Harden Not Your Heart

1/10/2006

Since it is a COMMAND to not “harden our hearts” to Him, or to His Life and Truth, it must be possible to “obey” or “disobey” His Command to “harden not our hearts.” Father can’t command us to do something that we have no control over. That’s obvious, to even the least intelligent adult or the youngest child. If He has Commanded something, it can be obeyed or disobeyed. Paul the apostle said, “Therefore king Agrippa, I was not DISOBEDIENT to the vision from Heaven.” We have choices—whenever Father Commands us to do, or not do, something. We are “without excuse” for that very reason. We are created in His Image. This means, amongst a number of other glorious things, that we are given the Grace (the Provision and Possibility and Ability, by His enabling) to CHOOSE whether to obey or disobey—love or hate—to soften or to harden. 

With this as a backdrop—the Biblical fact that we can choose Life, or choose death, we can “deliberately forget” or we can choose love and obedience to a Father who “trains those whom He loves”—given this Biblical fact, the question then arises when commanded to “Harden not our hearts”.... How DOES one “harden his/her heart”? If we are NOT to harden our hearts, but rather soften them to live in His Light and Life and Love and Liberty, what are some of the practical aspects of NOT “hardening our hearts” in order to obey His Command? How would we “harden our hearts”—if we were willing to disobey this Command from Father?

To “harden your heart” you would....

1) Allow yourself “self-talk”—to protect your ego or fleshly desires or fears. IF you were willing to disobey God and “harden your heart”  to protect yourself, you would, when in pain or temptation, allow yourself to say to yourself things like: “i don’t need them anyway” “i don’t care” “i don’t need that” “they don’t even care anyway” “it’s not my fault” “i wouldn’t have done that except for” “well, others do it, too” “they’re not worth it anyway” “i’m better off without them anyway” “they don’t really love me anyway” “it’s not fair” “what difference does it make anyway” “i’m only hurting myself” .... and a thousand derivatives of this satanic language of self-talk. If you are REALLY willing to disobey Father, and to cut yourself off from Him and His, tolerating satanic self-talk is one way you would choose to “harden your heart” and walk away from His Purposes—while deluding yourself into thinking you’re right, and it’s not your fault, and it’s not fair anyway. Choose correctly as to whether you allow such self-talk—your future and many others are dependent on whether you decide to obey and SOFTEN, or not. Our Abba, our DAD says to instead, “think on THESE things”—thoughts that are pure, holy, grateful, kind, and generous—thoughts of love and humility, without striving or jealousy, thoughts without unforgiveness or pride or fear. We will “harden” or “soften” our hearts by neglect or by choice. “Harden NOT your heart,” for the sake of the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. We don’t really want what we “deserve”—if we are seeing who we are, and who He is, properly, ya know? Softness is good. 

Another way we can CHOOSE to harden our hearts is by

2) allowing other forms of sin into our experience that disConnect us from God. God speaks of our consciences as delicate “instruments” that can become, by misuse, destabilized and unreliable as a guide. We can make choices to sow dark seeds and allow sin in our choices, and thus make our “conscience seared as with a hot iron.” God says, both in the OT and the NT, that relationships and bonds with pagans will corrupt us. Who are we to argue with God on the matter? Jesus said we can be “ruined” by our associations, and by where we allow our hearts and minds and bodies to go. Our “understanding” can be “darkened” and we can be “ignorant” because of “sin” we have tolerated or ignored, in our lives or our homes or environments. We can “REFUSE to worship the Creator” and “DELIBERATELY FORGET.” Choices will build, or destroy, our Life. Some, God says, even “want to be teachers” of Bible stuff and “servants of righteousness”.... and yet, GOD says that because some have given in to sins of pride and selfishness and fear and hatred and ambition and lust and compromise with the world, these “don’t know what they are talking about, or confidently affirm.” Their so-called “knowledge” is false and perverted as a Judgment from God because they chose to give in to sins in their lives, and, consequently, their hearts became hard and disConnected from Head and Body. Giving in to sins of the mind or in action will harden our hearts, and deceive us, sear our consciences and ruin our lives, and hurt those around us. “Harden not your heart” also means, “Stop sinning and renounce shameful ways and deeds and hidden thoughts and judgments and fears. Come into the Light, renounce darkness, embrace love and loyalty and truth, regardless of personal cost. Make your heart a beautiful place, a garden of love and self-sacrifice. Harden not your heart by allowing satan’s seeds—of love of the world or worldly pursuits, fear, lust, greed, un-dealt-with judgments, affection and bond with children of satan, hollywood brainwashing, selfishness, pride, laziness, or any other such thing—to steal your Crown in Him.” 

3) Additionally, one can choose to make themselves so available to “every wind” that pleases their flesh and itching ears that God intervenes and takes it to the next level, as He did at the “Tower of Babel.” God, when pressed to take Action against those who have fouled His world, says He will intervene. He takes those who have hardened their hearts, called evil good and good evil, and “gives them over.” He Himself “hardens their hearts” and “sends them a powerful delusion that they would believe the lie.” At this point, the “vessel of dishonor” has so opposed God in his or her life, and made such choices as to “sear their conscience” and “harden their hearts” that God will take such a one and use them, even while they THINK they are “serving God,” to advance His own Purposes in “backwards” and ingenious ways, purging those that need purged, exposing those who need exposed, strengthening those who need strengthened, and leading others away into similar deception whose hearts are not fully His and need to be painlessly removed from “using up the ground.” 

All of that to say, “TODAY, if you hear His Voice, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS!” You DO have a choice, today, to “at the name of JESUS” collapse your knee before Him, open your hands softly and warmly to the Heavens, and call on His Name in abandonment, “no strings attached”. 

WE CAN BE SOFT to Him. : ) 

Smile, soften, dance. : )

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