God First!

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.


Clay- Moist, sticky earth; mud.


A potter needs moist, sticky earth, mud to work with, to form their objects. If a potter takes a lump of dry, hardened clay can they work it, change it? No. Clay needs to be malleable. If the LORD is our potter we are malleable in His hands. With the Lord nothing is impossible so even if we've let ourselves grow hard He can soften us again. Yet there is talk of this--


Exo 7:13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exo 7:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.


Exo 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exo 8:32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.


1Sa 6:6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?


2Ki 17:14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.


2Ch 36:13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.


Neh 9:16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,


Job 9:4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?


Jer 19:15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.


Dan 5:20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:


Mar 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.


Mar 8:17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?


Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.


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We can become hardened, we can be hardened and this isn't a good thing at all! We don't want to be hardened against God in any way. That last verse- 'Exhort one another DAILY, while it is called To day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.' Sin will hardened us. Sin will kill us. Sin separates us from God and without God our Father, our Potter, molding us we are lost forever. If the clay is separated from the potter it cannot be worked. If the clay is hardened, it cannot be worked. We are the work of God's hand and He will shape us as we need to be shaped into vessels pleasing to Him if we don't let the deceitfulness of sin overtake us. We can't shape ourselves. We can't mold ourselves. We cannot force God to work us. We are clay and we can't forget this. We can't become arrogant in ourselves and believe that as clay we can be the potter. Clay can NEVER shape itself it remains however it is found -- a lump, unshapened, unformed, nothing of value. The Potter needs to shape us, to form us, to make us vessels for Him. When we believe that because we are formed as human beings that we are shaped fitted for God we become very arrogant. It is by the grace of God we were formed in our mothers wombs and brought to life. It is by the grace of God we live each day. We can't take our lives for granted. We can't hardened our hearts, our necks, our minds into believing we live of our own accord. In a world that promotes self, we have to promote God first before self and never forget it, never. God first. God first. God first!