The heart of every problem is a problem of the heart. The people of Israel (with exceptions like Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts, meaning that their hearts wandered from God and His Word. They also had evil hearts of unbelief; they doubted that God would give them victory in Canaan. They had seen God perform great signs in Egypt, but doubted He was adequate for the challenge of Canaan.

When a person has an erring and disbelieving heart, he will soon have a hard heart. This is a heart insensitive to the Word and work of God. So hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt! Imagine wanting to exchange their freedom under God for slavery in Egypt!

Do you ever wish you weren’t saved—that you could return to “Egypt”?

Verse for today: “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” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Consider: Proverbs 4:23-27, Jeremiah 17:7-10; Matthew 5:8.

Action assignment: Think of something good you should do today, but do not really like to do—such as witnessing to a neighbor or colleague, cleaning the toilets, or visiting a sick friend. Ask Jesus to join you in the task, and do it with joy.