Nothing is more dangerous in our lives than a hard heart toward the will of God. When we harden our hearts, we look down and away from what the Lord wants to do. But what causes a person’s heart to become hard? Our sin causes our hearts to grow hard, especially when we let unrepentant sin grow. The Lord gives us a way to soften our hearts. 1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.[1]
If the Lord calls you today to repent of your sins, don’t wait another minute. When we confess our sins, the Lord lifts the burden of sin off us and softens our hearts. If we fail to confess our sins when the Lord prompts us, we begin to numb our conscience, making it difficult to know right from wrong. If we continue down the wrong road, there will come a time when our conscience is so dull that we no longer hear God’s voice calling us to turn from our sins.
Pride Hardens Our Heart
God sent Stephen into the lives of men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves to tell them about the Good News of Jesus, but they would not listen. Pride can often keep us from hearing the truth even when plainly presented. As these men confronted Stephen, He boldly confronted them with the truth that revealed their hearts. Acts 7:51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you![2]
As Stephen spoke the truth, they began to resist the work of the Holy Spirit even more. Acts 7:52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.[3]
Have you ever been confronted with a truth that was hard to understand? We all have blind spots and can choose to humble ourselves and ask forgiveness or refuse to listen. Finally, their actions showed the condition of their hearts. Acts 7:54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.[4]
The Remedy For a Hardened Heart
All of us can fall into the trap of a hardened heart, so what should we do? First, we must realize that we are sinful people who need God’s forgiveness. There is no heart the Lord can’t soften when we recognize our sins, repent, and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness.
I remember a young lady who always had a stern look on her face until she placed her faith in Jesus. God softened her heart and her appearance. When we let Jesus into our hearts, He begins to restore and transform us into a new person who can now hear and respond to God’s voice. What an amazing God we have.
To learn more about a hard heart, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/stephen
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.