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The Gospel Truth
Hardness of Heart: Episode 1
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A hardened heart isn't just found in those living in sin—even those closest to Jesus sometimes struggled with it. When His disciples saw Him walking on water, they were amazed because their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:45–52). Learn how distractions,...
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Welcome to Gospel Truth with Andrew Wommack. Celebrating 25 years of sharing God's unconditional love and grace on television. You've equipped me for the Christian walk with my family.
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I've become a better person.
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And you know, people tell me the.
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Fact that I'm alive and whole today because of what I learned from you.
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And now here's Andrew.
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Welcome to our Monday's broadcast of the Gospel Truth. Today I'm going to begin a brand new series and I am very excited about this. This is one of my favorite things to teach on. It's a foundational truth that the Lord showed me over 40 something years ago, probably 45 years ago. And this is something that I use every single day of my life. It's just a part of me and it's a teaching that I've entitled Hardness of Heart. And you know, I had a good friend of mine, Pastor Bob Yandian, that he was with me over in England and I taught on this a long time and he was so blessed by it. He studied it and he put out a book that he entitled the Power of a Sensitive Heart. He said this Hardness of Heart title is a negative title and so he changed it to A positive thing, said it was one of his best selling teachings. And so anyway, this may sound bad, but this is really, really important. And I just titled it the way that God revealed this to me. And this is actually an extension of the teaching that I've been doing for the previous few weeks on my program here talking about how to become a water walker. I was taking the passages of scripture from Mark, chapter six. And this teaching about a hardness of heart came from just one verse in that e example of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. And so anyway, this is powerful and I promise you that if you do not really understand these things and put it into practice, it's going to hinder you. And if you do understand this, it will really answer a lot of questions. Real quickly, let me just say that I've got this book that we're offering for a donation of any amount. We've got a little booklet that is a brief summary of this larger teaching. And then I have cds, DVDs and a USB that will cover all of this and we'll be giving out that information at the end of the program. Let me just real quickly give you some background on this that I had an ex, I had a number of experiences but one of them in particular really just bothered me that I, I didn't see the healing manifest that I knew God wanted to produce in a person. And because of it, I spent about two years just saying, God, what's wrong? I know I have faith. And in the end of this teaching, this is going to be one of the benefits. Now, this will be towards the end of the teaching. I won't get into it today, even this week, but I'm going to talk about how that you can have faith and unbelief at the same time, and unbelief will negate or cancel out your faith. So it's not a matter of you being all faith or all unbelief. You can have the two mixed. And what we've got to do is separate that and get to where we just have a pure faith. And so anyway, I was really struggling and. And let me give you this example that I went to Omaha, Nebraska, and I was holding a meeting there in a hotel. It was an independent meeting. And I had just seen a man raised from the dead. I mean, it was miraculous. And I was so excited thinking that, man, if I can believe God and see a person raised from the dead, then I believe I can see anything happen. And, I mean, my faith just went through the roof. So I was at this meeting in Omaha and. And there was a man sitting on the front row in a wheelchair. He was a quadriplegic. And I was just thinking, man, God, I just saw a person raised from the dead. I'm going to see this quadriplegic completely healed. And I could hardly wait to get through preaching so that I could go down and minister to this guy. And I remember jumping off the stage and running down there and saying, in the name of Jesus, you're healed. And I just grabbed this man by the hand and lifted him up out of that wheelchair and he just fell, fell over on his face. And because he was a quadriplegic, he couldn't catch himself. It was terrible. It was terrible. And I mean, in the crowd, you could hear people moan and groan. They sucked all of the air out of the room just like that. And, man, it. It just totally shocked me because I expected to see this man get up and walk, and instead he fell over on his face. I felt like a fool. I was thinking, lawsuit. And if not, lawsuit, I was sure thinking, man, what a, you know, what a terrible example this was. And I just, you know, I didn't know what to do. And. And this guy was quadriplegic. I got down on the floor and hugged him and put him back in his wheelchair and said, depart in peace. Be Ye warmed and filled. You know, I didn't say those words, but in a sense, I just tried to bless him and enc. And yet I didn't give him the healing that he was believing for, that I was believing for. And when I went back to my hotel room that night, it really bothered me because I had seen a person raised from the dead. And some people would say, well, you just weren't believing. No, I was believing. Otherwise I would not have grabbed this guy out of the wheelchair and pulled him up like that. I totally expected him to get up and walk. I actually never had another thought. Contrary. I just expected to see total manifestation. And I didn't. And it really bothered me. And so I began to pray and say, God, what's wrong? I know it's God's will to heal. That is. You know, there's maybe some people watching this that you think, well, it just wasn't God's will to heal him. That is not an option for me. I've read the Word. Jesus is a perfect example of. Of God the Father. He says, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, and that I only do what I see the Father doing. Jesus never left anybody sick who would receive it. Now, there are some people in the sixth chapter of the Book of Mark that wouldn't