Editors note: This devotional is taken from the archives of Gospel of Mark, chapter 6.

“They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:51-52, NIV)

Observation:

I asked myself what we learn about the disciples.

When they saw Jesus walking on the water and coming on the boat making the wind stop, three things occurred:

Observation/Interpretation:

I asked myself what is significant of what I learned about the disciples.

The disciples were completely amazed with Jesus because of what transpired minutes ago and also what had happened during the feeding of the 5000+ but did not understand about it. Because they did not understand about it, their hearts were hardened. It is significant because there was no reason for them not to understand about the loaves because Jesus was right there with them and they could have asked Jesus. Instead, they kept to themselves and in the process their own hearts were hardened. It did not have to come to that.

Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. When there are things I do not understand that the Lord does, I need to take it to the Lord in prayer. I need to talk to the Lord about it. There are situations that have occurred in my life that would have been easy for my heart to be hardened even after seeing the miracles of Jesus in other people’s lives and my own life at other times.

Why could have my heart been hardened?
It is because that is what happens when we lean on to our own understanding. I can be so preoccupied with what I want to understand that I miss the bigger picture. The disciples had Jesus with them and rather than focusing on Jesus, their hearts were hardened because they did not understand about the loaves. Jesus was there to give them an answer but they were not depending on Jesus to give them the answer.

Whatever is happening in life, I need to rejoice and be amazed at the miracles Jesus does and at the same time depend on Him for the answers to life so I do not let my heart be hardened by the enemy, for the enemy will do that.

I ask you now dear friend, what causes your heart to be hardened?

Dear friend, if so, what has caused your heart to be hardened?

Is it a situation that you could not get out of?

Is it an academic, career, or relational situation that has become a thorn in the flesh?

Friend, whatever it is just as Jesus reached out to the disciples and was there for them, Jesus wants to be there for you. Yes, He does friend! When you look to the circumstances of life and do not understand what is going on, it is not worth dwelling too much on the situation that you forget who is in control and in charge. Jesus is in control my friend and His miracles are proof of that.

There will be times friend, when what we have hoped for, dreamed of, or even believed so strongly that it was from the Lord and was going to happen will not happen. In those times, a heart being hardened from a human point of view can be easy, for Satan roams like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Satan will not come when things are going well in your life. No, friend that is not how Satan works. Satan will bring obstacles into your life and then he will come with lies and deception. That is the way Satan works so it is not hard for a person’s heart to be hardened when they lose focus away from the Lord and dwell too much in a situation that has happened or did not happen. Take it from me friend for I speak from experience.

Years ago after giving years of my time in ministry, things happened that I was not only hurt but confused and angry. Satan used those times to get me down and if I did not understand from God’s point of view why things happened the way they did, my heart would have been hardened. Thanks be to the Lord, He did not let that happen!

Jesus knew what I was going through and knew my pain. One night he gave me a dream. In the dream, I saw whatever was built in ministry was so high like a tower. Next, thing I know everything that was built and worked on in years of ministry came tumbling down. It just crumbled and I was helpless. There was nothing I could do and I just looked to heaven and implored Jesus’ help. Then, I saw the hands of Jesus reaching out to me and building the years of ministry and the work put in it which did not go to waste. I saw the tower representing ministry being built back up.

This dream more than what anyone was saying to me affected me in such a positive way and softened my heart. Thank you Jesus! When we lose something or someone, we may or may not get back how things were but whatever Jesus does, He will make it better. I know years of ministry did not go to waste because aspects of the ministry are still being used in me by the Lord today.

I thank the Lord, even though I lost one aspect of ministry, He has blessed me with other aspects of ministry and have seen things happen that I did not see in all my years of the other ministry. If the Lord wants me to go back to the other ministry, He will prepare the way for me too! Praise the Lord! Amen!

If I had hardened my heart and gone my own way saying to myself, ‘forget this’, I would have hurt the Lord and most of all hurt myself. I thank Jesus for rescuing me and helping me. I thank you Jesus!

So friend, wait on the Lord and do not let your hearts be hardened. Jesus loves you so much and wants to be there for you. Yes, He does friend! Come to Him with your life and let Him be your Guiding Light. He will friend, no matter what the past has been, the present will show, or the future will be.

