Don't Harden Your Heart
Isn’t it heart breaking when a friend starts complaining about you? Doesn’t it feel like a betrayal when they harden their heart against you? It’s heart breaking if forgiveness and restoration are not sought and experienced.
God experiences that from us all the time. Have you ever complained about God to friends and not sought His forgiveness? Instead of saying “I’m sorry. I trust you,” we complain about how He is not meeting our needs and we don’t consider how that might be impacting our relationship with Him.
Unfortunately, God calls this rebellion. When the Israelites did it in the wilderness, God said they hardened their hearts against Him (Hebrews 3:15).
Despite God looking after them every day, giving them food and water, a cloud by day to keep them cool and a pillar of fire by night to keep them warm, even ensuring their shoes didn’t wear out, they complained about their dissatisfactions.
It’s not always easy to understand God’s ways but if we believe He is who He says He is in the bible, we make it a choice not to doubt or complain. This isn't to say we can't bring our petitions to Him, but we choose to come before Him with thanksgiving in our hearts rather than harden our hearts against Him.
It’s not about what we say, it’s about what we carry in our hearts.
Hebrews 3:13 (NLV)
Help each other. Speak day after day to each other while it is still today so your heart will not become hard by being fooled by sin.
God wants us in constant community with each other because He knows how easily discouraged and rebellious we can become. He knows we need each other.
When our friends come to us with complaints next time, instead of agreeing with them in an attempt at solidarity, consider what this is really doing. It hardens their heart just that little bit more and allows them to be fooled by the sin of their thinking. Instead, show them their way back to carrying faith in their heart and help them to restore their trust in God.
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
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