Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship!

The subject of HARDNESS OF HEART is still in the spotlight and this week we want to focus even more on how this condition diminishes the POWER of the WORD. Keep in mind that in previous articles I have made the point that the WORD of God contains within itself the POWER to overcome tribulations and change circumstances. It's the POWER source. All you have to do is read it, meditate on it, agree with it, unite it with your FAITH and take action on it. The WORD takes care of the rest. In other words, the POWER to achieve success and victory in any endeavor is already present, and it's available to any Believer with the FAITH to trust and believe it. Indeed, this is precisely what this series is all about: THE WORD IS YOUR SOURCE OF POWER.

And so, the reason we're taking so much time on what Jesus called HARDNESS OF HEART is that it's a spiritual condition that can particularly reduce our ability to access our source of POWER. It's the same power source that created the universe in six days and resurrected Christ from the grave. With it we can move mountains (Mark 11:23) and get the VICTORY in every situation. The question for each of us is: do we want to be able to access the full POWER of God or continue on in our HARDNESS OF HEART? To help address this question, here are a few relevant comments to CONSIDER from previous articles:

1. According to Scripture, the subject was so important to Jesus that He REBUKED His handpicked disciples on more than one occasion for their HARDNESS OF HEART (Mark 8:17, 16:14 and Matthew 13:15). Now it's our turn to be His disciples and we have to deal with the same issue. Until we do, we won't be able to move on to become effective disciples.

2. HARDNESS OF HEART is specifically mentioned more than 15 times in just the New Testament including in the book of Hebrews, Chapters 3 and 4 that refer to it as an act that provoked God to anger against the Israelites. Under the New Covenant, He's not angry anymore because Jesus paid for what had been causing the anger. But since you love God and are grateful for what He's done for you, wouldn't you like to correct a condition about yourself He's not fond of even though it doesn't make Him angry anymore?

3. HARDNESS OF HEART impedes the Word of God from renewing our MINDS which is the NECESSARY process of TRANSFORMATION that every Believer must go through one way or another (Romans 12:2). If we're slow to respond to the leading and teaching of the WORD by the Holy Spirit, which is one of the things that happens when we're "suffering" from HARDNESS OF HEART, then we'll have to deal with our circumstances in our own power for a while before we eventually come to trust the WORD for its POWER.

4. HARDNESS OF HEART restricts the strengthening and growth of our FAITH because it springs in part from UNBELIEF (Hebrews 3:12, 19). Indeed, FAITH and UNBELIEF are opposites. The Israelites endured their circumstances in the wilderness in UNBELIEF (Hebrew 3:19, 4:6 in KJV) which the Holy Spirit called HARDNESS OF HEART (Hebrews 3:8). Because of their lack of FAITH (Hebrews 4:2) they had to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years and were not allowed to enter into the PROMISED LAND with Joshua.

How It Happens

Even though in previous articles we've looked at how HARDNESS OF HEART develops, it's helpful to consider it from as many angles as possible. Indeed, this is how we learn from Scripture: we look at a concept in a number of different ways, then we meditate on all those ways and CONSIDER them until we get the UNDERSTANDING. It's NOT possible to over-consider the Word of God because from CONSIDERING always comes deeper UNDERSTANDING. So, how then is it possible that a born again Christian with a totally redeemed, restored and renovated inner spirit-person, a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), how could such a TRUE Believer develop this particular spiritual condition the Bible calls HARDNESS OF HEART? And as we seek to answer this question, keep in mind several related points:

> All Believers suffer from some degree of HARDNESS OF HEART. The objective is to minimize it.

> In Scripture the Greek word translated HEART means a way of THINKING. So, this condition is

   MIND-related.

> Therefore, it is NOT spirit-related and in fact, it has NO impact on your perfected, born again spirit.

> HARDNESS OF HEART doesn't come from God but from our own controllable, correctable WAYS OF

   THINKING.

The condition known as HARDNESS OF HEART develops when our thoughts identify too much with things that DISAGREE with the Word. In other words, it's the result of improper THINKING. The more we THINK about such things the greater becomes our DULLNESS to spiritual things. If we agree with traditions instead of the WORD, or if we agree with the World's ways of doing things instead of doing them in agreement with the WORD, or if we worry about our problems and tribulations instead of focusing on the promises that God has articulated in the WORD, or if we continually CONSIDER things in the natural instead of the supernatural, or if we tend more to be flesh-led than Spirit-led, or if we lean more to unbelief than faith-life, or if we get angry at God and dwell on the things He hasn't done for us instead of focusing on being GRATEFUL for the good things He HAS done (and will SURELY do in the future), then we wind up with HARDNESS OF HEART to the things of God.

In sum, we'll become DULL to the things we fail to CONSIDER, HARDENED to the things we don't THINK about very much. Conversely, we become SOFTENED to the things we focus on the most. So, we have a choice to make: either we focus on the things of God so they can produce fruit in our lives, or focus on the World and the natural and anything else that disagrees with the Word and be led into fear and defeat. In other words, we are either SOFTENED or HARDENED to the things of God by what we choose to THINK about.

How It Works

People who manifest HARDNESS OF HEART are likely to experience most of the following consequences that work to impede our growth in the Kingdom of God. When you sense any of these things coming up in your life you need to figure out why they're manifesting now and why and where they're coming from. Following are some of the key characteristics so that by self-analysis you can stay on top of your condition and take appropriate action:             

> Lack of sensitivity to the things of God: we fail to take note of many, maybe even most of the things God is doing all around us on a constant basis. Many people even fail to notice answered prayer and forget to seek God before embarking on new ideas and activities. To overcome this, start looking around you for the works of God. They are everywhere!

