Pop quiz! What do each of the following have in common?

1 - The Flood (Genesis 6-7)
2 - Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19)
3 - Israel on a number of occasions
4 - The unsaved during the tribulation (Revelation 16-19)

They were all subject to God's judgment and destruction? Well, yes, but this isn't what I'm thinking of. They all indulged in sinful acts having turned away from God and from righteousness? True enough, but again, this still isn't quite what I have in mind. They all display a vindictive God who wants to punish humanity? No, no, no, you're way off.

Let me tell you what I see.

When we look at such instances, more often than not, there are two things that are the most apparent to us -- the unrighteous acts committed by the people, and God's judgment upon them. In other words, the people sinned, then God punished them -- cause, then effect. While this is technically correct, ultimately, each of these situations are considerably more involved than simple cause and effect.

You see, with the exception of a few special cases, God doesn't witness a sinful act and then instantly obliterate whoever sinned. If He did, none of us would be here, would we? Neither does God see us sin, and then start a countdown timer allotting us a certain period of time to repent before He wipes us off the face of the earth. Instead, He takes us through an extensive process rather than simply tossing us aside as a lost cause, which, incidentally, is what some of us believe.

There are many things God can and will do to correct us should He deem it necessary, but what He does most often is give us time. While human nature generally demands immediate punishment, God is a patient God, and He often gives us ample time to repent. (2 Peter 3:9)

Of course that's not all He does; He also encourages us make better choices in a number of ways. He does so through many means, such as through His word, through other people, through circumstances, and even through His Holy Spirit. (Matthew 6:33, John 14:26) God will also allow us to bear the consequences of our actions so that we might see we are going in the wrong direction and change course. (Galatians 6:7-8, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5) He also chastises us in an attempt to get us to turn from our bad choices. (Hebrews 12:4-11) He even orchestrates any number of events, circumstances, and divine encounters to help lead us in the right direction. (Psalms 32:8, Psalms 37:23-24)

In other words, God utilizes a variety of tactics in an attempt to get us to make better choices and turn to Him. So in any given situation, there is a lot more that goes on than simple cause and effect. Not only that, but this is a process that begins long before He starts raining fire and brimstone from the sky.

Incidentally -- and this is aside from my main point -- it is this cause and effect type of thinking that has caused many to believe the United States, as well as other countries and people, are ripe for God's judgment. They identify sin -- a.k.a. "the cause" -- and they believe they can declare "the effect" with certainty. However, in doing so, they don't account for the patience and grace of God. They skip way out ahead of God and His way of doing things, and go straight to the worst case scenario. But as we can plainly see, we're still here. So I think a good argument can be made that God isn't done with us yet.

Nevertheless, there is one key point in God's process that tends to go unrecognized. It's the thread I believe each of the situations I cited in the beginning (and more) have in common.

The reason each of these were subject to God's judgment is because they refused to yield themselves to God. It wasn't solely because they were living a sinful life, it was because they lived a sinful life and refused to yield themselves to God. Or to put it another way, they hardened their hearts, refusing to be open to, much less receive, anything beyond their own thoughts, their own desires, and their own interests. Allow me to explain.

Most of the time, when pressed to make better choices, most of us will. When we face difficult circumstances, most of us will do almost anything to get as far away from whatever caused these things as we possible can. In other words, we respond to certain stimuli and do so rather consistently.

If God pings our conscious, we tend to respond. If He gives us a clear and sober warning not to go a particular direction, we tend to respond. If He messes with our world, we tend to respond. God knows how to push our buttons to get us to respond.

However, those who faced the judgment of God, for the most part, had become hardened to the point where they would no longer respond. They no longer allowed their conscious to serve them to make better choices. When warned by God that they were going the wrong way, they dismissed the warnings, ignoring them, and chose their own desires instead. When difficult circumstances came, they lied to themselves, believing they knew better than God. They had even hardened themselves to such a degree, much of the time, they were unwilling to even consider anything beyond what they desired.

This places God in a tough position. So long as God can work with people, and move them to make better choices, He is willing to do so. Even if there is just a glimmer of hope that someone can be turned to Him, He will be patient with them for as long as He can be. But when they harden their hearts to Him, and refuse to listen to warning after warning, then there isn't much more He can do. As it says in Matthew 13:14-15....

Matthew 13:14-15 (NIV) In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."

