By Marianne Mauti
The Hardened Heart
Several years ago I was ministering to a family member who had a severe heart condition. I remember the day he shared with me what the doctor told him about his condition. A series of infections had entered his blood stream and spread to his heart, causing it to harden. Pumping blood through it was getting more and more difficult and his condition was worsening. Even with antibiotics, the Dr. explained that as the heart continued to harden over time, it would only be a matter of time before his heart would eventually stop. It was just a few weeks later when another infection occurred that did indeed cause it to stop beating and sadly he passed away. During this experience God began to show me a spiritual truth. As the physical hardening of the heart is a death sentence to the human body, the hardening of the spiritual heart of a man is also a death sentence. When we allow a spiritual virus to enter our bloodstream and infect our heart it will certainly begin to harden. If left alone, the infection will continue the process until our once soft and pliable heart becomes so hard toward God that we can no longer hear His voice drawing us to repentance.
Over time Our heart will eventually get to the place where God's spiritual life-sustaining pump is unable to sustain it. In a way only God could illustrate, the physical life of the human heart and the spiritual condition of the "inner man" follow a similar path. If we ignore the warning signs and fail to act in time, in both instances, it can and will eventually lead to the destruction of both.
In the beginning, the detrimental effect it is having on our life may not be obvious, but eventually small signals will begin to appear indicating that something just isn't right. Physically and spiritually we become lethargic, we feel discomfort and painful distress (spiritually becoming uncomfortable with God, his word, church, christian friends ). Spiritually, this progression happens slowly over time. A little transgression here and a little spiritual neglect there, until you find yourself in a critical spiritual condition. Our once soft , pliable heart becomes thick and hard, effecting everything in our life. If there is no spiritual reversal, God's life giving stream of truth stops flowing, eventually resulting in a heart that no longer beats for God!
The Spiritual Source
"7 So as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear His voice, 8 do not "harden your heart", as in the (rebellion) provocation, in that day of temptation in the wilderness." 9 "Where your fathers tested me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, " Their hearts were always going astray, and they have not known my ways 11 So I declared an oath in my anger, 'they shall never enter my rest 12 see to it BROTHERS (speaking to believers), that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:7-12
The HOLY SPIRIT is saying, IF YOU CAN STILL HEAR MY VOICE! What an alarming statement to make to the believers he is addressing (vs 12: brothers in the faith)! This clearly reveals 4 things:
- That this condition is so serious that He will continually try and warn you of the danger you are in!
- If you do not listen to God's warning , hardening will make it impossible to hear God at all!
- If you can hear His voice there is still hope for change.
- If you can't He is helpless to intervene on your behalf!
The original Greek word used in Hebrews for the word, HARDEN, is (skieruno) and it means: to become stubborn, tough, severe, calloused. God tries to emphasize the severity of the heart whose condition is, stubborn, calloused and toughening, by reminding them (vs. 9-12),of what happened to the Children of Israel. God clearly wants them to understand that the source of all spiritual disease is a rebellious spirit, that always results in separation from Him!
The Spiritual Pattern
In the time of Israel's temptation, they chose to go against Gods commands. As a result, they began to drift away from God and His ways. In Hebrews chapter 3, the author of Hebrews goes on to lament that they did it over and over again, even though He still cared and provided for them for 40 years.
The Spiritual Pattern
In the time of Israel's temptation, they chose to go against Gods commands. As a result, they began to drift away from God and His ways. In Hebrews chapter 3, the author of Hebrews goes on to lament that they did it over and over again, even though He still cared and provided for them for 40 years.
God delivered them from Egypt, through miraculous divine plagues, provided food and shelter, they saw the Red Sea opened before, crossed over on to dry land and then watched their enemy destroyed, and even as they trudged around the desert for forty years (as a result of their disobedience) the Lord still took care of them. In spite of all that God had done for them they complained about Moses and Aaron, but mostly against God. God was to blame! Even when He brought them out of the wilderness they said, “If only we had died in the wilderness.” “Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword?” then they said had the arrogance to say, “It would have been better to never leave Egypt.”
The 'process' or 'hardening', begins with temptation, that leads to disobedience, that evolves into complaining, that causes us to question, that then forms itself into disagreement, that ultimately ends in unbelief!
Hebrews clearly reveals that no matter what God does and continues to try and do for us, if we are given over to a rebellious infection and we choose not to hear His voice , our heart will become hard and it will end in unbelief. Simply put, we no longer believe that God is who He says He is or will do what He said He will do in our lives! To live in this state, is to be at continual odds with God, separated from him, unable to enter into His earthly rest. This, without question, is the worst and most life altering consequence of a deeply hardened heart!
The Consequences
The onset of a diseased spiritual heart condition will eventually produce telltale symptoms such as spiritual apathy, lack of interest in prayer, a deepening spirit of distrust, fault-finding, complaining, murmuring, lack of worship, disinterest in God's Word, a lack of commitment to Church, and a greater interest in secular pursuits or their former lifestyle. One of the greatest dangers of a hardening heart, is that it can be masked with plausible excuses for quite a while. We can become very good at hiding what is truly in our heart! It isn't until some major confrontation or lifestyle change occurs, that what is truly in the heart is revealed! A diseased, hardening heart develops an outward attitude, that leads to harmful consequences, that ALWAYS have a rippling effect! The consequences of a hardening heart are serious, they touch every area of our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical well being!
