Read the previous posts in the Stay Tender, Stay Ready series: Introduction, Ensuring You Know & Ensuring I Am Not a Slave To Circumstance. 

As I desire to keep my heart tender and ready to receive instruction from the Lord, I must acknowledge the spiritual battle within me. I am a rebellious guy. I find myself set against the Lord’s direction for me and I must confess that as sin.

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
Romans 7:18-19

This is a battle of my will and I often attempt to fight it in my own strength — that is of course, if I want to change!  I can be, in my stubbornness, unwilling to make the changes that God desires and over time that leads to a hardness of heart that can be very difficult to change.  So how do I become tender when I am not ready to do so?

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Read the first and second posts in the Stay Tender, Stay Ready series: Introduction & Ensuring You Know. 

When Moses returned to Egypt and told the Israelites of God’s plans for their deliverance, “the people believed” and “bowed their heads in worship” (Exodus 4:31).  Not a few days later they attacked Moses and said, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kills us.” (Exodus 5:21) What accounted for such a dramatic change?  Their circumstances did. When they were simply slaves with the prospect of freedom, they were thrilled.  When their situation got immensely more difficult, they doubted and turned on Moses.

It would be one thing if their response were an isolated instance in scripture, but unfortunately, time and time again men and women were influenced by their circumstances to doubt the Lord and turn from him.  While ongoing challenge and trial can have a refining and purifying effect on our spiritual lives, it can also cause some of us to doubt and, if we’re not careful, lead to a hardness of heart.  Questions such as, Why would God let me go through this?  and Why will he not do anything? can cause much confusion in my heart and I must be mindful that my walk with the Lord does not become a slave to circumstance.  So how do you confront discouragement when it strikes?

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Read Stay Tender, Stay Ready | Introduction, the first post in a series of four, here.

As I seek to keep my heart tender and ready to the instruction of the Lord in my life, the fact of the matter is, I don’t know what His instruction is unless I learn it. I came preloaded with software that does not lead me in His ways, but quite the contrary, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 16:25). My natural inclination is toward these ways that lead to death, but I want to avoid them. As I do, what will replace these ways that lead to death? This is the first obstacle in overcoming a hard heart – replacing natural inclinations with the ways of the Lord. This is a content issue. I simply do not know what I need to know.  Thankfully, God left me printed instructions to teach me all that I need to know to follow Him.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 
2 Timothy 3:16-17

If we are careful not to gloss over it, we are met with a pretty profound statement. Through the study of God’s word I can be competent and equipped for every good work.  Within the pages of God’s word I can find all the content I need to live the Christian life. God’s word will address all my areas of ignorance and teach my mind what it is I need to know.  So where do you start?

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