receive his healing. They wouldn't. He, it says he could do no mighty work. But there's not a single person that Jesus ever prayed for that he didn't see a manifestation. If a person would come and just express some faith, then he saw a healing time. And so anyway, I know it's God's will to heal. That's never the issue. I am aware that we have to believe in order to receive. If you doubt, you do without. And I'm aware of that. But I was believing. And again, you can sit there and criticize me and say, oh, no, you weren't really believing. The disciples in the 17th chapter of the book of Matthew. And I'll deal with this at the end of this series when I get to talking about the cure for all of this. The disciples, they tried to cast a demon out of a boy. And they had done it before, but they didn't see it this time. And they came and asked the same question, why couldn't we cast him out? It wasn't because they didn't believe that they had the authority to do it. They had already done it. And the very fact that they were asking a question shows that they knew it was God's will. They knew that God had empowered them, and yet they didn't see the right results. And so this was a question that I had 45 or 50 years ago after this negative experience. And I mean, it just really bothered me. And I, for a couple of years was just saying, God, what's wrong? How come I'm not seeing as many healings? I'm aware that not everybody's going to receive. They didn't all receive from Jesus, but among those who come and that, as far as I can tell, they're believing God, how come we don't see every single person healed every single time? And I, I spent a couple of years praying about this, and there's a couple of things that happen. And I, I'm going to. As we go through this series, I'll be talking first of all about hardness of heart. What is the crisis? What, how bad is a hardened heart? What does it do to us? And that's what I'm going to begin teaching today. Then the second step in this, we'll be talking about the cause of a hardened heart. If you see how da damaging it is, then you have to see what causes it. If you can see what causes a hardened heart, then you can turn that around and you can see the cure. So the crisis, the cause and the cure of a hardened heart. And if you get hold of this, this is one of the most foundational things that God has spoken to me. It's not something that you ever just see and you've got it and it's.
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Over.
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And you never have to deal with it again. It's like I said at the beginning of this broadcast, this is something that I deal with. Every single day of my life is about keeping my heart sensitive to God and hardening my heart towards the devil and towards unbelief. And so this, this is powerful. And I just really want to encourage you to please get these materials. Please watch the programs. But if you get hold of this and if you understand and receive these truths that God has spoken to me, it's going to be one of the things that will catapult you into an area where you can start receiving from God and seeing greater manifestation of answers to your prayer than you've ever seen before, it's really, really powerful. So as I said at the beginning, this actually is part of this example of Jesus commanding his disciples to get into a boat and then they came into a storm and he walked to them on the water. And I'm going to take this from Mark, chapter six. This is also recorded In Matthew and in John and in Matthew is the only one who shows that Peter walked on the water. But this is the exact same instance. It's right after the feeding of the five thousand. And as soon as he got through feeding the five thousand, it says here in Mark, chapter six, and in verse 45, and straightway, he constrained his disciples to get into the ship. And if you watch this teaching that I did on how to become a water walker, this was one of the major points that I made, that Jesus constrained them. That shows that there was resistance on their part. The scripture doesn't say what the resistance was, but I believe since four of them, Peter, James and John and Andrew had all been raised on this lake, and they were fishermen on this lake, they could tell that a storm was coming and Mount Hermon was there, and storms would come over this mountain and then they would swoop down on the Sea of Galilee, I mean, rapidly. So they had to pay attention. If you got caught in one of these storms, especially at night, it could be life threatening. So I believe that that's the reason that he had to constrain his disciples. They could recognize that a storm was coming. And yet to their credit, when Jesus constrained them, which means he had to use some force, I don't believe he physically forced them, but with his words he urged them and overcame their objections. And so he constrained his disciples to get into the ship and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, which would be between 3 and 6am he came unto them walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. I made a point of this already, but this is just so powerful that Jesus was walking on top of the very thing that was about to kill them. You know, there's probably people watching this, that you're in a crisis situation and you're just thinking, oh, God, you know, is this too big for you? I had a man come to me one time and he wanted me to pray for him. And he says, I've got pain in my neck and down my shoulders. My. My back. I've got pain in my back. And then I got a sciatic problem that goes all the way down my leg and into my feet. And he just named things from his head to his feet. He named like half a dozen things, at least. And then he says, but the thing that bothers me the most is the, is the neck. If you could just pray that I could get rid of the pain in my neck, I could live with the rest. And when he said that, I just looked at him and I said, well, I understand. You know, maybe God can't do all of this at one time. If we ask for him to heal you from head to toe, I mean, the lights in heaven might dim. I'm not sure that he has enough power to heal all of these things at one time. And he just looked at me and he says, boy, that was really stupid what I said, wasn't it? I said, it sure was. See, this is what you see right here. They were in this storm. It looked like they were going to drown. I'm sure that they were fearful for their life. And here comes Jesus just walking on top of the very thing that's about to kill them. I love that. I guarantee you, whatever you're going through, regardless how bad the