Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As on the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers put Me to the test,
And saw My works for forty years.
Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
As I swore in My anger,
‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’”
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:7-13
How do we ‘harden’ our hearts towards God or the Holy Spirit? Are we refusing to ‘accept’ His conviction of the sin He has been pointing out in us? Holding resentment and grudges against others instead of working out the conflict and forgiving? By dismissing the impressions from the Holy Spirit to go or act or say something He is giving to you? Are we being stubborn, prideful, ungrateful, untrusting, unbelieving, or fearful when the Holy Spirit is nudging us to move with Him?
These are actually choices we make day in and day out. Do we agree with Him or do we dismiss Him? Are you open and listening for His ‘still small voice’ within you? And you sensitive to His leading? Have you learned to recognize Him within you? Or in others when He is speaking through them? When faced with a choice – do you actively seek to be open to His suggestions and direction? Do you actively ask Him questions about the choices in front of you? Have you learned His ‘ways’? How does He approach you? How does He touch your heart?
IF you have truly given you heart to Jesus and actually believe He is who He says He is … then you have a ‘measure’ of faith placed within you … by Him. You are not tossed about by ‘unbelief’ in Jesus. And remaining in sin will begin to seem very distasteful to you …and you will be seeking to lesson its effect in your life at every turn. As the Holy Spirit works to rip up and tear down the old ‘flesh’ nature within you at the same time planting His fruit within your life AS you remain connected to the ‘Vine’ (Jesus), the change in you is inevitable and ongoing.
So, what is ‘today’? (vs 13) It is today and as long as your life lasts or … till Jesus comes. Which of course …could be at any moment. Can we guarantee we have another day to live? All sorts of accidents and other tragedy may be right around the corner. Are you ready to meet Him … now?
This pursuit of God is a daily exercise. It is a discipline that must be practiced from the moment we wake up each day till the moment our head hits the pillow each night. If we want a ‘soft’ heart towards God then we must pursue Him. We must want Him to speak to us … daily. We must learn to obey quickly to His direction and not delay.
What are you actively doing to learn how to recognize Him better in your life. Is it a daily discipline? What is your prayer life like? Do you listen more than you talk to Him …in prayer?
Has prayer become like breathing to you … now?
Why don’t you stop right now and ask Him what He wants to say to you?