The heart is an amazing organ. It continuously pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout our bodies to sustain life. This fist-size powerhouse beats 100,000 times per day and moves more than 7,500 liters of blood per day. The spiritual heart is an amazing piece of work as well. It can be soft to the touch of God, and it can also be rock-hard to His voice.
The Bible gives at least four symptoms of a hard heart:
• When a person strongly counters an action that God desires. God desired freedom for His people, but Pharaoh kept them in bondage in Egypt. No less than 10 times does the Bible say that Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let God’s people go (Exodus 7:13,22, 8:19).
• When a person has a critical attitude toward God and His work. In Exodus 17:1-7, God’s people complained to, and argued against, God and His leadership. They did not trust that the God who freed them was the same God who would feed them.
• When people are uncaring toward other people (Deut. 15:7-8). James (2:15-16) and John (1 John 3:17) reminded their audiences that real faith looks outward to see and meet the practical needs of others.
• When there is a lack of understanding of God’s work in the world. Instead of the religious leaders rejoicing over God’s work through Jesus when He healed the man with the deformed hand, they criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6).
If you know someone with a hard heart, pray that God will come in and replace that person’s misguided ways with His grace. Pray also that God will continue to soften your own heart. He can take a hard heart and make it warm and open to His life-bringing wisdom.
More:
• Psalm 51:7
• Ezekiel 11:19
Next:
What symptom of a hard heart are you experiencing right now? What do you need to do to allow God to soften your heart?
joyful on July 19, 2009 at 10:43 pm
i do believe that there is time when we wanted to go according to our ways. A year back i was angry with the lord because i disliked his plan of separating me with my bf. I told myself that Lord is going to ruin my life during those time. I felt the painess and suffered almost everyday because that was my first time having a bf. I began to go according to my way and grow up to be very stubborn. Later i joined a camp organised by international fellowship of evangelical students and began my process of healing. I noticed that God is alway with me no matter what happen. It’s my heart that turned out to be hard and i was blindfolded by it. I prayed that i will try my best to trust god perfect plan because he die for me and save me.
elisau on August 7, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Taking care of your spiritual heart is one the most important aspects of being a Christian. God desires to have a relationship with us. He cares about every aspect of our lives and wants to share His love with us. If our heart is closed or hard then we cannot maintain right standing with God. Last week, I got hurtful e-mails from 2 relatives where they were attacking my “wrong” political viewpoints, and I knew that I had to make the choice to forgive them if I wanted to stay in fellowship with God. (They don’t know the Lord and can’t be expected to act like Christians.) We as Christians should do our best to live by the standards set by Jesus Christ.
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.