Hard hearts hinder hearing

Was S.O.A.P.ing in Acts 28 today and came across these thoughts from Paul as he was in Rome to be tried before Caesar.


Acts 28:24 (NLT)
24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.



Acts 28:27 (NLT)
27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

It's always interesting to me why some people seem to 'get it' while some don't.  I know there are not simple answers but Paul seems to express a great thought here that I was personally challenged by this morning.  Have you ever felt like you were one of those who just didn't get it sometimes? I have.  I don't want to be one of those people who is not persuaded by those that God has put into my life for my good.

Hard hearts keep us from hearing His voice and seeing His hand.

• That tells me that we see and hear with our hearts and not our physical ears and eyes.
• Hearing and seeing God are spiritual senses that operate parrallel to our physical senses.  
• Hardening our hearts actually causes us to lose the ability to hear God and see what He's up to.
• If you are having trouble seeing God's hand or hearing God's voice, perhaps it could be a hard heart issue.

Hard hearted means to have a heart that is not easily moved

• If we don't respond when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we can get hard hearted.
• If we don't choose to spend time with the Lord, we can get hard hearted.
• If we purposefully disobey and rebel against the Lord, we can get hard hearted.
• Refusing to listen to those people the Lord has put into our lives for our good can cause a heart to be hardened.

Our promise from the Lord is that He will heal us when we turn to Him.

• Something happens when we say, Lord I need you.
• Turning to Him may just mean doing the thing that you know you need to do.
• Today, turn to God, turn away from trying to figure it out alone and He will heal you.
• He is the healer of our lives, whatever is broken, He can heal it.
• He can't heal until we turn towards Him.

The Holy Spirit is always working

This morning I had breakfast with Rob Thomas.  He's serves with "Faith Comes by Hearing" which is a ministry that distributes an audio copy of the Bible however they can.  He was telling me all the great ways that the Bible can get into the lives of people even if they aren't able to read.  We know that reading the Scripture is probably the single most life-impacting thing that  a person can do.  That's why we have made such a big deal out of the S.O.A.P. method of reading the scripture this year, it's been a year long focus.  Well, this next year in 2011, we are going to be hitting it again but with new tools compliments of "Faith Comes By Hearing"(FCBH).
  We'll be rolling them out probably on Wed., Dec. 1 at our Vision Night and Christmas party for HOF at the ACHS gym.  I felt like so many things that I had needed the answers to were answered today at that breakfast.  It feels like vision for the end of the year and beginning of next year came into much clearer focus.  I didn't even schedule this breakfast until Tuesay, but the Holy Spirit already knew what my questions were and had the answers on the way before I even asked.  That's how good God is.  He's already busy bringing the answers to you via some person who is willing to be an answer.  Here's a great question, "Will you be someone's answer today?"  "Will you be a person that God can use to answer meet a need?"

Thinking about the Live, Laugh Love series

I just happened to be walking by the room where cd's are made and talked to Sheila, who duplicates them for us, and saw that she was busy.  She told me that she had gotten a whole new bunch of requests for the series.  I know that families are hurting now, and knowing Christ and His teachings are the real answers for families.  It's funny how when families get in real binds that they turn to Christ in a crisis.  But truthfully, that's a great time to turn to Him.  I see the church with real answers, a church that's willing to boldly proclaim His message as a church that will be relevant to the family.  One of our core values is family, we believe that we've been called and raised up to offer hope to the families of Asc. Parish and the Baton Rouge area.
    My kids and I have been having this running dialogue about the new Call of Duty video game.  I'm apprehensive because of the violence.  We've quite frankly disagreed, and at times it's been very divisive.  Last night after XG, one of my kids texted me and I know that the Holy Spirit used XG's service to speak to his heart.  I'm so thankful for the family style, family oriented, family of God centered ministry that I get to serve.


19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house.....
Eph 2:19-20