Why So Stubborn?

Hey!!
Hope everyone had a great weekend! :) Again, I apologize for not being able to write for a couple days. But I am back in town with some great stuff to share with you! The Lord has definitely been working on my heart! Earlier today when I was on my flight home from Virginia, I was reading Exodus. I then came to a phrase that is not anything new, but, for some reason today, struck me with a bit of curiosity. The Bible verse that got me thinking was Exodus 4:21 – “…But I will make him stubborn.” This is when God was talking of how He was planning to harden Pharaoh’s heart. As I said earlier, this is not a new idea, however, I feel I often glance over it so quickly and don’t give it the time and thought it deserves.

A few questions I thought of when I read this were:
Why and when does the Lord stubborn hearts? Then I began to wonder what it would look like if He hardened mine…and if I would notice. How do we allow our own hearts to be hardened? Is this process so subtle that we would not be able to tell a difference once we have tuned out God’s voice completely? It got me thinking that when our hearts are hardened or have become stubborn, we become blind to the will of God.

After doing a bit of research and studying the Bible I came to understand that when the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it just meant that the Lord strengthened His heart with boldness. I found out that the word “harden” in this particular passage does not hold the same meaning as when we harden our own hearts (as a result of turning away from the will of God). God moved in Pharaoh's heart in such a way that he became exceeding bold; which also may be read as foolishly bold and aggressive. Because of this, Pharaoh challenged even the hand of God, leading to his own destruction. As a result, God hardened (or “strengthened”) Pharaoh’s heart in order for His name to be glorified through the humiliation of Pharaoh.

There is a lot that can be said on this topic, but unfortunately I have limited space so I will just send you a link to a neat story that explains this even better than I could.

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/hardness_heart

It is a bit long so for those who don’t have time here are a few key bullet points:
-People with hard hearts are not mere God-haters or those who rebel against the Lord; even we, as Christians, can develop hard hearts toward the Lord.
- “…Being shocked, amazed, or surprised at a miracle was an indication of a hard heart.”
-A hard heart was initially meant to be a positive thing created by God.
-“A hardened heart dulls a person’s ability to perceive and understand.”
-“ …Whatever you consider, your heart becomes softened toward. Conversely, whatever you fail to consider, your heart becomes hardened to.”

The reason this topic struck my heart today is because I find myself too often focusing on the here and now and the cares of this world rather than Eternal things. When I’m so focused on my life here on earth, I limit God’s spiritual work in my life. So I challenge us all to be more open to the opportunities God has in store for our lives if we are open to His leading. And I pray that we allow God to remove the blinders from our eyes so that we may see His glory!

As always -
Thanks for reading and God bless!
<3 Shannon

Oh and by the way, I have a lot more material and Bible verses on this topic so if anyone is interested in learning more and/or discussing this please let me know, because I’d be more than happy to do what I can to help! :)

“Unveil” by Jeff Deyo
http://www.myspace.com/jeffdeyo
This song is on his playlist. All you need to do is click on the song “Unveil (Album Version)” on this link. Hope you enjoy!!