People who trust in the natural have hardened hearts and they reason in their minds based on the five senses. Jesus made this abundantly clear in Mark chapter 8, when He spoke:
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”
They said to Him, “Twelve.”
20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”
And they said, “Seven.”
21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”
A hardened heart is insensitive to various aspects of the Truth. We can be sensitive in one area yet be hardened in another area. Our fruit reveals our sensitivity or lack thereof. Our lack of obedience will increase insensitivity in the area of disobedience. If you are living in sin, stop! We are to resist the devil and he will flee from us.
In the above passage, Jesus gave us five reasons our hearts are hardened.
We don’t perceive (to think upon, heed, ponder, consider, to learn thoroughly, examine carefully). We fail to contemplate what we see and seek out the Truth of it in relationship to what Jesus did or say.
We don’t understand which requires us to receive or have the ideas expressed and intended to be conveyed by Jesus through His Words and acts.
We fail to see when we focus on the natural rather than the supernatural thus we are insensitive to the supernatural. As we redirect our focus to the supernatural Word and contemplate the Words and acts of Jesus, our sensitivity increases and allows us to see beyond the natural spectrum.
We can’t hear when we constantly expose ourselves to the noise in the world. Radios and TV’s are turned up and we cannot hear the “still small Voice”. Only by silencing the noise of the world can we increase our sensitivity to hearing in the supernatural.
Remember, we should recall and write down past blessings and deliverances in our lives as a “memorial” to FATHER’S Love for us.
The disciples failed to consider and ponder the miracles of the loaves. Their failure to fully embrace the revelation of the loaves prevented them from overcoming their situation and required Jesus Himself to intervene. Let us not make the same mistake but instead consider the miracles and past deliverances in our own lives.
In Hebrews chapter 3, it is written by The Holy Spirit:
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 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 have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Living in sin will desensitize our spirits from hearing FATHER. When FATHER instructs us to walk away from sin and we do not heed HIS Word, we become a little less sensitive. As we continue on the path of the world, our heart slowly but surely becomes insensitive and hardened. If we are tempted to stray from HIS Word in any area, we must immediately repent and walk away. We are meant to rise up, not lower ourselves to the world’s ways.
The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1 John 3:
3 Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! HE has called us and made us his very own beloved children. The reason the world doesn’t recognize who we are is that they didn’t recognize Him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children right now; however, it is not yet apparent what we will become. But we do know that when it is finally made visible, we will be just like Him, for we will see Him as he truly is. 3 And all who focus their hope on Him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure.
As we focus on being spiritually sensitive, we are purifying ourselves to full maturity in Christ Jesus.