How To Recognize A Hard Heart

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Hebrews 3:12-13

This world we live in can makes us hard. Every time we turn on the news, we see things that bring us down. There are murders, abuse of all kinds, deceit, political parties fighting with each other instead of working together, prejudice, and the list goes on. When we are filling our minds with this we can become pessimistic, unforgiving, impatient, complaining worriers.

The Israelites hardened their hearts during their time in the desert. Hebrews 3:7-11 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.” The author of Hebrews quotes this straight from Psalm 95 which is an invitation to worship God. The Jews are being reminded of their hardened hearts so they can prevent that from happening again. Here are some verses that show how the Israelites’ hearts grew hard.

Exodus 17:7 - They questioned if the Lord was with them or not.

Number 13:26-33 - They doubted how God could rescue them.

Numbers 14:1-4, 26-35 - They grumbled to the point of not entering into the promised land.

The author of Hebrews is also warning us to not harden our hearts to the point of disbelief. Have you ever been in a situation where you questioned what God was doing in your life? Have you seen friends or family go through hard times and the thought passes through your mind, “God why are you allowing this to happen?” You don’t see how what God is doing or putting you through will turn out to be a good thing.

A hardened heart is not something that happens suddenly. It is a process of continually being so set in your way that you do not allow God to work in your life. You continually make choices that disregard God’s will. A hardened heart is like a hard lump of clay or hardened bread, it is useless and worthless. God will eventually toss a hardened heart to the side because it is useless and worthless to His kingdom.

Please understand what I’m saying here. God wants all of His children to be a part of His kingdom but we all have free will. We have a choice to believe in Jesus Christ, accept His will, and place our desires aside. God gives His children an open opportunity to confess their sins and turn to Him until our last dying breath.

So, how can we avoid developing a hard heart? Hebrews 3:11-12 gives us some ways to avoid this. We need to recognize sin as what it is. Sin is something that is the opposite of what God wants for us. Sin appears appealing and tempting through Satan’s schemes. If we know to be on the lookout for it and know what it looks like, then we will be prepared to flee from it. Living a life of sin creates a hardened heart because you get so bogged down with it that you feel like you are unforgivable. Another way these verses give is by encouraging each other. God puts certain people in our lives to help us through our struggles. Surround yourself with other Christians that can help you through encouragement, accountability, and wisdom. These relationships are gifts from God.

When you see how the world is only getting worse and time is passing by, remember our time has not even begun yet. Our promised eternity with Jesus is still in the works. One day, we will have the gift of rest with our Savior. What a beautiful day that will be! There will be no more news that brings us down, no more worry, no more deceit. We will live in the truth of Jesus Christ.

Digging Deeper:

Read Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3:7-19

Do you question God’s will for your life? How can you bring yourself back to accepting God’s will and living out that will?

Where in your life do you need rest? Can you trust God with those areas of your life?

Do you have someone that encourages and guides you back to Christ when you start to stumble?

Can you be that person for someone else?