Exodus 9:27-28 (NASB)
27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones.
28 Make supplication to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Exodus 9:35 (NASB)
35 Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

When I lived at my parent’s home and I had a difficult decision to make, my mother, more often than not would say to me, “Let your conscience be your guide.” Usually that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was sage advice, especially since my parents had given me a good foundation on what was right and wrong. That foundation of “right and wrong” was based upon the teachings in scripture. So, she knew that my conscience would lead me to the right decision.

Pharaoh didn’t believe he needed to consult his conscience because he was raised believing that he was god. So, he could take an arbitrary position or even change his mind at his own whim, without feeling any regret. That similar attitude is held by people today, who don’t have a foundation based upon the teaching of the Bible. Instead, they do what seems right in their own eyes.

Even those that follow Jesus can get caught in the trap of allowing their own personal wishes to take precedence over what they have been taught. My most abused hardening of the heart is not loving others as Jesus loves me. It is easy to accept the theoretical and be in complete agreement, but when the situation faces me, my heart can be hardened. The Holy Spirit then convicts me to repent.

The pressure for hardened hearts must be even higher for those that are in full time ministry. I can’t imagine the attacks that Satan makes on them, telling them that because of their sacrifice for God, they are justified in doing something that under normal circumstances they wouldn’t even consider.

Father, I pray that my heart would not be hardened today. Holy Spirit, help me to pray for that each day. Give it to me just like you give me my daily bread. I pray in Jesus name.

Always praying for the glory of God,