While the forgiveness of God is always available, it gradually stops being sought after. That eventually results in a conscious choice to walk away from the protection and provision of God and take complete control of every area of our life. Some how we deceive ourselves into believing we are smarter than God and no longer require His input in our lives. When we stop seeking God's guidance or direction, the consequences of living outside of the peace and comfort of God's spirit soon become very apparent.
Things may seem fine at first, we may even convince ourselves we feel liberated. But outside of the will of God, we are defenseless against deception and vulnerable to temptation. The Bible has this to say about the consequences of a once tender heart now turned from God : "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the….Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his own vomit' and the 'sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire" (2 Peter 2:20-22; Pro. 26:11).
Peter tells us that to know (experience) the way of righteousness and then choose to become entangled in your former life's destructive behavior, is so awful and will be so much worse, that it would have been better for you to remain in the ignorance of your sinful condition,rather than having turned from it only to go back! The Bible likens this state of depravity to that of a dog who returns to it's own vomit and is wallowing (to indulge in an unrestrained way) in it's mire (mire is defined as a situation or state of difficulty, distress, or embarrassment from which it is hard to extricate oneself)! That is quite a powerful warning!
The Spiritual Journey
The process of HARDENING begins when a spiritual disease (sin) begins to flow through the spiritual body (mind, soul) and flows into the heart of the believer. Eventually it corrupts the system of spiritual communication and the spiritual warning signals are ignored. Soon the spiritual signals become visible, a lethargic response to God's voice, discomfort with the people of God and the pain of broken relationships and lives. Instead of allowing God to show us the problem, we close to allow the infection to grow until it manifests itself itself in our attitude and actions.
The spirit filled life in Christ is a journey and when we make mistakes and wrong choices along the way, if we desire to maintain a soft and pliable heart before God, we will hear l listen to God's voice bringing direction and correction. As a result, no spiritual hardening can begin to set in and God's life giving blood will continue to flow through our spiritual being. There is no limit to the mercy and forgiveness of God! We are all a work in progress! He promises us that He will be faithful to complete that work in us if we allow Him access to our heart .
The process of HARDENING begins when a spiritual disease (sin) begins to flow through the spiritual body (mind, soul) and flows into the heart of the believer. Eventually it corrupts the system of spiritual communication and the spiritual warning signals are ignored. Soon the spiritual signals become visible, a lethargic response to God's voice, discomfort with the people of God and the pain of broken relationships and lives. Instead of allowing God to show us the problem, we close to allow the infection to grow until it manifests itself itself in our attitude and actions. If left unchecked, the result on our spiritual well being will always be the same. A hardening spiritual heart condition weakens our entire spiritual health that leads us back to the destructive pattern and behavior that were a part of our life before Christ.
Conclusion
Every one of us will face situations and circumstances that challenge us! We either choose to reflect on the goodness of God in our life and His ability to guide and direct us in the right way, or we choose to expose our heart to a rebellious infection, ready to harden our spiritual heart and destroy our relationship with God! The choice is ours! If we are smart we will heed the Holy Spirit's warning: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!
One Final Note
Today's article is about the choices that lead to destructive behavior and are designed to separate you from God's love, power, protection and will for your life. This battle has been going on since the fall of man and it will destroy the quality of your life, render you spiritually impotent, ineffective, incapable, and at spiritual odds with God. God is the only one who can truly give you an abundant life, filled with grace, peace, happiness and rest.
One Final Note
Today's article is about the choices that lead to destructive behavior and are designed to separate you from God's love, power, protection and will for your life. This battle has been going on since the fall of man and it will destroy the quality of your life, render you spiritually impotent, ineffective, incapable, and at spiritual odds with God. God is the only one who can truly give you an abundant life, filled with grace, peace, happiness and rest.
Next in this series Part 4: A Heart of Repentance
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FORGING YOUR FAITH
To 'Forge' something, is to mold and shape something for suitable use. We believe that our lives are constantly being shaped and molded by the hand of God for His divine purpose! This publication strives to encourage believers who are beginning this process and those who are well into it! We also believe a truly successful life is a Christ-Centered Life! We hope you will join us and become a regular reader!
Thank You and God Bless,
Marianne Mauti
Founder and CAO
'Forging Your Faith' is the online Christian publication of 'Christ the King Church' in Bellevue, Pa.
About Marianne Mauti: Marianne is a writer and blogger as well as a Pastor at "Christ the King Church" in Bellevue, Pa. She is currently the Dean and Chief Operating Officer of "Christ the King Seminary" a full time Bible Institute. For more information about us please contact us at: crowncntr@aol.com
About Marianne Mauti: Marianne is a writer and blogger as well as a Pastor at "Christ the King Church" in Bellevue, Pa. She is currently the Dean and Chief Operating Officer of "Christ the King Seminary" a full time Bible Institute. For more information about us please contact us at: crowncntr@aol.com ***********************************************************
ARTICLE RESOURCES
ARTICLE RESOURCES
* The Bible
*Dr. George R. Beninate: Is Bishop of "Christ the King Church" in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A Doctor of Theology, Biblical Apologist, conference speaker, lecturer and my spiritual father.He is also the Author of several books including,"The Age of Glory", Thank you for your relentless pursuit of truth!
