Praying Together from Resistance to Surrender
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From Resistance To Surrender
From Resistance To Surrender
hardness: The property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched.
It is very easy to harden our hearts. So many reasons to harden and not surrender.
God teaches us not to give into a hard heart.
His promise to us is to give us a new heart and spirit that will not be hard. Our natural tendency is to harden our hearts
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
God instructs us no to resist His voice. God’s instructions are in direct opposition to our flesh. We have to deny our flesh to keep our hearts soft.
while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
A negative outlook will bring a lack of Joy and thankfulness causing our hearts to grow hard.
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Cain’s Heart
So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Anger and emotions can cause our hearts to harden. We are instructed to “master it” To Rule over our emotions.
Unchecked emotions can drive us down low.
We stand on Christ the solid Rock, firm foundation. The living Son of God, The Truth.
Not on our emotions.
King Saul’s Heart
The Pride of Life
Amalek -
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
If we love our life more than God our hearts will grow hard.
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
The Pharisee’s Heart
It was good at first but turned hard. They wanted people to love them because of their righteousness. They coveted being right and good.
But in their pursuit to being good and righteous they lost that which they pursued.
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
What happens when we are not acknowledged for our good deeds? Our heart grows hard.
What happens when God moves in a way we don’t agree or like, or in a way we feel left out of?
We must position ourselves in a position of Surrender, not resistance.
God is ready to move in your life, but we need to surrender to Him and His ways
Cain chose to follow His emotions
Saul chose to seek the approval of men
The pharisees choose the appearance of holiness
They all missed the blessing
How will you respond today?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
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;
