The Evil Heart of Unbelief by Brother Duke Hansen

         What ties the New Testament to the Old Testament in the scripture was because that the Jewish people passed down historical events, monuments, and ceremonies from generation to generation. The processes of God do work, and our flesh knows and understands them. Our flesh hates those processes because they suppress the ego, the nature of the flesh. In the book of Matthew chapter 5 verse 45 Jesus said the following;

        45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

        For many people, Jesus's words are a hard pill to swallow. No one wants to think that all things are equal when you are in a hardship, down and feeling low in life. If you are down, in a rut with your life, if you think there are nothing but stumbling blocks in your way, know it isn't because God has abandoned you. Life itself is very hard and sometimes cruel. It is better to have God tell you how special you are than for you to speak it out loud for your own edification. Our first scripture reading will be in the book of Hebrews. We will be in chapter 3 and verse 7.

        7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice,

        David talked about it, Paul wrote and preached about hearing God's voice. It isn't yesterday, nor tomorrow, but it's today.

        8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

        When Paul was alive, and even before his conversion, Paul was by the book. He was to the letter of the law because he was well educated in the scripture. This is why he saw things in such a black and white standard. Verse 8 hearkens back to Exodus 17.

        If you go through the exodus of the Israelites, despite all the miracles and wonders which occurred for them, the recently freed people were constantly complaining and discontent. Christians today are similar in this way. Apostasy is when your heart turns away from the truth. The unforgivable offense of apostasy is when the Holy Spirit is blasphemed against. You can't blaspheme something you don't have though. Let's look at verse 7 of Exodus chapter 17. Before we read, know that Moses and the Israelites were in the wilderness and thirsty for water.

        7 And he called the name of the place Mas-sah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?

        The cancer of man is the separation he has of the Holy Ghost. The more word of God you have in your mind and imprinted in your heart, the more judgement you have. If you are exercising judgement, you are more likely judging yourself and not the people around you. The main obstacle the Israelites had in the exodus were they were not able to overcome their unbelief when it came to the Almighty God.

        The more you grow closer to God, the more you sense him in your spirit. When someone in your life, who claims they're a believer, asks if God is with them, this may really anger your spirit. When God finds someone who will hear his voice, show a measure of faith, he gets excited. Apostasy doesn't affect those who are ignorant nor lost, but those who had been born again and turned away from it. One of the worst things in life is discovering the truth, living the truth, and then turn your heart from it. Going through trials in your life is not a concern. Everyone goes through trials. It is what latches on you that is the concern. God is building you up and shaping you into what he wants you to be in life. We have all been guilty of speaking weightless words in life, but, we also have an intercessor to reach out for in Jesus. We return to the book of Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 9.

        9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

        10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said: They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

        11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

        12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

        Don't harden your heart in your trial or tribulation. Have you ever met someone who's faults and mistakes are because the devil made them do it? "I didn't know. It was the devil." You must be the weakest vessel made if the devil is the root of all your issues and mistakes. This often happens when you don't have any personal responsibility. The flesh is all about blame and not accountability.

        13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

        14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

         Let's look at that phrase at the end of verse 13, the deceitfulness of sin. This causes a hard heart toward God in times of trials. Our unbelief causes us to turn away from our vow, and God in turn may walk on away from us because of it. What is it we are dividing ourself from? A lot get mad in their faith because God may not move fast enough for their flesh.

        15 While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

        16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

        17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?

        There's different levels of angering God in life. You can anger him and have your life shortened on earth. It goes back to personal accountability and responsibility.

        18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

        19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

        Let us look at the next chapter of Hebrews and verse 12.

        12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

        It isn't about your heart, You have to fix your heart with God's help and guidance. You have to learn to rebuke filthy thoughts in your mind. Start saying the word no for that builds the walls of the temple. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you in all ways, you only need to allow it. Your flesh needs to be under conviction. True faith stirs God with something you have not seen because too often you come to him in unbelief.

        In trials and tribulations we tend to look back on the story of Job, specifically the first couple of chapters. You cannot increase sacrifice to God for the sake of your children. Was David any different in true trials? Look at Samson. He could have had any woman in his tribe to marry, but, he loved the enemy too much. Samson's final act was one of faith. He was blind and between two pillars before a party. 

        To look and read about faith in action, I encourage you to read Hebrews 11. This chapter provides so much encouragement when you are going through trails or having troubles. Go to this chapter and read in your time of need. 

        To have faith is to know who God is and who you are. How can I get God to move on this thing in my life is a question many ask. Everyone wants a quick fix or solution from their father without applying any faith. The answer is using your faith. If you need to, you add to it. As Jesus rebuked the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 while she was asking him to heal her daughter, he said it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. She replied truth Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. All you may need is the crumbs from his tables to give you victory. All you can do is go to God. Praise his name. Call out to his name. If he doesn't move for you, you still need to respect him. We get too caught up in the idea of mortality and death where it shrinks our capacity of faith in God. We need to continue to have faith in him. God's end for you is better than you can ever think for yourself.