 May you rest in the Lord remembering Proverbs 3:4-6 which I came!

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” (Proverbs 3:4-6, TLB)

I want to share with you a poem I had written years ago called LIFE. May it minister to you with the devotional the Lord has helped me share with you!

LIFE
By Ramesh Reddy

Where is this generation headed,

can we say we know ?

Are we doing what is right,

doing what God wants us to do ?

What happened to the beaver ?

Shame to seem him gone,

gone with the wind,

having all his morals and values

dried up like sun-baked clay.

Now are we battered, bruised, and burned

seeing shows depicting immorality causing restlessness

like pain in the back ?

Are we going to a shrink ?

What good will that do ?

It will only shrink our pockets

as our minds get shrunk

like delicate fabric

in improper washing.

What happens to our sanity

as our anxiety rages

like thundering sea waves ?

We want to know answers,

answers to the questions of life.

Do we end up in our self-world

dreading in despair,

despair that brings us to the edge

like an uncontrolled automobile

about to fall off the edge of a cliff.

We have our own hopeless life to live,

life that seems to end in misery.

Where does our hope come from,

hope that can lead us to a blessed life,

life that brings us perfect peace ?

We can only have true contentment,

contentment in our hearts,

only if we find peace,

peace that will end strife

when we come to know the

PRINCE OF PEACE

 Who is this Prince of Peace ??

J esus, the Savior of the world.

E verlasting peace comes from knowing him.

S urely goodness and mercy will follow

U nconditionally all the days of our lives

S trengthening us to do what God wants us to do.

Amen!

May you know even if you had a rough day, Emmanuel nurtures; expect deliverance!

“Had A Rough Day? Emmanuel Nurtures; Expect Deliverance!” (H.A.R.D.E.N.E.D)/”What causes your heart to be hardened?”

Listen to the background song, "Don't let your heart be hardened?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us so much and dying for our sin. Thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you for the miracles you have done in front of the disciples. Yet, Lord they did not understand about the loaves and later their hearts were hardened. Even so, thank you Jesus for working in their hearts! Please Jesus work in our hearts and when we do not understand something please help us to always take it to you. Thank you for reaching us where we are. I pray right now for the one whose heart is hardened. They are so confused about life and the decisions that need to be made. Please Jesus come and intervene in their life and become their Prince of Peace. They need to hear from you Oh Lord. Yes, they do! I need to hear from you. I know a place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned can come and find rest. It is at the Cross we come and lay our requests before you. Come Lord Jesus and change us. Transform us. Help us to depend on you and you alone and help us not to lean not on to our own understanding. Thank you Jesus that you hear and answer! Thank you for your help! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

PRAYER:
Father God thank you, you love us so much that you sent your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I love you Lord. Thank you Father God for your Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus thank you for loving me so much. Thank you Jesus, you will take care of my problems. Nothing is too hard for you. For many of us Lord, we face many obstacles in life whether it be Spiritual, financial, marital, emotional, physical, or educational problems. We turn these problems and the prayer requests to you. Thank you Lord you never fail to answer our prayers. Just because we don't understand does not mean you didn't answer our prayers. Thanks Lord for cleansing us by your precious Blood. Please come into my heart Jesus. Please forgive my sins. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart. Thank you Jesus for making my heart, your home. Thank you Jesus for living in me. I will live for you Jesus and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I pray right now for the one who is so troubled that only your presence and love can meet them where they are at. Come Lord Jesus and please intervene in their life. Cover them with your awesome presence and help them through what they are going. Thank you Jesus as you saw the disciples in trouble and came to their rescue, you can come to our rescue too. We entrust our lives in your care. Thank you for the answer and you will carry us! IN YOUR NAME, I PRAY JESUS THANKING YOU FOR EVERYTHING. AMEN.

Friend you may feel something or may not feeling anything but do not go by your feelings. When you ask Jesus to come into your life, He will and does. He will take over from here as you depend on the Lord and let Him work in you and through you! This is exciting friend! May each one that came to know Jesus be filled with His Holy Spirit forever more and those that know Jesus come to know Him more and more! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579 so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the Lord bless you and guide you!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this  Summer of 2006, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579. Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies can be so powerful too because the Holy Spirit is still in the midst.

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

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