> Limited to the five physical senses: we pursue life evaluating the events we encounter only by our natural, carnal senses (hear, see, feel, smell and taste). We fail to move into the supernatural and operate by FAITH relying on the Word of God instead of on our physical senses. To overcome this, focus on making everything in your life work through FAITH. Look for ways to use your FAITH.

> Flesh led instead of Spirit led: we tend to walk by the flesh instead of by the Spirit because we have confidence in the natural but are suspicious and insensitive to the supernatural where the Holy Spirit operates. The Bible says the sons of God are to be Spirit-led, however HARDNESS OF HEART interferes with that process keeping in mind that the flesh will ALWAYS lead us to destruction. Therefore, make it a habit to ask God what to do before you take action.

> Ingratitude: Believers with severe HARDNESS OF HEART will usually be UNGRATEFUL. They are ungrateful to God and they are ungrateful to their fellow human beings for the good in their lives. They tend to focus on the bad things in life instead of the good and wind up manifesting ingratitude. Often they believe they DESERVE something better from both God and other folks in recognition of their "suffering" even though none of us DESERVE anything from anybody and the very concept of deserving something is counter by definition to the blessing of GRACE. To overcome this, start focusing on being grateful for the goodness of God that has already shown up in your life.

> Inability to perceive spiritual things: to PERCEIVE something in the spiritual realm means to UNDERSTAND spiritual concepts and events in a way that's sufficient to change our lives. The disciples saw Jesus feed 4,000 people but failed to PERCEIVE with their spiritual senses that He was capable to providing for their needs as well (Mark 8:16-17). If you're having trouble UNDERSTANDING the WORD, you need to put more time in on it: more time, more study, and more meditation produces more UNDERSTANDING so that you can make your way more prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).

> Inability to remember the Word of God: one of the biggest problems caused by HARDNESS OF HEART is that it makes us forgetful of the WORD. And we know that if we forget the WORD after we hear it, the enemy is quick to come and steal it away (Mark 4:4, 15). Most people who attend their local church on Sunday have forgotten by Monday morning between 80 and 90 percent of what they heard. And most of it can't be recalled because it's been stolen. The remedy is to protect the Word you hear by writing it down, meditating over it and explaining what you've learned to some other person.

> Unbelief regarding the supernatural: when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm, they were "astonished" (Mark 6:51-52) even though they had just seen Him feed perhaps 15,000 people earlier that day (Mark 6:33-44). Virtually EVERYTHING God does is miraculous because it occurs beyond the natural, i.e. in the supernatural. We're "astonished" to see those things because we've been focusing on the natural too much instead of on the things of God. We should come to the point where it doesn't "astonish" us to see God use His power. It shouldn't surprise us when the goodness of God actually shows up in our lives. We should have been expecting it because the WORD says it was ALREADY on the way.

> Reading the Word of God fails to change us: some people read the Word every day, a certain number of pages or chapters but it doesn't penetrate. They're just reading, maybe even memorizing scriptures, but their lives aren't changed and they continue to walk in defeat. Millions of Christians have scarcely matured spiritually since the day they were born again simply because of the HARDNESS OF HEART they haven't dealt with yet. Memorizing Scripture can be helpful but without related meditation to acquire UNDERSTANDING it's a powerless exercise.

Some Concluding Thoughts

The ONLY remedy for overcoming these things is more UNDERSTANDING of the WORD OF GOD: more time, more meditation and stronger faith produce greater PERCEPTION of the things of God. By default you'll be spending less time thinking about all those other things that disagree with the WORD and you'll become HARDENED to them instead of spiritual things. This will be an ongoing pursuit for the rest of your life and it's a vital part of the RENEWAL process that every Christian is called to participate in. It's not easy but according to Scripture that's where the blessings are, that's where success is and that's where the abundant life is. It's all about changing your THINKING so that it comes to AGREE with the Word of God.

A lot of folks believe they can't control their THINKING. But that's a lie from the enemy. Does it make any sense that Jesus would have rebuked His disciples because of the way they were THINKING if it were NOT possible for them to change? The facts are that later they DID change. Certainly it was a process but they changed just as you and I can change by controlling our thoughts and focusing on the things that are profitable. It takes practice but every single Christian on the globe can do this. Simply make the WORD OF GOD your first priority and look forward to the change that is sure to come.

Thanks for joining our discussion tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on April 5. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), compelling you to PROSPER in every area of life!

Sinners' Prayer

If you've never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you need to and you can do it today just by saying out loud the following simple prayer:

Jesus I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.

If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.

And, when you get a chance have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer today and believing what you said:

Romans 10:9

2 Corinthians 5:17

Ephesians 2:8

Prayer Requests

If you have a Prayer Request, please connect to the Link below and follow the promptings. The PLN staff members pray over Prayer Requests every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM eastern time. Agree with us for God to answer your petition.

http://www.creditcounseling.net/prayer-request.aspx 

Donations

If you've been edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, you may want to consider making a SEED FAITH offering to support the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). God has instructed us to simply provide folks with an opportunity to sow seed into good ground so in due season you'll be eligible to reap a harvest and the rest is up to you as the Spirit leads. For your information PLN is a nonprofit gift to the Body of Christ so your financial offerings will usually be tax deductible (consult your tax advisor). Just go to the secure Shopping Cart on the Cornerstone web site by connecting through the following link. We appreciate your support and generosity.

http://www.creditcounseling.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1 

About Prosperous Life Newsletter

PLN is an outreach ministry of Make A Way Ministries and has been published continuously since January 1998. It's an e-publication about life in the Kingdom of God and is sent ONLY to our email list of MINISTRY MEMBERS. If you're reading this and aren't yet on our growing email list, please let us know and we'll be so very happy to add you to the list.

© Make a Way Ministries, Inc.

P.O. Box 1164

Granbury, Texas 76048