URGENCY IN RESPONDING TO GOD’S VOICE
That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested Me in the wilderness.”
Hebrews 3:7–8 (NLT)
One of my favorite things to do in the morning is hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. Probably much to my wife’s annoyance, I hit the snooze button two or three times. If you keep hitting the snooze button, the alarm will stop going off after a while. There’s a warning in Hebrews to ensure we don’t hit the snooze button on God. If we keep hitting the snooze button when God speaks, we’ll stop hearing His voice after a while.
In the book of Hebrews, the phrase, “Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled,” appears three times (Hebrews 3:7–8, 15; 4:7). This quote from Psalm 95 was meant to call the people to listen to the voice of God and not have a sinful, hard heart that turns away from the living God.
Many voices vie for our attention, especially with the increased use of technology and social media. The problem is that the voices around us seem to be louder than the voice of God. We must learn to quiet our hearts and listen. The more we listen and respond to God’s voice, the more we discern His voice over time. The enemy doesn’t want us to hear from God. He fears us walking closely with God in a vibrant relationship. He’ll do anything to disrupt our relationship with God and harden our hearts.
Richard Foster says, Our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in “muchness” and “manyness” he will rest satisfied. Sometimes it isn’t the evil things that cause us to harden our hearts. Sometimes it’s the overcrowded schedule that has no margin for God. Sometimes the constant noise of the TV, phone, computer and music keeps our minds constantly preoccupied. Sometimes constant meetings, hangouts and activities keep us from learning to be alone with God. Sometimes it’s spiritual drowsiness that lulls us to sleep in our faith. This verse is a clear reminder that God speaks and wants to be heard by you today.
APPLICATION: Carve out time to be with God and respond to His words.
PRAYER: Ask the Spirit of God to show you what you can carve out of your life. Ask Him to help increase your ability to hear His voice.