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Welcome to Gospel Truth with Andrew Wommack, celebrating 25 years of sharing God's unconditional love and grace on television. And now here's Andrew.

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Welcome to our Tuesday's broadcast of the Gospel Truth. Yesterday I started teaching on what I call Hardness of Heart. Some people think this is a negative title and they think, well, I don't have a hardened heart. Well, the reason I've entitled this Hardness of Heart is because I didn't think I had a hardened heart. And I was studying and God showed me what a hardened heart is. And the truth is every one of us have a hardened heart towards God in some area of our life. And it is completely up to us to change the condition of this heart. You can't change it if you don't realize that you even have this problem. And so anyway, this teaching that I have, I've got this book that we are asking for a donation of any amount for. I've got this little brief summary that is a free gift to you, free and postpaid. And then we have cds, DVDs and a USB that will have the audio and the video on it. This is something that the Lord showed me like 40 to 45 years ago. I think it's been about 10 years since I taught on this. I think we did do a, a short rerun of, of a previous teaching. But as far as me just teaching this fresh on our TV program, I think it's been over 10 years since I've taught this. And yet this is one of the most foundational things that the Lord has ever shown me. So I just encourage you to please go to the effort of at least going back to our web site and looking at all of these teachings together. Because like yesterday I was giving how I came in to start recognizing I had a hardened heart. I hadn't got time to go back through that. We need to go on, but you need to get all of these things put together in order to get the full impact of it. So yesterday I was reading out of Mark chapter six about where Jesus walked on the water to go to the disciples. And then when he entered into the boat in John chapter six, the exact same instance is recorded, but in John, the boat and the disciples, when Jesus entered back into the boat, they were instantly translated to the other side. Just think about how that would have affected you. Think what it would have been like to see Jesus walking on top of the very thing that's killing you and he's just totally in control. And then Peter in mark, Matthew chapter 14, that was also a part of this. It's not recorded here in Mark chapter six, but in Matthew's account of this, Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus. And so this was just totally miraculous. And I was on this plane and, and I was just reading scripture and when I saw this I was just so overwhelmed that just like it says in verse 51, it says that the disciples, when all of this happened, they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. And that is perfectly descriptive of what I was feeling. I was just overwhelmed. It's like I was there and it had, it had impacted me in a powerful way. But then the Next verse, verse 52 says for they considered not the miracle of the for their heart was hardened. And all of a sudden I realized that to be sore amazed in yourselves beyond measure and wondered to see the supernatural power of God is an indication that you have a hardened heart. Did you know prior to that time I just thought people who were God haters, people who were living in total rebellion towards God, I might have said something about that they're hard hearted towards God. But if you are a Christian and if you love God with all of your heart, but if it seems like you relate to the natural more than you relate to the supernatural, if you know, you pray for a healing and if nothing happens, you aren't surprised because you really didn't expect that much. You were just a wishing and a hoping and a praying and if something would have happened that would have been great. But you aren't surprised if it doesn't work. Do you know what that is? That's an indication that you have a hardened heart. You are hardened. The word hardened, if you look it up when it's referring to your emotions and to your heart, things like that, it means to be cold, insensitive, unfeeling or unyielding. And if you use that as a definition, that's what the dictionary says about the word hardened. Cold, insensitive, unfeeling and unyielding. And if you use that as a definition, I think that all of us would have to admit that there are times in our life where we are cold, insensitive, unfeeling and unyielding towards the Lord. You know, I've heard so many people before come up and say that man, they just don't feel like God loves them. And I'll sit there and I'll begin to start quoting scripture. God so loved the world that he gave John 3:16, Romans 5:8. He commended his love toward us in the while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John, chapter 4, verses 8 and 16. God is loving. I'll quote some scriptures and they'll say, well, I know, but I just don't feel it. You might say that, but you know what the scriptural term would be is that you're just hard hearted, you're cold, you're insensitive, unfeeling and unyielding. