Hebrews 3:6 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

We have a sense of confidence that caused us to believe in hope but what must we now do? Hold fast firm unto the end. As we experienced the fine tuning to the voice of God within from the word outside, the Holy Ghost says; “If you hear my voice harden not your heart.”

When we discern what the Holy Ghost is saying, we are responsible to pay attention and not brush it off. If we don’t respond, we will develop a hardened heart. That is the appeal. The Holy Ghost says today if you hear His voice harden not your heart.

Some have praised the Lord that we recently heard the right kind of messages to arouse us. That was to be acted upon or it makes it twice as hard.

The voice of God that we hear on the outside doesn’t always gel on the inside. The Holy Spirit has so channelled our understanding it becomes meaningful. As it comes from the outside, there is danger we don’t fine tune the inward voice. There are all sorts of things that harass like Elijah who was running for his life. He had the most amazing revelation of God on Mount Carmel. All that amazing picture was watered down when the words came from Jezebel to him. Then in that state he wasn’t in tune and took off and he was met by God not in the fire earthquake or storm but a still small voice.

A Still Small Voice

We always like to have a great exciting voice of God like the Pentecostals but its a still small voice that speaks to us. That voice is inside of us and is very small. Conscience is the voice of God. To hear it takes some doing. It is very possible amidst human passions as they are very strong and loud, that will resist the still small voice and when resisted the Spirit of God is grieved as men have power to quench the voice of God. I’ve studied with people who have said, “Why don’t you just pull me?”

Men have the power to quench the Spirit of God; the power of choosing is left with them. They are allowed freedom of action. They may be obedient through the name and grace of our Redeemer, or they may be disobedient, and realize the consequences.  {AG 202.3}

The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention from us to distinguish the voice which speaks from God. We must resist and conquer inclination, and obey the voice of conscience without parleying or compromise, lest its promptings cease and will and impulse control. The word of the Lord comes to us all who have not resisted His Spirit by determining not to hear and obey. This voice is heard in warnings, in counsels, in reproof. It is the Lord’s message of light to His people. If we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light may be withdrawn, and we left in darkness. . . .  {AG 202.4}

God requires us to obey voice of duty even when other voices are urging us to follow an opposite course. If you hear the voice of conscience, don’t harden your heart. Someone once said to me, “My conscious is seared.” It can plunge you into a hopeless state or you can listen to what I have shared and acknowledge it and plead with the Lord for help. Some have said what I said didn’t strike home. A conscious that is seared may hear Gods voice and ignore it. These are the dilemmas. It takes a deliberate decision that when I have been intimately touched and not forced to obey. Satan pushes and shoves and our earthly passions push and shove but with the still small voice I need to respond so the voice gets louder. If we have heard Gods voice, it is imperative we go back to it and let it become louder and clearer to us. It requires earnest attention. We must resist and conquer inclination without parlaying or compromising unless impulse controls us.

We need earnest attention and no parlaying or delaying.  Some say “Oh but it takes a little time. “What are they saying in reality? They are parlaying and after a while it doesn’t happen anymore. I was studying with someone who was from the world and he began to lose interest and he started to drift away. I saw him sometime later and he said he was walking down the road and he heard a loud voice to go back to where he came from. He came back and a few days later and said the voice is not so loud anymore. It was quiet and he had to concentrate to hear it. It took a year and he drifted again. Eventually he drifted away never to return.

Every one of us receives those convictions by Satan causing me to drift away from the word of the Lord. We must determine to hear and obey His voice. It is heard in warnings counsels and reproofs and if we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, light will be withdrawn and there will be darkness.

The pleadings of the Spirit, neglected today because pleasure or inclination leads in an opposite direction, may be powerless to convince, or even impress, tomorrow. To improve the opportunities of the present, with prompt and willing hearts, is the only way to grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth. {AG 202.5}

If we are side tracked, we miss the opportunity. How will I grow? By a prompt and willing heart. We can say right I got it. My life used to seesaw and I would have precious experiences with the Lord and I would fall and rise again. The last surge came when I joined SDA Reform Movement and the Lord gave me the 1888 message. I was enjoying myself with the Lord and He spoke to me. I said Lord, let me not lose this. It was an intense cry and the Lord said if you stay on the frame work that you are in you will not lose it. I’ve not lost it and it has continued to sustain me. Once you have experienced something in the Lord, don’t say that was lovely and go back to the old ways.

We should ever cherish a sense that, individually, we are standing before the Lord of hosts; no word, no act, no thought, even, should be indulged to offend the eye of the Eternal One…. If we would feel that in every place we are the servants of the Most High, we would be more circumspect; our whole life would possess to us a meaning and a sacredness which earthly honors can never give. – {AG 202.5}

The thoughts of the heart, the words of the lips, and every act of the life, will make our character more worthy, if the presence of God is continually felt. {AG 202.6}

This must be felt and we are to remember why nature is so important as when you go in nature, you feel Him as in Him we live and move and have our being. You are to feel after Him. As I am continually in that closeness;

Let the language of the heart be: ‘Lo, God is here.’ Then the life will be pure, the character unspotted, the soul continually uplifted to the Lord.” AG 202

This I what we need to fine tune into, that voice and we all know what God is saying. I will grow and be brought into purity. The Holy Spirit is blowing upon us. Precious realities, we are being blown upon by the Holy Spirit.

Amen.