“To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”— Hebrews 3:15 KJV
There are days when Scripture steps off the page and confronts you in real time. Yesterday was that day for me. Twice, I hardened my heart to the voices of people around me because past pain had taught me to expect lies. Twice, I was wrong. And twice, the Holy Spirit whispered Hebrews 3:15 back to my own heart.
The Text in Context: What “Today” Really Means
Hebrews 3:15 is a quote from Psalm 95:7-8. The writer of Hebrews is warning believers not to repeat Israel’s mistake in the wilderness. God had spoken clearly, delivered them miraculously, yet they hardened their hearts through unbelief. The result? An entire generation missed the rest God had prepared.
“To day” is urgent. It’s not yesterday’s regret or tomorrow’s promise. It’s now. “If ye will hear His voice” assumes God is still speaking — through His Word, through the Holy Spirit, and sometimes through the broken voice of a student or a friend. “Harden not your hearts” is a choice. Hardness isn’t built in a day. It’s layer upon layer of disappointment, cynicism, and self-protection until we can no longer hear truth, even when it’s screaming.
Two Phone Calls, One Lesson: When I Hardened My Heart
Story 1: The Learner I Didn’t Believe
One of my most faithful adult literacy students WhatsApped me yesterday: she was bereaved and couldn’t attend class. This is a woman who has never missed a lesson. Yet my first thought was, “This is an excuse.” Experience had taught me that people lie. So I called to challenge her story. She quietly explained that her 32-year-old niece, a prison officer, had died suddenly. The burial was this weekend. Then she sent obituary pictures. My cynicism broke me before the truth broke the news. I had hardened my heart to her voice.
Story 2: The Meeting That Never Happened
Early yesterday I messaged someone to confirm an after-work meeting. Hours passed. No reply. Calls went to voicemail. When she finally answered, she said her mom had collapsed and they were at the hospital. Again, I assumed it was an excuse to cancel. That evening she texted: her mother had died. I sat with my phone in my hand, ashamed. I had hardened my heart to her voice, too.
In both cases, truth was speaking. Grief was speaking. And I almost missed it because past lies had trained me to treat every voice “with a pinch of salt.”
Three Lessons for All of Us This Wednesday Morning
Lesson 1: Not Everyone Is a Liar — And God Never Is
Yes, people lie. I have the scars to prove it. But to assume everyone lies is to call God a liar, because He made people in His image. Scripture says, _“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent”_ — Numbers 23:19 KJV. If the God of truth lives in us, we must leave room for truth in others. A hardened heart treats every voice as false until proven true. A tender heart weighs each voice before God.
Lesson 2: Unbelief Has a Voice, But So Does The Holy Spirit
Israel’s unbelief wasn’t just about God; it started with how they treated Moses and each other. When we dismiss people too quickly, we may be dismissing the very channel God wants to use. Jesus said, “He that receiveth you receiveth me” — Matthew 10:40 KJV. My student’s grief and my friend’s loss were “today” moments. God was asking, “Will you hear?”
Lesson 3: Hard Hearts Miss “Rest”
Hebrews 3 links a hard heart to missing God’s rest. What did I lose yesterday? Rest. Peace. The chance to comfort instead of confront. Every time we harden our hearts to truth, we step into anxiety, suspicion, and relational distance. When we choose to listen, we step into rest. _“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy” — Hebrews 4:16 KJV.
Why This Matters to You This Wednesday Morning
It’s midweek. You’re tired. Maybe someone has lied to you this week already. Maybe your boss made a promise and broke it. Maybe your spouse forgot again. The temptation is to harden your heart today so you don’t get hurt tomorrow.
But “today” is all you have. Today, a colleague might tell you they’re struggling. Today, your child might say, “I’m sorry.” Today, God might whisper through a verse, a song, or a hurting friend. If you harden your heart, you’ll miss the miracle in the moment.
Don’t let yesterday’s lies abort today’s truth. _“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” — 2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV.
A Prayer for Tender Hearts
Father,
Forgive me for the times I hardened my heart because of past wounds. Today I choose to hear Your voice. Give me discernment to know truth from lies, but keep me from cynicism that calls every voice a lie. Heal the places in me that are still bleeding from betrayal. Make my heart soft toward You and toward the people You put in my path today.
For my student who is grieving, comfort her as only You can. For my friend who lost her mother, be her strength and peace.
Lord, help me — and help the person reading this — to believe that You are not a man that You should lie. You are faithful. Teach us to be faithful with our ears and with our hearts, today.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Pastor Christian Mawuko
Golden Gospel Church,, Ghana
Email: cmpastorchris@gmail.com
WhatsApp/Text: 233.244225870
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