doctor says it is, the banker says it is your mate says it is your work situation, whatever you're facing, it's no big deal for Jesus. And if you just look at it that way, if you quit expanding it and making it, oh, God, this is so hard. I, I, you know, I'm not sure that you can pull this off. If you just look at things in the right perspective, that's a large part of your victory right there. So Jesus was walking on top of the very thing that was about to kill them. And he would have passed by them. In other words, he didn't just come waving his arm, saying, guys, hold on, I'm going to save you. No, he came out there and he would have just walked past them. Now, it's obvious that he wasn't just out for a stroll on the water. He was coming to help them. But instead of just forcing his help on them, instead of doing it for them, he just appeared unto them. He walked close enough that they could see him, and he would have walked past them. That means that unless they had cried out and put a demand on him, he wouldn't have used his power to still that storm. And then when you read this in John chapter six, when he entered into the boat, the boat and the disciples were just instantly translated to the other side of the lake. Man, it was a miraculous, miraculous demonstration of God's power. But it wasn't going to happen unless they placed a demand upon him and There is a direct comparison to us that we have to call out. We have not because we ask not people think, if God really loved me, why doesn't he just solve this problem? Well, why don't you ask and believe and take your authority and let his power flow through you? For you to think that God just sovereignly moves without you is incorrect. In Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 20, it says, now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all, we ask or think, and most people just put a period right there and they will talk about God can do anything. Well, he has that power, but he will not do things except through us. It goes on to say unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all, we ask or think according to the power that works in us. The word according to means to the proportion of or to the degree of the power that's working in us. If there is no power of faith and love operating in us, even though God has the power, it's not going to happen because it has to flow through us. So this is the reason that he made as though he would have passed by them. They had to use a little bit of faith. And then he said unto them, when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them and saith unto them, be of good cheer. It is I be not afraid. And I made a point of this again, I'm not going to teach on this whole thing. But why didn't he just solve the problem? Wouldn't that have cheered them up? Well, the reason he didn't is because he had to have some faith on their part. He told them to be of good cheer while the storm is still raging, while the boat is still full, while it still looks like they're going to die. He says, be of good cheer. He wants us to operate in some faith before the doctor says you're completely healed. Can you rejoice that by the stripes of Jesus you were healed even before you get a doctor's confirmation? Can you believe that God is meeting your financial needs and that you're going to come through things before you see your bank account reflect it? Can you operate in faith? Without faith it's impossible to please God is what it says in Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6. And so anyway, and if you turn over to Matthew chapter 14, you, you find in between Mark chapter 6, verse 50 and 51, if you compare the same instance that's recorded In Matthew's account, this is where Peter walked on the water. And that's what we talked about in the previous weeks on this program. In verse 51, it says, and he went up unto them into the ship, and the wind ceased. And they were sore, amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered, did you know sometimes when you read Scripture, I don't know, your heart or your mind is someplace else, and you're just going through a formality. And if you were to close the Bible, you wouldn't. Even if somebody says, what did you just read? You would have a hard time remembering what you read because your heart wasn't in it. But then there's other times when you're reading the Word, and, I mean, it just comes alive. And of course, that's God's power that does that, but I think it's dependent upon where our focus is. Sometimes we. We're looking at the page, but our heart and our mind is someplace else. Anyway, I was reading this one time, remember the story that I told at the first of the program, that back two years before this, I had tried to minister healing, pull this guy out of a wheelchair, and he fell over on his face. And I had spent two years. God, what's wrong? How come I'm not seeing the healing power of God? I know it's your will to heal, and I know that I believe it. So what is the problem? And I had been meditating on that. So as I was in a plane flying across the Great Lakes, I was headed into Chicago from someplace else, and we were flying across the Great Lakes. And I remember I was reading these passages of scripture right here, and I read about this, and it. I don't know, the word was just alive. I was really impacted by what a great miracle that this was for Jesus to walk on top of the very thing that was killing them. And he would have passed by them. It wasn't a big thing to him. And I was just seeing what a great miracle this was. And I remember as I read this that I just stopped after that 51st verse. And I remember just laying my Bible down on my lap. I was sitting on a window seat of this airplane, and I looked out and there was a solid layer of clouds. And underneath that airplane. And in my imagination, I just thought, what would it be like if you saw Jesus walk across these clouds? And some people are like, well, you can't do that. Well, you can't walk on water either. I mean, it wouldn't be any more miraculous to see Jesus walk on the clouds. Than it would to be to walk on water. And then I just imagine what if he was sitting on the wing of the plane? And I know some people think this is weird, but I was just, I was trying to put myself into how would I respond if I was there and if I saw and experienced all of these things. And when I read here it says they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. I was, I was feeling exactly that way. I was really impacted by this miracle and I was feeling really good about it thinking that man, this is the way it should be. And then I read in the Next