Is My Heart Hardened?

8/2/2019 Is My Heart Hardened?

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Word from The WORD

Is my heart hardened?

Great miracles are happening in my ministry. I amhaving a successful ministry. But still can my heartbe hardened? Yes!

The disciples of Jesus were part of two greatmiracles. But still,

The feeding of the four thousand Mark 8:17, 18And Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, Why doyou reason because you have no bread? Do you not

yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes,do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you notremember?

The feeding of the five thousand Mark 6:52 For they had not understoodabout the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

What happens when my heart is hardened?

I would lack the ability to perceive and understand Gods ways. Every dayand every moment of our life is filled with Gods doing within and withoutus. And God wants us to understand that which He is doing in and throughour life, so that we may learn His ways and also be thankful to Him. It alsohelps us to become mature Christians.

How to know whether my heart is hardened and how to avoid itshardening?

1. When I worship God only with my lips and not with my life

He answered and said to them, Well didIsaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it iswritten: This people honours Me with theirlips, but their heart is far from Me. And in

vain they worship Me. (Mark 7:6, 7)

I worship, sing songs to God, read the Bibleonly as a tradition. I do because I have beendoing it for many years! (Mark 7:3 observing) I am involved in all suchspiritual activities, but my thoughts are filled with something else. My lipsmove, but my heart is mute! I have become as a sounding brass or aclanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1)

I look very good clean outside (Mark 7:4,5) but my inside is stinking(Mark 7:14, 15, 21-23). I could even be a teacher or a preacher! (Mark 7:7)

Author: Mariyosh J [email protected] Word from The WORD
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2/5

Word from The WORD

How is the inside of me today? Is it filled with evil thoughts,adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,licentiousness, evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness?

We enjoy LIVE worship, but more than that we need to enjoy LIFE worship!

2. When I am not willing to help someone who is not in myaccepted list or whom I dont like

In Mark 7:24-30 we read of the incident where aSyrophoenician woman comes to Jesus seeking help. Jesus refuses to help her because it was the time forsalvation for the house of Israel and He had come forthem. I believe that this incident is recorded here for apurpose for us to learn an important principle. ThoughJesus is not willing to help her daughter, seeing her faith,He heals her daughter.

Am I willing to help those who are not related to me, who come to meseeking help? People who are not in my accepted circle because of theireducation, their family background, their failures, their behaviour, etc. If Iam in a position to help such and dont do so, then my heart is hardened!

3. When I am quick enough to speak and not open enough to listen

Mark 7:31-37 talks about Jesus healing a deaf mute. The bible says he was

deaf and had an impediment in his speech (Mark 7:32)

His deafness had caused that impediment in his speech. How is myspeech? How are my words?

- do they heal others or hurt others?

- do they encourage others or discourage others?

- do they build others or break others?

How do I react when people say something against me or that which I dontlike?

Quite recently I went to Hyderabad where I was put up in a guest house. Inthe bathroom in my room there was this cute little geyser. It was high theremounted on the wall.

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Word from The WORD

When I closely looked at it, one thing attracted my attention.

And I came to terms with a beautiful truth. As you see in the picture thereare two tubes, one is an in let for cold water and the other is an out letfor hot water. And there is a small valve in which it is written DO NOTDISTURB.

The bible says, What you say flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:45NLT)

Like the geyser until there is a proper supply of cold water and the machineworks well, there is no problem. But what happens when it is disturbed? Itmight send out only hot water which when used will burn the skin. How am Iwhen I am disturbed? Until no one disturbs me, I might seem good to all.But when someone says something against me or spreads false rumoursabout me, how do I react?

One another thing that I enjoyed seeing in this geyser was the auto cut-off.When the water reached the optimum heat, the power cuts offautomatically, avoiding overheating. Does my heart have an auto-

cut? Or if not, am I uncontrollable at such a situation?

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Word from The WORD

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs4:23)

And we also need to listen to God and listen to others, before we speak!Even as we are called to be transformed in the image and likeness of Christ,

let this Messianic prophecy be true in our lives too, The Lord God has givenMe the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word inseason to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, Heawakens My ear to hear as the learned. (Isaiah 50:4)

4. When I feel sorry for someone, but do nothing about it

I have compassion on the multitudes,because they have now been with Me threedays and have nothing to eat. And if I sendthem away hungry to their own houses, theywill faint on the way; for some of them havecome from afar. says Jesus in Mark 8:2,3.

The NLT translation says, I feel sorry forthese people and like Jesus many a times we too feel sorry for others. Butcompassion needs to couple with action. Because feeling sorry for others iseasy, but doing something to meet their need takes effort. Many a times wewould excuse ourselves saying I feel like doing something for him/her, butI do not have the resource. But when we really want to do something forothers and with faith and prayer, when we step out, God will provide the

resource.

Here we also see that which the disciples said, How can one satisfy thesepeople with bread here in the wilderness? (Mark 8:4) And Jesus askedthem, How many loaves do you have? (Mark 8:5)

The disciples look at the need and the means to meet it in a generalcontext, distancing themselves away from it How can one But Jesusmakes the context specific and personalises it How many.do you have Whenever we see a need, we got to ask this question, Whatcan I do about this?

When we give what we have, the Lord not only multiplies, people are alsofilled and there is overflowing abundance!

The next time when we look at our spouse, children, parents, grandparents,friends, neighbours, colleagues, students, teachers, milkman, postman,housemaid, etc., or at least when we know that they are in need lets askthis question What can I do for him/her? and find ways to help!

Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion (Psalm 95:8)

Spirit of the living God,Fall afresh on me.

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Word from The WORD

Spirit of the living God,Fall afresh on me.

Break me, melt me,Mould me, fill me,

Spirit of the living God,

Fall afresh on me.

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Is My Heart Hardened?

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