Daily Devotional
Don’t Harden Your Heart to God
“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
2 Peter 2:18-21
June 16, 2024
Ponder This
You can become skilled at anything you practice enough. If you reject the Gospel long enough, you become a professional Gospel rejecter. Your heart can get hard.
Walking in the woods, you may have seen a charred, black stump. What happened to it? There was a time somebody came in and cut that pine tree down. Then, there comes a fire in the brush, and when the fire comes roaring by, that stump blazes and catches fire and blazes brightly. But then what happens? After a while, it burns itself out and it becomes charred and blackened. It may catch on fire again a time or two after that but there will come a time when no matter how hot the fire is, it just jumps over the stump. There’s not a glow. You know why? It is charred; it is hardened; it is burned over.
I sat in a powerful service when I saw God move, but others sat there and didn’t feel one thing. Their hearts were charred and hardened. They were like the stump that was burnt over. The Bible warns us: If you can hear God’s voice, don’t harden your heart!
- What does it look like to listen to God’s voice?
- What is something God has recently prompted you about that you have ignored?
Practice This
Repent for an area where you have not listened to God’s prompting. Ask Him to soften your heart once again.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