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love you. It just means that your perception, your ability to perceive is hindered. You are more sensitive to the natural realm and what you feel and what you see than you are to the supernatural realm and what God's word says is true about you in the spirit realm. And when I saw this, this just shocked me because again, I wouldn't have ever thought that any of the statements about a hardened heart in the Bible applied to me. I thought that was other people. But when you redefine it and when you look at it like right here, these disciples, they hadn't been out, you know, when he said that they. The reason that they were sore, amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. It wasn't because they were watching a Playboy magazine or some ungodly thing on that boat. It wasn't because they were plotting robbery or doing something terrible. They weren't doing anything that we would consider sin. You know, what caused their heart to become hardened is they were so preoccupied with trying to save their life. They were just looking at things in the natural. And they were, they weren't drawing on supernatural things. They weren't praying and asking God to still the storm. They weren't taking their authority and doing things. They were just in the natural. They were rowing the boat, they kept the bow en faced into the waves. I'm sure they were bailing water, you know, and they were doing all of these things. It was just that the natural realm had captivated their attention. That's what the word considered means. The word consider means to study, ponder, deliberate, examine, think upon. Those are synonyms for the word consider. I believe you could also say meditate is a scriptural term because their mind wasn't focused on the miracle of feeding the 5,000. And instead their mind and their attention had been totally captivated by this storm. And they were just drawing on all of the natural things. Not things that were sin, but just natural things. They were completely occupied with the natural that hardened their heart towards the Lord. And let me just make a statement here. That man, this will shock some people. It shocked Me, when the Lord began to start showing me these things, that you could be a very moral person, you can be a very good person, you can love God, love other people. And yet if you are just totally limited to the physical realm and the physical way of doing things, then that's hard hearted. You are cold, insensitive, unfeeling and unyielding to the supernatural. Did you know that these disciples in this situation, there wasn't a natural solution to their problem. There wasn't a physical answer. Now, if they had been in a situation where they could have overcome things in just the natural. Well, then I believe that yes, we're supposed to use our natural wisdom, our, our natural tendencies and things like that. Like if you, you know, if I said, would you please drive me to the airport? I don't want you to drive me there by faith. I want you to open your eyes to know how to drive a car. I don't want you to close your eyes and try and just do it all by the spirit. God gave us natural senses and stuff like that. And to a degree we're supposed to use them. But when we come into a situation that is beyond our ability, our natural ability to be able to deal with things, you have to be able to go beyond the limitations of just the physical realm. You have to be able to get into the spirit in this situation. There wasn't a physical answer to their problem. They had to have a spiritual answer or they were going to drown. And they were not up to it. Why? Because when they had been raised as fishermen on this lake, Peter, Andrew, James and John had all been fishermen on this lake. I'm sure that their fathers had taught them what to do in a storm and how to, how to deal with these waves and all these kind of things. And they were just drawing out of their own natural ability, their own natural understanding. There's nothing wrong with that to a degree. But I can guarantee you as you go through life, you are going to come into things that are beyond natural solutions. There may be some of you watching this who you've got a physical problem that the doctors aren't able to deal with it. And did you know. I don't mean that. I'm not saying these things to hurt anybody. I'm saying it to open up our eyes. And if you can first of all realize what the problem is, then you can find out what causes you to have this problem and then you can accept the cure and you can get over these things. So I'm not saying this to hurt you. But if you are a person who, you got something physical in your body and you are taking all of the medication, you've gone to the doctor, you've had the surgery, and yet they don't deal with it. Most people cannot go beyond the physical. They, they can't flow in the spiritual. And if somebody was to just be instantly healed, it would shock most people. You know, I gave this example in the previous teaching that I did, but I was actually in Omaha, Nebraska one time and I called out through the gifts of the spirit that a young, that somebody was cross eyed and that God was healing them. And there was a boy that was about 10, 12 years old somewhere in there. And his mother actually had to hold him by the hand and draw him to the front because he couldn't see well enough to walk. And when I looked at him, his eyes were just, I mean, totally crossed. It was the worst case I think I had ever seen. And so I prayed for him, I laid