Do you have a hardened heart? A hardened heart according to definition is insensitive, showing no kindness or sympathy for others. However, the spiritual hardness of the heart can take on other forms apart from having no sympathy. For example, Jesus was trying to teach the apostles about the the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod but the apostles did not understand him. Mark 8:17,18 "And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?" So having an hardened heart can keep you from understanding, seeing and hearing clearly, and even remembering, biblical teachings and instruction. This was stressed in Matthew 13:15 "For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed...." Mark 6:52 "for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."
The apostles hearts were not unsympathetic to others but they were insensitive or not aware of what Jesus Christ was trying to teach them. Their hearts were like, they were to hard for any understanding to get through. Even so, Jesus Christ was patient with them and took time to explain his teachings to them. Jesus Christ wanted his disciples to become more spiritually minded than just looking at the surface of things.
I also have some difficulty in understanding some of the teachings of Jesus Christ. It takes many hours of research and study for me to comprehend them. Perhaps, my heart is also a little bit hardened. Jesus Christ talks about a helper that he will send to us to help us to understand and remember his teachings. John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to you remembrance all that I have said to you." At times when I was studying God's word, the verses of the Bible became very clear to me. I believe this was caused by God's Holy Spirit helping me to understand.
The Holy Spirit plays a big part in our own personal understanding of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12 "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." 2 Timothy 2:7 "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything." These verses show us where true understanding comes from, from God's Holy Spirit.
Ephesians tells us that a hardened heart can darkened our understanding. Ephesians 4:18 "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of their heart." A hardened heart can separate us from God making us think that our way is the best way. Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." If we follow the course of our hardened heart it will only lead us to death and not to eternal life with our Lord. We have to trust in the Lord and soften our hearts so to let the Holy Spirit in to guide us. Ezekiel 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh."
(ESV)
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