Understand And Turn

Acts 28:27 ESV 

For this people's heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed;

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

Hearing and seeing are only the first steps in following Christ. The crowds that came and were fed in the wilderness saw and heard the word of Christ, but did not understand it. Even His disciples missed it. When faith is added to the hearing and seeing, it becomes the salvation of God. 

Understanding takes place in the mind and heart of a man. We reason with the mind and accept it with the heart. We accept and understand the word when it seeps into the core of our being and is reflected in our lives. 

The true hearing, seeing, and understanding is the gift of the Holy Spirit who brings us into the truth of God. Through Him we find the comfort and healing of Christ. 

True understanding will result in a turning away from self and toward Him. We must decrease as He increases in our life. In turning to Him, we begin a transformation into the mind and nature of Christ.