Hardened Hearts

In my previous blog I wrote about remarriage and one of the things that caught my eye was that an unfaithful partner won’t come back because he/she has hardened their hearts. That is very often the reason for going through with the divorce. I have seen it in my ex. The things I have been accused of and the things he has said to me have been at times so hurtful, that I have wondered whether he ever really knew me. The sinner in me of course let him have it back. I understand today why someone that had such a soft heart, can turn into someone with no heart or compassion for anybody. It is such a disturbing thing to see, that I wanted to know how I can help him.

You see when someone hardens their heart, their spirit will die. It’s like when you allow a wound to fester long enough, you will end up with septicaemia and anyone who has ever worked in a hospital will know it will kill you if left untreated. The sad thing I realised after reading about a hardened heart is that you can do nothing to help. Only that person can allow the wound to be opened and cleanse.

So what causes people to harden their hearts?

First a person with a hardened heart does not necessarily have to be a God hater. Christians can also have a hardened heart without even realising it. Like this one author put it: “if you relate more to the natural than the supernatural, you have a hardened heart.”

What is the definition of hardened? unfeeling, cold, insensitive, unyielding.

A hardened heart is to commit the soul in a spirit of disobedience, sell-will, stubbornness and rebellion against God’s Will.

If I have to be completely honest, then I have also had a hardened heart re certain aspects of my life. It closes your eyes and ears to the supernatural. You see and hear in the natural, but not in the spiritual. That is precisely what satan wants and why he is the victor in so many peoples’ lives on earth. He blinds a person for the awesome power of God. You may see and hear of it, but a hard heart prevents you from understanding it. You cannot take it and make it part of your life. It is all about where your heart lies. When something is important to you, you have a heart for that something. Your heart will soften towards it. It’s about where your focus is.

Most people find it difficult to believe in the supernatural, because it is easier and saver to believe in something you can see. That is why fear plays such an important role in our lives. If you think back you will realise what role fear played in your life. It distorts things and leads to anger, stress, rebellion, depression, ectr. When you really start to see and understand the supernatural, fear becomes something of the past.

A hardened heart is always a voluntary act of the mind/will. When you make a decision about something, soon your thought processes, which is directed by your mind/will, will direct your emotions, by using your intellect to help align your emotions to a place where it will support the decision your mind has made. So if you take a stance against God, you will use your intellect to only entertain thoughts that will sustain emotions that will justify your decision. You end up having a one sided view and prejudice against everything God is.

You will find that they will often use and attack the church as a reason to justify their feelings. Their view of God and the church can border on blasphemy, blaming religion and their experiences with religion for it. They will use real or suppose sins by religious people to back up their claims. They will often speak half-truths, without ever making an effort to find out about a subject. Often they have persuaded themselves that their believes are the full truth. It is impossible to discuss anything with such a person, because he refuses to look at the other side of the coin.

They often are ashamed of God and will not openly confess Christ. Pride plays such a big role in such a person maintaining their stance, especially in the presence of family and friends. The only time they might open up is when you speak to them alone. They will not confess to having any feelings re religion in the presence of others, not even in front of someone who really cares about them.

They often are too proud to confess to a wrong and make restitution and therefore will stubbornly refuse to acknowledge anything before God or man. They know if they confess, they will also have to make restitution. They point blank refuse to repent, because that will mean God’s will and not their will anymore.

They often become angry when spoken to about this. They will often in an attempt to strengthen their stance, indulge more in a particular sin.” Cutting of their noses, to spite their faces.” They would rather walk around without a nose, than confess and repent.

They will often follow the crowd when it comes to God. Unbelief is their greatest crime.

They often do not have any confidence in any man. Very often it is because they themselves deserve no confidence of anybody. When someone is trustworthy and good hearted, they will often see only the good in others and not be suspicious of the motives of others. The same goes for people who don’t trust others. They often have a wicked heart. They judge others according to their own standards.

They often are very selfish, only thinking of what they want. They will often not care how their actions affect others and will always justify their actions. They resist any kind of authority. They do not allow moral values to dictate their lives, because that will go against their self-will.

Many have just put of the decision re God for so long that it has become a way of life. They have gotten stuck in a comfort zone and it is too much effort to do anything that will take them out of that comfort zone. They often think that God will wait for them. It is the same as saying to God “I know the claim is just, but I cannot/ will not pay it.”

There is often a sense of guilt involved, because deep down they know they are wrong. They know that refusing to obey God and then to justify it as well is a direct and serious insult to God. Not only do they resist God, but they pour contempt over His offers of mercy. They will do everything in their power to justify rejecting God’s mercy.

The real guilt lies in the violation of such a person’s moral obligation to love God and thy neighbour; in their refusal to see the good of God and the universe.

If you continue to harden your heart, you run the risk of never getting to know God, never finding salvation. You accept and choose eternal death. God said He will give you so much time and then you will be delivered to His wrath. He will harden your heart even more, making it impossible for you to turn around and find salvation. I never want to be in a position where God has hardened His heart for me. It is too terrible a thought to even contemplate. Only if you really don’t know and understand the power of God, can you make the decision to put yourself in that position. Only pride and selfishness can make you think you can go up against the Creator of all and win the fight. If you are not for God, you are against Him and then you are fighting a losing battle. God already overcame satan and only a person that has truly lost their senses can willingly choose to take up the spiritual battle, fighting on the side of him who has already lost.

The question is?

Are pride and your self-will really worth eternal death? Most people with hardened hearts have met God, they have no excuse and God will also see it that way. In the end you only spite yourself. If you cannot picture spiritual death, go put your hand inside the flames of a fire and keep it there for 1 minute. Then ask yourself the question: What if I am wrong about the power, authority and punishment of God?