THOT [THE HOUR OF TRUTH] 411, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT GOD THINKS ABOUT YOU? Here is another “THOUGHT PROVOKING” message on the subject of “A HARD HEART.” Sometimes we are not aware of our condition until it is pointed out. READ WITH AN OPEN MIND! God bless you! It is something to think about! Part 1 of 2 Hardness of I used to think people with hard hearts were God-haters or, at the least, people in rebellion to Him. That’s what I used to think until the day the Lord told me I had a hard heart. While on a flight to a meeting, I was reading about the story of Jesus walking to His disciples on the water, recorded in Mark 6:45-52, 45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. They were in a terrible storm. After nine hours they were still only halfway across the Sea of Galilee, normally a two-hour trip. They were in trouble and fighting for their lives. Yet here came Jesus walking on top of the very thing that was trying to kill them. He was totally in control. This impacted me so much that I put my Bible down and just stared out the window. A solid layer of clouds was beneath the plane. In my imagination, I thought about what it would be like to see Jesus walking on the clouds. That’s not any more impossible than Jesus walking on the water! I was just awestruck as I considered this. I continued reading in Mark 6:51 and saw that the disciples had a similar reaction. The latter part of that scripture says, “They were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” That’s exactly the way I felt. I thought to myself that anyone who really thought about the magnitude of this miracle should feel the same way. They should be shocked and amazed at the miraculous power of God. Then I read the next verse: “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:52). It was just like someone slapped me in the face. For the first time, I REALIZED THAT BEING SHOCKED, AMAZED, OR SURPRISED AT A MIRACLE WAS AN INDICATION OF A HARD HEART. WOW! Or another way of saying it is, relating to the natural more than the supernatural is an indication of a hard heart. By that definition, my heart was hard. This set me on a three-and-a-half-year journey seeking the Lord. I wanted to know what a hard heart really was, what caused it, and how to cure it. This has turned out to be one of the most important things the Lord has ever shown me. The dictionary defines hardened as cold, insensitive, unfeeling, and unyielding. IF YOU’RE HONEST WITH YOURSELF, you’ll have to agree that there are certain areas of your life where you have a hard heart toward God. God made us so that we can harden our hearts and literally shut out unwanted influences. It was meant to be a positive thing, but because we haven’t understood this, what God meant for good has actually worked against us. One of the best examples of hardheartedness is found in the book of Exodus. Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel leave the land of Egypt as God had commanded. Fifteen times in Exodus, the Scriptures mention Pharaoh’s heart being hardened. This is the only explanation to Pharaoh’s persistence in resisting God, when it was so evident he was no match for Him. A hardened heart dulls a person’s ability to perceive and understand. IT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SPIRITUAL RETARDATION. In Mark 8:17, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the characteristics of a hard heart: “And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?” (Mark 8:17-18). In these verses, Jesus gave us symptoms that are descriptive of a hard heart: (1) Unable to perceive. (2) Unable to understand. (3) Unable to see. (4) Unable to hear. (5) Unable to remember. These are all speaking of inabilities in the spiritual realm. A hard heart is characterized by an inability to perceive spiritually. And when spiritual things are perceived, a hard heart will keep a person from understanding the few things they can perceive. They might see what the Lord is trying to show them, but they can’t get a hold of it in a way that they can apply it to their life. When people are hardhearted toward God, it’s like they are spiritually blind and deaf—they just can’t see spiritual truth or hear the Lord speak to them. And they can’t remember. Not remembering is a major indication of the condition of their hearts. People often tell me that they just don’t have the ability to remember Scripture the way I do. They imply that I must have a photographic memory. But these same people can tell me who won the Super Bowl last year or last decade, the Major League batting averages of all the famous baseball players, or the names of all the actors in a movie. I’ve watched Super Bowl games, but I don’t remember the details. It’s not because my mind doesn’t work; it’s just a matter of the heart. I remember Scripture because that’s where my heart is. I don’t remember sports or entertainment trivia, because my heart isn’t into that. IT’S ALL A MATTER OF THE HEART. Don’t miss the second half in Friday’s issue. Think about it. God bless you and yours. Bill, the man who Jesus loves! “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11. 3/13/2014.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:27:46 +0000
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