Mark 16:14
"Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen."
After three and a half years of miracles, signs and wonders, wisdom from above, and a love that was beyond human comprehension, the eleven disciples that walked, talked, ate, slept and ministered with Jesus still had hardness in their hearts.
I'm amazed by that truth and even more amazed that one could eat, sleep and minister with the Lord and never change, never be touched by His love, never shed a tear of repentance and Godly sorrow.
Yet that was the case with Judas Iscariot, who we all know betrayed the Savior of all mankind.
It has taken me years to really understand how a man or woman can harden themselves to the love, grace, and Spirit of God. I've learned over the years that it's not hard to resist the pull of God's grace, and it's not hard to resist the conviction of the Spirit, people just do what comes natural to them since birth.
When they feel the pull of God, they turn their faces away, when the Spirit convicts their hearts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, they harden themselves to it, they ignore the Spirit of God and become engrossed with work, pleasures, and the pride of life.
No, it's not hard to resist God, but it IS hard, painful, and difficult to resist satan! It's hard to resist the lusts of your flesh, and very difficult to overcome the world, and go against the grain.
The truth is sin hardens the heart, and once a man or woman resists God long enough, He gives them over to a depraved mind, He gives them over to the lusts of their flesh and they eventually end up beyond feeling.
Did you know it was possible to be past feeling? The scriptures talk about such people.
Ephesians 4:17-19
"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Jesus prophesied that because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Lawlessness is indeed abounding throughout this world!
Is your heart hard?
Hebrews 3:15
In Jesus,
Tyrone