my hands on him, put my thumbs over his eyes and prayed and commanded those eyes to be straight. And I believe that God's healing power was flowing into him, but I expected it to come gradually. And so I already was thinking about just telling him that, you know, that God's power is in you. You stand on this and I believe that I've laid hands on you and you will recover. Those eyes will recover. That's what I was going to say. And when I took my hands off of his eyes and looked at him, his eyes were perfect. They were perfectly straight instantly. Now I was believing for his eyes to be healed, but I just didn't, I wasn't to the place where I could believe that it would happen instantly. And when I saw his eyes perfect, I said, I don't believe it. I said this in front of all of the people, there was hundreds of people there. And I said, I don't believe it. And this guy's eyes crossed the moment I said that. And man, I repented. And I said, oh God, forgive me. And I prayed for him for another 10 or 15 minutes. I never did see his eyes go back straight. I just pray that, you know, I know that God touched him. And the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. Romans 11:29. And I pray that he went on and received it. But see what I my reaction. Even though I loved God, even though I'm the one that God used to call the healing out through a gift of the spirit, even though I'm the one that prayed for him, and saw his eyes straight. I was more sensitive to the natural realm than I was the supernatural. And it shocked me. I was sore amazed in myself beyond measure and wondered when I saw it happen instantly. And what that was was unbelief. Do you know over in Hebrews chapter three, it says, take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily while it is called a day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. So this is talking about your heart being hardened. And in the previous verse it called it an evil heart of unbelief. Did you know your heart, it says out of Romans, chapter 10, verse 10, with the heart, man believes faith comes out of your heart. And as your heart is that controls whether you are able to operate in faith or not. Faith is not just a mental thing. It may involve you learning some things and you have to learn some things, but it has to go beyond just mental assent, understanding something you have to believe with your heart, with the heart. Man believes unto righteousness. And if your heart is hardened towards God according to those verses in Hebrews chapter three, it's an evil heart of unbelief. When. When I prayed for this boy, I expected to see healing, but not necessarily instantaneous where it was supernatural, maybe gradually over time. And that was an indication of my hardened heart. So what I'm trying to get across to you is that you may be a person that loves God. You may be seeking the Lord and you may be walking with the Lord. But if you are more sensitive to the natural realm than you are the supernatural realm, then your heart, your heart is hardened towards God. It's cold, insensitive, unfeeling. You are more moved by what you see, taste, hear, smell and feel than you are by what God's word says. Man, I just pray that God gives you understanding of what I'm saying. If you really are listening and if your heart is open to this, I think every one of us would have to recognize that we sometimes are so locked in to just our sight and our feelings that what the Word says about us isn't as strong as what we feel and what other people have to say. That's a hardened heart. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be blessed when we see the miraculous power of God. You know this, all of this instance that I've just read here about Peter walking on the water and Jesus walking to the disciples and. And all of These things. This followed the feeding of the 5,000. The feeding of the 5,000 happened less than 24 hours before all of this. And so I can guarantee you when Jesus broke the bread right up here, if you read in Mark, chapter 6, verse 41. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and brake the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided he among them. And. And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up 12 baskets full of the fragments of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about 5,000 men. He fed 5,000 men. This didn't include the women and children. With five loaves, two fish had more food left over than he did when he started. And I can guarantee you, when Jesus broke that bread and all of a sudden he still had a whole loaf. I believe that Jesus was blessed by that. I don't. I'm not saying that you should despise the supernatural, but I don't believe that Jesus, when he broke off a part of that bread and then looked down and here's a whole loaf again, I don't think he went, wow. I don't think he was sore, amazed in himself beyond measure and wondered. It didn't surprise him. If you're surprised, if you were to break off a loaf of bread and all of a sudden the bread would still be a whole loaf. And if that shocked you and if you started screaming and yelling and having a Pentecostal fit like, wow, look what God did, that's an indication that you have a hardened heart. In other words, that's so abnormal to you that you are shocked by it. But you can get to a place to where walking in the supernatural is so normal that