Having a Hard Heart
Pharaoh had a hard heart. God knew that before He ever sent Moses to deliver the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.(Exodus 3:19,20) God knows our hearts perfectly, and He knew that Pharaoh's heart would grow harder, and that he would not let the people go, because of his hard heart.(Exodus 7:13,14) This was why God decided to have a show down with Pharaoh, and even harden his heart more at times, so that He could show everyone that He was the Lord of all. This was God's way of making sure that they knew the truth, no matter how hard their hearts were, so that they could put their trust in Him as their personal Lord.
The same thing happens with people today. People decide to disobey God. They allow pride to rule in their lives. They get angry with God and other people, so that their hearts grow hard. When the heart is hard, the promptings of God go unnoticed. It takes more and more heat for them to see the light of God and feel Him dealing with their hearts. It is a terrible state of being. Things get worse and worse like the plagues in Egypt, but there is no repentance from sins and trust in the Lord.
The good news is that anyone can decide to have a soft heart at any point in their lives. All they have to do is cry out to God in faith trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, asking God to forgive their rebellion and disobedience. Then, they can begin to read the Word of God and obey everything they read. God will change their hard heart into a soft heart, and it will grow softer and softer, as they allow the Spirit to fill them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 11-13.
The same thing happens with people today. People decide to disobey God. They allow pride to rule in their lives. They get angry with God and other people, so that their hearts grow hard. When the heart is hard, the promptings of God go unnoticed. It takes more and more heat for them to see the light of God and feel Him dealing with their hearts. It is a terrible state of being. Things get worse and worse like the plagues in Egypt, but there is no repentance from sins and trust in the Lord.
The good news is that anyone can decide to have a soft heart at any point in their lives. All they have to do is cry out to God in faith trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, asking God to forgive their rebellion and disobedience. Then, they can begin to read the Word of God and obey everything they read. God will change their hard heart into a soft heart, and it will grow softer and softer, as they allow the Spirit to fill them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 11-13.