Bible Studies

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 A hardened heart is the result of choosing not to listen to the convicting voice of God. The inaudible voice of God is speaking to you when the Word of God is being read or taught, and or when a principle of doctrine is being communicated by the words or actions of His *ambassadors, here on Earth.

On specific occasions (1), the audible voice of God has been heard, speaking to selected individuals. I have never heard the audible voice of God, but God speaks to me each and every day. I strive to be among those to whom God will say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant…(Matt. 25: 21 NASB2020).”

Among His *ambassadors, are Biblically-qualified pastor-teachers, godly parents, godly family members, godly neighbors, godly coworkers, godly fellow students, and godly friends. The key words in the foregoing statement are “Biblically-qualified” and “godly.” The devil will use unqualified pastor teachers and ungodly parents, ungodly family members, ungodly neighbors, ungodly fellow students, and ungodly friends to misinform, mislead, and deceive you.

Note that most of the ungodly ones do NOT do so with malicious intent, but having been deceived themselves, have become blind leaders of the blind (2). This is what Jesus was speaking of when He taught that the people closest to us can be our spiritual adversaries (3).

Every time we, by our words or actions, say “No” to the voice of God, we turn down the volume another notch, and we grow another layer of scar tissue around our hardening heart. He is still speaking, but until we choose to listen and turn the volume back up, we won’t hear His voice.

Part of the devil’s deception is to generate a smoke screen so that you will not be able to distinguish the difference between divine conviction that comes from God, and diabolical condemnation that comes from the devil. Again, when the convicting pressure within our soul is from God, it is because of the need to confess or to forsake a past or ongoing sin. In such cases, it is actual guilt that is in view.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1 NASB2020).”

When the condemning pressure in our soul involves an actual past sin that has already been confessed and forsakened, this condemning pressure of guilt is from the devil. His objective it is to stop our forward progress in the plan of God. He does so by having us focus on the past (4) by raising doubts about the security of our salvation, our forgiveness, worthiness, and ability to move forward in the plan of God.

“Beloved, if our heart (correct way of thinking) does not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1John 3:21 NASB2020/parenthesis mine).”

The opposite is true, as well. If our erroneous way of thinking makes us still feel guilty, we will lose our confidence (5) before the Lord. When we learn and apply the truth, we will have developed the ability to distinguish the difference between the convicting pressure from God, and the condemning pressure from the devil.

End of Part 7

End of Divine Conviction vs. Diabolical Condemnation series.

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(1) Genesis 3: 9-13/1Sam. 3:4-8/Matt. 17: 5/Acts 9: 4/etc. (2) Matt.15: 14 (3) Matt. 10: 36) (4) Phil. 3: 13, 14 (5) Romans 8: 1 style="font-size: large;">

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