you're blessed by it, but you aren't shocked by it. And I can guarantee you I've been in services where I've seen the miraculous power of God. And there have been people that have just been so overwhelmed, so shocked by. I remember the first time I ever was in one of Kathryn Kuhlman's. Well, it wasn't the first time. It was like the second or the third time. But I had Jamie with me, and we had been in one of Kathryn Kuhlman's meetings, and we saw so many miracles happen. We saw people coming out of wheelchairs. We saw blind eyes open. We saw great things happen that the entire auditorium after the service was over, they just got up and left. And Jamie and I were sitting There just glued to our seats like we didn't want to leave, we didn't want to. We were so overwhelmed by what we had seen that we just wanted to soak it up. We didn't have anywhere else to go and they literally had to come and tell us the meeting's over and would you leave? But we were just shocked by it. We couldn't understand how everybody else could watch all these things and then just get up and walk out as if, oh, it's another service. Did you know that? Now I see a lot of miracles happen. We've seen people raised from the dead right on our stage. We had a little 14 month old baby that was laid on our stage while we were having a panel discussion and we prayed and saw this baby raised from the dead right in front of us. And it's not that it doesn't bless me, it's not that I'm not sensitive to these things, but I have become so sensitive to the spiritual realm that it no longer shocks me. I'll go out and hold a meeting and come back and my, you know, my staff will say, well, how'd it go? Oh, it was great. And they'll say, well, what happened? Oh, well, we saw some blind eyes open. We saw somebody who was deaf, healed. We saw something and, and it blesses me, but it no longer shocks me. I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, if you are one, that you pray for miracles, but if it was to happen, it would shock you. That's an indication that you have a hardened heart. And that is also one of the reasons that you aren't seeing the manifestations that you need. Because Hebrews chapter three says when your heart is hardened, that's an evil heart of unbelief. It doesn't have to be out and out. Rebellion and sin and rejection of the Lord just become so dominated by the natural realm that you can't break loose of it, that you can't look and expect to be healed because the doctor says it's incurable. And so you just fall apart like a $2 suitcase. That's because you are hardened towards God, but you are sensitive to, towards the natural realm. Boy, those are strong statements and they are not meant to condemn anybody, but they're meant to open up our eyes. And how you perceive things and what you relate to what you're expecting is a huge part of what you get. If you can't see it on the inside, if you can't embrace it, if you are praying for the miraculous, but you aren't really flowing in the miraculous and you are just li limited to this physical realm, it's going to be a hindrance. And when I get into the third part of this teaching talking about how to overcome it, I'm going to be talking about that you can have faith and have unbelief at the same time and how you can get rid of that and it'll make a huge difference in your life. You know, my personal testimony is that when God showed me this and it took me a year or two to put all of these little connect the dots and to learn the things that I'm going to be sharing with you. But once I began to see it, this is something that I apply to my life every single day of my life. Everything I do. Is this making me more sensitive to God or is it hardening me towards God? It doesn't have to be sin. It could just be natural things. And so I, I certainly, I'm not going to go out and live in sin. But there's a lot of things like it says over In Hebrews chapter 12, lay aside the weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. It's more than just sin. There's weights, there's things that hinder us. And our preoccupation with just this natural realm will harden our heart. It will make us cold, insensitive, unfeeling and unyielding towards God. So there are a lot of things that aren't out and out sin, but they are hindrances to us, they are weights. And we have to lay those things aside for our hearts to become sensitive to God. And so I'm going to be going through here and sharing some things with you that I tell you this would make a huge difference in your life. I've got this book entitled Hardness of Heart that we have put out tens of thousands, thousands, hundreds of thousands of these. Lots of people's lives have been impacted. I'll give this to you for a gift of any amount. Just if you'll send an offering of any amount, we'll send it. If you could not or would not send anything, I'll send you this brief summary, a 50 page summary of it as a gift, free and postpaid. And then we have cds, DVDs and a USB that'll have the audio and the video on there. And I promise you, you need to get this teaching. You can also go to our web site and you can get these things absolutely free. You can watch them right there. I'm not trying to get this to get money. I'm just trying to bless you. I tell you this would change your life. So please listen as our announcer gives you this information and then call or write today.