This is more than just a single prophecy intended for a relatively small group of people. It's a principle that has existed from the beginning, and will continue until the end. In order for God to be able to mold people and direct people, they have to be willing. Believe it or not, regardless of how powerful God is, it actually is possible to resist Him, and continue resisting Him. And, unfortunately, many of us do, Christians included.

So what is God to do with those who refuse to yield to Him? He could allow them to continue in their ways, spreading their hardheartedness to other people and communities, separating even more people from Him. Sound good? He could allow them to continue producing generation after generation who would never turn to Him, and who would be doomed to a terrible end. Would that work for you? Or, He could intervene in the only way that is left to Him, and remove these from the earth for the sake of current and future generations. Which would you choose?

And if you were God, and saw people headed towards this end, wouldn't you do anything in your power to change their direction? Wouldn't you shake them, yell at them, mess up their lives, do anything you could to change their mind? I think most of us would, although, unfortunately, it doesn't always work.

The reason I bring this up isn't to be an apologist, but rather to illustrate something I feel needs brought to our attention. The hardening of people's hearts has always been an issue we have had to deal with. It is our natural course as we allow ourselves to travel unrestrained down a certain path of self indulgence. But lately, it seems to me, we as a people are becoming harder and more unyielding than we have been in some time.

Whatever cross-section of people we may want to look at, or whatever groups we may want to examine, many of us are not only becoming more unyielding to God, but to each other. We certainly aren't beyond all hope, nor do I believe we standing at the the door of God's judgment as many proclaim. However, with every step we take, with every calloused heart we forge, and with our lack of concern, caring, and love for the truth of God and His word... we're getting there.

This doesn't place us in a good position to say the least. Unbeknownst to many, we are forcing God to deal with us in more effective ways on a variety of different levels. Should God deem it necessary, I suspect we could see many of the things I mentioned above come into our lives. I can see us bearing the consequences of our choices. I can see us in some very uncomfortable circumstances. I can see the chastisement of God coming upon us so that we might come to our senses. No, not judgment -- at least not yet -- but some very clear messages. I don't want to see this happen, but, who knows, it may be the only chance we have should we continue to harden our hearts and be unyielding to the Lord.

This post is getting a little long, so let me start to wrap it up by saying: so then, what should we do? For those of us who aren't completely closed off to this message, who can see we're headed in a bad direction, who know we need to make some changes, what should we do?

First of all, we need to recognize this applies to us personally. Yes, we can all point fingers at those who aren't living right, but we have no control over them. We only have control over what we do, and we as individuals need to begin to make better decisions.

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35 NIV) We need to choose to act in love and kindness more often. If you don't know what that means, then find out what that means. Do so not only towards your friends, family, and church-mates, but all your brothers and sisters in Christ, and all those who are none of these things. (John 13:35, Ephesians 4:15)

Don't beat each other down, adding to others burdens, but seek to uplift others and lighten their load. Don't condemn one another no matter what the reason. Don't mock, ridicule, or gloat over one another. And don't be unwilling to see from another's point of view. All these things serve to deepen wounds, further divides, and ultimately harden hearts on both sides. Live the "golden rule;" strive to treat others as you would want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12)

Develop a relationship with God -- just the two of you. All good things come from God, and you will never regret getting to know Him. (James 1:17)

Love God, and love the truth. (John 8:32) Don't just make choices based on what feels right, seek the truth, know the truth, then live the truth. Be faithful to God, keeping His commands -- He is faithful to you.

Stay open to what God may want to show you, and be willing to let go of concepts you hold dear. There is much both you and I do not know about God and His ways; be open to learning about Him, even if it challenges your current understanding of God. But always remember, this goes hand-in-hand with developing a relationship with Him so that we might be able to discern what is of Him and what is not.

Be watchful, and don't fall for the schemes of those who wish to stir up strife and divide us for their own gain. (Romans 16:17)

And when you fail, don't be too hard on yourself. We all fail. Just get up and continue on. (Romans 8:1)

There is more, of course, but this is a good start to being a reflection of Christ, and living as He would. May each one of us press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. (Philippians 3:12 NIV)

John 13:35 (NIV) A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

If you liked this message, then I'd like to ask you to please consider contributing to the work God has called me to do by giving a financial gift. Your support is vital in helping the message of "Freedom in Christ" go forth, bringing liberty to all. (Galatians 5:1) The Lord has made us to lean upon one another, and in doing so, together we are strengthened. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) So take all that I have freely offered, but then, consider giving back, as this is what the Lord would have us do. Click the "Gifts" link at the top of this page to find out how you can help.

May God bless you richly!

Mark Moyers