verse Mark 6:52 for and the word for is a conjunction that ties this statement to the previous things that were done. Here's the reason they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered it was because they considered not the miracle of the for their heart was hardened. And here I was in just this bubble of thinking about God, what a great miracle this was. And when I read this verse, it just popped my bubble and showed me that the reason I would be sore amazed to see and experienced what they experienced would be because of a hardened heart. And all of a sudden, I mean, it just rocked my world because I thought that people with a hardened heart were God haters. People that were in rebellion towards God and people that are in rebellion towards God do have a hardened heart towards God. But I never considered myself is having a hardened heart. I've been seeking God my entire life. I have loved God my entire life. And if you would have asked me prior to this, do you have a hard heart? I would have said absolutely not. And yet this verse is saying that if you would be sore amazed in yourself beyond measure and wonder to see a miraculous demonstration of God's power, it's because you have a hardened heart. And I mean, it was like a dagger stuck in me. And all of a sudden I realized that, man, I didn't realize I had a hardened heart. And so when I saw this, this started me on a study and it took years, but I began to start studying about what is a hardened heart. What does a hardened heart do to us? How does this hinder us? What causes it and how do you overcome it? And the things that I learned through this study is what I've written in this book about hardness of heart. Talk about what the crisis is, the cause, what causes it, and then the cure. And I tell you, this is one of the most powerful things, fundamental things that God has ever shown me. And I know that this is in a way a negative title Some of you might be put off by this, but there are areas that every single one of us have that our heart is hardened towards God. I'm going to be explaining that more as we go through there, but I'm out of time today and so I just am going to have to continue this on my program tomorrow. I encourage you to please get these materials. I've got this little booklet that is a brief summary of this larger teaching. We're asking for an offering of any amount for the larger teaching. We will send this little booklet to you free and postpaid and then we also have cds, DVDs and a USB and I believe that this would really be a blessing to you. So I encourage you to please get these materials. Listen to our announcer as he gives you all the information about how you can take advantage of this teaching and then I promise you this is going to help you. So please call or write today. I want you to know that we want to pray with you and help you any way we can. And we've had people call in praying for others who had died and we we've seen multiple people raised from the dead. We see miracles all of the time. We see people receive salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit and just anything that you need. The Bible says if you have a need, call for the elders of the church and we will pray with you and we will help you. So it's available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Learn how to keep your heart yielded and responsive to the Lord when you get Andrew's series Hardness of Heart. Andrew is offering his booklet An Introduction to Hardness of Heart as his free gift to you today. This offer is limited to one free booklet per household and is available in the us, uk, Canada and Australia. Contact us today to receive your free booklet. Andrew's complete series Hardness of Heart is available as a book and as a newly updated CD album or DVD album made from our daily television broadcast. You can also receive the full teaching on a USB that includes both the audio and video. Each of these valuable resources are available for a gift of any amount when you contact us for a limited time. You can also receive the book and USB together as a special Bundle for just $25. Scan the QR code on the screen or go to awmi.net to see all the ways you can get these products. If you're not already a Grace Partner, we ask you to pray about becoming one today. You can become a Grace Partner through our website@awmi.net you can also order resources or receive prayer by calling our helpline at 719-635-1111. Our helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To write us, use the address on your screen. We appreciate your generosity and hope to hear from you today.
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One of the ways that people have been giving is what we call legacy giving. This is an end of life gift and so I would encourage you to check it out. We'll have some information there on the screen, but this is a way of you just continuing your giving. Even after you've gone to be with the Lord. You can still be a blessing to all of the people that we're ministering to. So check out the information on the screen and become a part of our legacy giving. Today I would like to encourage you ladies to come to our Women Arise conference. We're going to have Carrie Pickett and Audrey Mack ministering. You know, I have no gender dysphoria whatsoever. I am not going to be there, but I have been watching the last few Women Arise conferences and they are excellent. You would enjoy it. So join us on November 6th through the 8th in Woodland park for Women Arise.
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You were created with a purpose written in the heart of God long before you were born. He is calling you to find it. You were born for such a time as this, to be a disciple, to leave this world behind and follow him. You were designed for a destiny, one that only you can fulfill.
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Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And lo, I am with you unto the ends of the world.
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We want to help you to be equipped and empowered to become a world changer.
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I would like to encourage you to take advantage of our daily devotion. This is something I wrote many years ago. I have a different devotion for every single day of the year and I read these often and I'm amazed at some of the things the Lord said through me. They're really, really good and I believe it would bless you so you can get this sent to you automatically. I encourage you to go to our web site and sign up and get our daily devotion for every single day of the year.