"You Meant It For Evil, God Meant It For Good."

What does the Bible really say about the hardening of the heart?

Feb 26, 2026

Welcome to our Transformational Theology video series about the sovereignty of God! Check out the corresponding book here, as well as more transformational designs.

How can the Old Testament say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart — and also that Pharaoh hardened his own heart? How can God incite David to number Israel, while Satan also incites him, and David is still held responsible? How can Cyrus freely choose to release the Jews while fulfilling God’s prophecy exactly?

This video examines these key passages to show how the Old Testament presents God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility together, without contradiction. These accounts of Joseph, Pharaoh, David, Assyria, and Cyrus show that God ordains events while people freely choose their actions.

How does this transform us?

We must commit to being accountable for our actions, recognizing this as a vital part of our spiritual growth. Our walk with Christ requires active participation and continuous development.

In this teaching, we heard about people in the Bible who reaped the rewards for their actions, whether right or wrong.

How did their fear of God (or lack of it) contribute to their choices?
Which of these examples reaped rewards?
Which of these examples experienced negative or fatal consequences for their inaction?
What can we learn about accountability from these successes or failures?
What can we learn about standing up for what is right even in the face of death?

Commit yourself to putting away passivity in your lives and embracing accountability and responsibility for your life and your integrity. Cry out to God to give you the grace to do it!

Choose a verse from the following to memorize as you seek to do this.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)