A Blind And Shameless World | John 12:39-40

Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” — John 12:39-40 These words make me sad. They were true in Isaiah's time, they were true in Jesus's time, and they are true in our time. There are people who will refuse to believe, and it really doesn't matter what you do for them or what you say to them; they outright refuse to believe. They are given plenty of opportunities, they hear the message, and they see miracles, but they reject the opportunity to believe in Jesus. Looking back on these unbelievers, Isaiah states there is only one way to perceive their situation — they are blinded and hardened, and healing is out of their reach. This pretty much describes the state of our world today. The things we should be ashamed of, we now celebrate. We celebrate them because we are blinded to the truth. We have established our own truth regarding family, marriage, intercourse, gender, and love. We have made up our own rules, laws, and regulations, and we celebrate them shamelessly. And our truth does not line up with God's. In addition, pastors, politicians, influencers, and corporate leaders wave the banners of their truth shamelessly. But biblically, some of these practices are shameful, and according to Isaiah, understanding and healing are out of their reach. Fellas, as this world becomes more deceived, we need to be praying for ourselves, our spouses, and our children. But we also need to shamelessly understand and share biblical truth with others at every turn. We need to return to biblical obedience and rightly celebrate righteousness, not disobedience. But to do this, you are going to have to model it because most don't even know how to do this anymore, primarily because they got it all backward. You are going to have to address your disobedience, publicly share your shame, receive healing and sight from God, and testify to this in your life again and again. And hopefully, your testimony will get to others before it's too late. ASK THIS: How does the concept of being blinded and hardened resonate with the current state of the world? In what ways do you see people refusing to believe and rejecting opportunities to encounter Jesus? In what areas of your own life have you established your own truth that does not align with God's truth? How can you actively seek understanding, healing, and alignment with biblical obedience? DO THIS: Address your disobedience, share your shame, receive healing, and testify to this. PRAY THIS: God, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the deception and blindness in our world. Help me to understand Your truth, guide me in seeking healing, and give me the courage to share Your message shamelessly. Amen. PLAY THIS: Open The Eyes of My Heart. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller