Today if you hear his voice, Do not harden your heart!

This article is guaranteed to step on toes and offend the masses. But truth always will prevail in the end!

**Today, if you hear His voice leading you away from something, do not harden your heart as the children of Israel did during the rebellion in the wilderness** (Hebrews 3:15 AMP).

The Lord calls us to obedience, and yet how often do we overlook what is important in His eyes. We may think certain actions are small or insignificant, but if they contradict God's Word, they carry great consequences.

The world tells us to follow our desires, claiming, "You are free; do as you wish." But as scripture says, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12 AMP). Freedom in the world’s sense can lead us into spiritual bondage. For instance, many people—young and old—find themselves living together outside of marriage, rationalizing that "the Lord understands." However, God not only understands, He also knows all things (Psalm 139:1-4 AMP). His Word warns, **"Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed, worthy, precious) in all things, and the marriage bed undefiled (by immorality or by any sexual sin); for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous"** (Hebrews 13:4 AMP).

God is holy, and though He once overlooked ignorance, that is no longer the case. "Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30 AMP). Jesus Christ paid the price for all humanity’s sins through His death and resurrection. This profound sacrifice is not to be taken lightly. **"But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"** (Romans 5:8 AMP). His precious blood is the only thing powerful enough to wash away our sins: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment)" (Hebrews 9:22 AMP).

Knowing this, how can we continue in sin? Romans 6:1-2 AMP declares, "What shall we say to all this? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?" The struggle often lies in our unwillingness to let go. Clinging to sin grieves our Heavenly Father. **"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption"** (Ephesians 4:30 AMP). I include myself here—none of us are above reproach. But I feel compelled to write what the Lord has placed on my heart. I thank Him for His grace and mercy, which are renewed every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23 AMP).

Do we truly want to be blessed by the Lord? Many of us wonder why we face difficulties, asking, "Why, Lord?" Deuteronomy 28:15 AMP provides a clear answer: "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to carefully follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you."

Consider the woman at the well. Jesus knew she had been with five husbands, and the man she was with was not her husband. His knowledge revealed her sin because He knows all things (John 4:17-18 AMP). Jesus also shows us the way to freedom from sin, saying, "Go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:11 AMP). He warns of the consequences of disobedience: "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you" (John 5:14 AMP).

God’s Word is our ultimate guide: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105 AMP). When we attempt to insert our own interpretations or rules, failure often follows. Yet, instead of repenting, we often question God, asking why our lives are so difficult. While not all suffering is the result of sin (see Job 1:8-12 AMP), unconfessed sin separates us from God: "Your wickedness has separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isaiah 59:2 AMP).

Sin’s consequences may manifest immediately or over time. Yet, in some cases, suffering exists for the glory of God. As Jesus said of the man born blind, "It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him" (John 9:3 AMP).

Jesus reminds us, **"He who is without [any] sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"** (John 8:7 AMP). None of us are righteous on our own, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 AMP). Even so, many use this truth as an excuse to continue in rebellion, disregarding the warning in Galatians 6:7 AMP: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap."