Today
Tune in to God’s voice“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).
“Seize the day.”
“There’s no time like the present.”
“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”
You’ve heard it before, from ancient philosophers to modern day motivational speakers, the call to make the most of the present is all around us. So also is the urge within us to procrastinate. The weakness of our will, the laziness of our flesh, the fickleness of our hearts all say, tomorrow.
Do you realize that every time we say, “tomorrow” when we hear God whisper to our hearts, we are actually hardening our hearts against Him?
• Every time we fail to respond to God’s urging it gets harder to hear Him.
• Every time we put off doing what He asks, our hearts get more resistant to doing His will.
• Every time we choose to listen to the lie that there will always be time to follow God tomorrow, the fact that we’ll ever seek God becomes a little less likely.
When the writer of Hebrews uses the word “Today” repeatedly (3:7; 3:13; 3:15; 4:7) – capitalizing it where ever it appears – he is pointing out the urgency of responding to God when He speaks.
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12, 13).
Paul too, writes, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Let us heed God’s voice. Today.
Heavenly Father, thank you that You have called me to be Your child. Help me to listen for Your voice, to believe what You say and to follow Your commands, today and every day. Amen.
Questions: Why is it so important to follow God today? If resisting God hardens our hearts, how does responding to God affect our hearts? How have you experienced this?
5 Responses to “Today”
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I love the Lord soo much that my heart dose not harden and seek His grace each and everyday that he lets me live one more day. I look forward every morning to a new adventure with Him that comes first in my life.
Following Jesus means we are on the correct path. Responding to God softens our hearts for Him to work withn us and thus bringing us to maturity. Allowing got to soften my hearts has made my life much easier. If someone has done something to me the heart of God witin me allows me to forgive them and keep on walking in God’s will for my life. This transformation came about over time especially since I often don’t want to forgive but thanks be to Jesus and his softening of my heart!!
Deana, we also have prayer as a means of figuring out whose voice we are hearing. James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) Those are prayers you know God is going to answer!
The best way I have found to hear God’s voice is by reading the Bible. It gives me guidance, comforts me, convicts me of sin. As well, it is the standard that I can measure the voices in my head. God will never tell me to do something that is different than the Bible. He is completely consistent.
Deana, if you are feeling guilty, a great verse is 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” You can have confidence that God forgives you when you confess your sins and turn from it. If you keep on feeling guilty (even though you don’t keep on sinning) that is not from God. Another passage in 2 Corinthians is helpful: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Cor 7:10)
Please allow me to pray for you. Heavenly Father, I pray for Deana. Help her to hear Your voice, not all the other voices in the world that lead us down a wrong path. Help her to know Your peace, Your love, Your faithfulness. I pray that You would reveal Yourself to her through the Bible and wise counsel. Amen.
What if we are so deep into our sins that we are not sure if the voice is of God or demons?