talking about the hardened hearts of the Israelites in the desert during Moses’ generation.
The hearts of those in the wilderness had grown hard and callous toward the Lord.
And the author of Hebrews is encouraging the post-Christ believers to encourage one another every single day.
Hard hearts toward God can only lead to sin.
Sin tricks us all.
Glamour catches many of our eyes.
We are drawn to it.
But when we really get close to having it, it moves further from us.
It keeps moving away and we keep moving toward it.
However, it continues to elude us.
We may desire what is on the other side of sin but the only thing on the other side of sin is regret and pain.
So, the Hebrews author is adamant about assisting one another, helping one another, and reminding one another to keep their hearts soft toward God every day.
As he closes out the chapter in verse 19, he reminds us that the Israelites never did enter into God’s rest – His peace.
The were unable to do so because of their inability to rely on and believe in God.
The Amplified version says, “[unbelief shut them out]”.
None of us are immune to a hardened heart.
I continue to ask God to keep my heart soft toward Him.
I cannot do this on my own.
The world is too glitzy and glamorous and provides so many opportunities for us to be drawn into it.
But I desire to enter God’s rest.
Above all I seek peace.
In order to do that I must put God and keep God on a pedestal not the world.
Today I choose to love and revere God as the Great I AM and the Almighty God that He is and pray that God will help me keep Him Lord of my heart.
May you find that God is the most important part of your life and that your heart remains soft toward Him.
Blessings be to you!
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the constant and gentle reminders that You are God of all. You are the Great I AM! You, and only You, deserve all my praise and worship. Lord, I pray that You will keep my heart soft toward You. Help me to believe in You and Your Power and Might all the days of my life. Help me see You as the God of all creation for as long as I am on this earth. Do not let the world’s desires and all its treasures deceive me even for a moment. Help me look to You as Lord of all. Help me find all that I need in You and Your presence in my life. Increase my faith and belief above and beyond all that I can see so that I do not get distracted with worldly things. Keep my eyes on You, Lord. Keep my eyes on You. Fill my soul with Your Holy Spirit so that I am full of all I need and desire. Thank You, Lord, for choosing me to know You and worship You. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: My Spirit is within you, My child, and you are Mine forever and ever.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.