What is it to have a harden heart? Is it a hardened heart that struggles with faith? Is a hardened heart one that has doubt? Thankfully, the answer to these questions is, No.
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. (Psalms 95:8-9)
A hardened heart is not a heart of doubt, because doubt is something that each of us face when we experience a trial. A trial creates unrest in the believer and the circumstances present a message of doom to their heart. In contrast, God, through his word and the working of the Holy Spirit, will speak a different message: one of hope and deliverance. It is then, that the heart struggles to determine which message to believe. Through faith, the believer trusts the Lord and experiences hope and eventually victory. The believer’s problem was not doubt, because doubt is always present when there is faith. It is faith that overcomes doubt. So, a hardened heart is not one that has doubt.
What is a hardened heart? A hardened heart is one that refuses to believe God. It looks at the circumstances and refuses to allow God to move him. They aren’t doubting God, but rather they are fighting him. It is not that they are afraid, but instead are refusing to trust and are resisting any work that he tries to do.
So as you face a trial, it is okay to be afraid. However, it is never right to fight and resist God.
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