“These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
     ² And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; ³ The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: ⁴ Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. ⁵ And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. ⁶ Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God” (K.J.V.) (Deuteronomy 29:1-6)

     Now, why did God do that?

     For forty years He did not give them the ability to percieve, see nor hear what He was really giving to them. For forty years Israel was strewn along in the wilderness. If God had opened their perception, opened the eyes, opened their ears, then they would not have been strewn along.
     Until and unless God opens up our perception to perceive, until He opens up our eyes to see, until God opens our ears to hear, we will not. Humanity, when left to themselves, cannot receive that which is of God.
     "For the disposition of the flesh is death, yet the disposition of the spirit is life and peace, because the disposition of the flesh is enmity to God, for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither is it able. Now those who are in flesh are not able to please God" (Rom.8:6-8).
     "Now the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the spirit of God, for they are stupidity to him, and he is not able to know them . . . " (1Cor.2:14).
     Yes, dear friend, there is no such thing as God giving man a choice to believe or not believe outside of Him making it so that they will or will not believe.
     When the gospel goes out from the evangelist’s mouth concerning what God has accomplished for mankind through the death, burial and resurrection of His Blessed and Only Begotten Son, all humanity cannot believe it for they are not able to believe it! God has to open their perception to perceive, open their eyes to see and open their ears to hear . . . then, and only then will they perceive, see and hear.
     We thank God for our salvation because we cannot save ourselves. In thanking God we are in effect saying that God has saved us and not we ourselves.
     And we thank God, that, in the far off future He will do for the rest of mankind what He so graciously did for us in opening our perception, eyes and ears as is evidenced by Philippians 2:9-11. And it is all for the glory of God, the Father.

Thank you God for saving us! Amen!

© – Tony Nungesser