Stubborn Hearts

 JERIMIAH 5

"Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. "-Jerimiah 5:21

STUBBORN HEARTS

In Jeremiah 5 we see Gods righteous heartfelt anger towards the Israelites as they are actively abandoning the blessings the Lord has given them. The account that God gives to us in this chapter makes our hearts burn for him as we feel the pain of betrayal in his words. "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores." God's beloved people are resisting to give in to him, resisting to repent, resisting to acknowledge they need help.

What areas do you find yourself struggling to give over to the Lord? How are you like the Israelites in this chapter?

God, I pray that you search my heart and find any way in me that I am turning away from you and give me the strength to overcome it. God I love you and I give my heart over to you.

-Isaac Noble

When I read this devotion, it spoke loudly to me. How many times do I walk away from what the Lord has for me? How many times do we try our best to remove ourselves from that special place in our relationship and walk with God? Do we work well with God? In sports, I at times needed to remind myself to not depart from what my coach was saying and trust his view, or even another players. It was hard and many times I believed that I could see or do it better and stubbornly would go my own way. In our walk with the Lord, we can tend to trust our own path more than God's guidance. It is hard to give up our control, our pride, and especially our desires so that they align with His. We may even tell God that we will do all those things and then lose the heart to when we see something unexpected. We betray God when we give promises we don't intend or work to keep. Yes, God is always forgiving and willing to move forward with us even in broken promises, but what promises could we be taking more seriously? What place do we need to realign ourselves with the Lord? Apply what God shows and where He leads to your life and be willing to see through to the end on where it takes you.