From the beginning to the end and everywhere in between, God is rescuing people from their hard hearts and offering love and new life!

At the end of the Bible, in Revelation 3:19b-20, Jesus says:

"So be sincere and turn around. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

Jesus is a gentleman. He isn't kicking down the door of your heart. He stands there and knocks, wanting you to turn around and let Him in. When you do, you experience communion and genuine relationship with Him. He says your relationship could be as close as a great friend who comes over to share a meal with you!

Even if you've walked with God for a long time, every day you need to open your heart to Him. We can easily drift away, and when our back is turned to Him we cannot hear His voice.

There was a story at the beginning of the New Testament in Mark 9:21,23-24 of a father whose son was extremely troubled.

"Jesus asked the boy’s father, 'How long has he been like this?'

'From childhood,' he answered... 'But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

'If you can?' said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for one who believes.'

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"

Maybe you want to believe but find it difficult. Try the father's prayer: "Jesus, help me overcome my unbelief! Help me believe!"

Near the beginning of the Bible is a fascinating verse which can help us when we find ourselves stuck.

Deuteronomy 29:29

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

Once again, we see that God reveals His secrets to those who want to hear them, and if we have trouble, He offers to help.

Consider Deuteronomy 30:6 which says:

"God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live."

God will help us trust Him! God will help us love Him so we can truly live! Let God help you do what you cannot do for yourself. The original word for "cut away" used in the original language is the same word for "circumcise."

Another version of Deuteronomy 30:6 says:

"The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."

The word circumcise literally means "to cut around." Some of us have scar tissue and callouses built up around our hardened hearts, and that keeps us from trusting God.

We have allowed the evil choices of others to affect how we trust God and trust others. We have allowed others to steal from us what God wants to give! Don't give the worst people in your life so much power!

Let God remove the pain around your heart that keeps you from trusting Him so you can hear His voice and discover your calling and purpose in life.

As an aside, I have never heard of anyone who was able to circumcise himself. You cannot remove the calluses around your heart on your own! God does not help unless we ask!

Notice the follow up in Deuteronomy 30:11, 14

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."

This is possible! God's voice is accessible! The question is: do you want to hear Him today?

Some of us have come to closure too soon on our understanding of God and what He wants to do in our lives and through our lives.

In a book called Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath, these two very smart professors and authors argue that humans are hampered by four “enemies” of decision-making rooted in our unconscious behavior. One of them is called confirmation bias.

Rather than having an open mind, confirmation bias means we make a decision and then look for proof that the decision we already have made was the right one. We don't really look for evidence on which decision would be best. "Pros and Cons" lists are written to make sure that what we want to do has more "pros" and what we don't want to do has more "cons". Too often, we come to closure way too soon in our decision-making and in life.

A friend of mine contacted me and wanted to learn how to hear God's voice. I was ready to walk him through this same process that we are going through in this snippet. As we caught up on each other's lives, he told me about a moment when he woke up and decided to just let go of something he had been trying to make happen that seemed to be going nowhere. I asked him how he knew to just "let go." He paused and answered. "I just knew God wanted me to 'let go.'" Then he said something incredibly profound: "I guess it's not that God isn't speaking to me. I guess He's not saying what I want to hear."

All of us, no matter where we may be in our spiritual journeys need to be willing to hear the fresh message God has for us.

What are your dreams and hopes for your future? Are these your own dreams or are these dreams God has for you? Are these selfish dreams or selfless dreams?

To experience the life God created us to experience, to become who we were created to be, we need to entrust all of our hopes, dreams, fears, doubts, and regrets along with our past, present, and future to God. We need to let go of our dreams so God can replace them with His dreams for our lives - which are far more beautiful than what we could ever imagine!

We can learn to discern God’s voice in our lives when we develop a posture of receptivity. We can move from a hardened heart to a vulnerable one.

For those who follow Jesus, it is normal to hear His voice.

Listen to Jesus' words from John 10:4-5:

"His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice."

You and I can know God, and we can know His voice once we follow Him!