Don’t Harden Your Heart

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers tested me, tried me,
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation
and said, “They always go astray in their hearts,
Hebrews 3:7-11 (ESV)

Don’t Harden Your Heart – Keep Your Heart Soft

A soft, open heart is something you don’t even see in most children in the United States these days. It seems that as a culture, our hearts grow hard with ease.

However, Christians are not called to mimic the culture but to be different. We should be characterized by soft hearts, open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and compassionate toward others.

Hardening of the Heart can Sneak in and Dirty up your Heart

Without wanting it to, a hardening can edge in, building up dirt and dust in the corners of our hearts. It is important to diligently guard against this. Cleaning out this tendency as soon as it starts.

Mark 8:17-19
Aware of this, he said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you understand or comprehend? Do you have hardened hearts? Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?”
“Twelve,” they told him.

When our hearts harden, we no longer recognize the amazing power and character of our Savior.

Signs of a Hardened Heart

Then, how do we recognize when our hearts start to harden? What are the signs of a hardened heart?

Hardened Hearts are not as affectionate

“We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. I speak as to my children; as a proper response, open your heart to us.” 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (ESV)

When your heart is open wide, you do not withhold affection from others. If you notice yourself losing compassion and affection for others, it is time to do a heart check!

Hardened Hearts don’t listen to the Word of God

“But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he would not listen to them [Moses and Aaron], as the Lord had said. Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn’t take even this to heart.” Exodus 7:22-23 (ESV)

Next, when you have a hardened heart, you no longer listen to what God is saying to you, through His Word, in prayer, and especially, through others.

Hardened Hearts sin

“Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:12 (ESV)

With hardened hearts, sin multiplies. When the heart hardens and grows cold, we fall into sin easily.

Hardened Heart mock the church

“For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 (ESV)

When your heart is hard, you mock and persecute the church, like Paul before his conversion. If you find yourself ridiculing the church, you might need a heart check. It is not too late to turn it around! Paul was murdering Christians and was transformed into a Christ-follower who drew countless people to the Savior and wrote much of the New Testament.

Hardened Hearts are self-seeking and spiritually listless

“Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.” Ephesians 4:17-19 (ESV)

Futile thoughts, darkened understanding, spiritually lifeless, callous, giving into selfish desires,and impure ways are signs of a hardened heart. If you are feeling far from God, apathetic spiritually, or insistent on your own way, it is time for a heart check.

Cultivating a Softened Heart

Consistent, diligent work cultivates a soft, open heart and prevents a hardened heart.

Action Step:

Take a moment and ask God to show you if your heart has started to grow hard. Right now is the time to ask forgiveness and clean out those problem areas. An open heart that is willing to recognize its own faults can stay soft and able to follow the leading of the Lord.

Keeping away from hardness of heart keeps a tidy heart.

To keep a tidy home this week, let’s focus on the bedroom. If you have been married more than five minutes, you may have realized that it can sometimes be easy to grow hard towards those to whom we are supposed to be closest.

As you tidy up and clean your bedroom, it is a good opportunity to do a heart check toward God and one towards your spouse. Think of things about your spouse that are deserving of praise. Thank God for them and rest in that gratitude. Gratitude softens the heart.

Though I don’t always achieve it, I like it when our bedroom is free from clutter and extra things. The way I accomplish this is by using storage containers that fit under the bed and by tidying up regularly so that junk does not build up on the surfaces.

Here are three tips to keeping a bedroom that is peaceful and clean:

1. Make your bed every morning right away.
2. Take 5 minutes each day to tidy up. (Put away laundry, remove items that belong elsewhere, empty trash cans)
3. Once a week, take 10-15 minutes and as quickly as possible dust the surfaces and vacuum or sweep the floors.

Prayer:

Dear God, even when it is uncomfortable, thank you for giving us the chance to correct wrong patterns in our hearts and in our thinking. Help us to see the areas of our hearts that are hardening and soften our hearts toward You and others. Help our hearts and homes to become a dwelling place for Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Click here to catch up on all the posts in the Keep Your Heart devotional series!

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