TOPIC: HARDEN NOT YOUR HEART I
MEMORISE:
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Psalm 95:8
READ: Hebrews 3:7-11
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
MESSAGE
God talks to His people; the only problem is that many do not listen to Him. Psalm 95:6-8 says that if you want to hear His voice, you should not harden your heart. If God has been talking to you and you have been disobedient, He will keep quiet, and you won't hear Him again.
You need to hear God so that He can guide you. The primary way to hear from God and be guided by Him is to study your Bible. However, what should you do when the situation you need guidance about is not specifically addressed by the Bible? Whenever you need to make decisions on such matters, you need to hear from God directly.
There are times when you can clearly see what God wants you to do in the Scriptures. However, you still need to hear from Him on how to go about what He wants you to do. For example, when Paul wanted to go to Asia in Acts 16:6-7, the Spirit of God forbade him. You might ask, "How can the Spirit of God stop Paul from going to preach since it is written in Matthew 28:19 that we should go into the world and teach every nation?"
Some years ago, I wanted to hold a crusade in Benin, a state capital in Southern Nigeria. We had prepared everything for the crusade, but to my surprise, when I went to ask God about it, He said that we should go to Ede, a town in South-West Nigeria instead. I told Him that we had just concluded a crusade in llesha, another town in the same state as Ede and that the inhabitants of Ede would have most likely been in attendance. However, since God is my Commander-in-chief, l obeyed Him.
During the crusade in Ede, the king was in attendance, and when he got on the stage to speak, he announced that he would be gifting the church with whatever quantity of land we desired. We initially decided to ask for 50 acres of land, however, when I went back to hear from God, He told me to ask for 500 hectares, and I obeyed. Today, that portion of land is where Redeemer's University and The Redeemed Christian School of Missions are situated. If l had hardened my heart., I wouldn't have gone to Ede, and I wouldn't have received the blessing.
Beloved, when you are dealing with God, don't harden your heart. Listen to Him with an open mind, be committed to obeying Him, and He will speak to you.
KEY POINT
If your heart is hardened, God will not speak to you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 11-12
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD
1. I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
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