7 Consequences of Man Hardening His Heart Toward God
5. Daily decisions are made without turning to God's Word for guidance.
Whenever man hardens his heart toward God, he mistakenly assumes that he can trust his own understanding. Rather than turning to God's Word for insight, man charges ahead under the impression that he is capable of charting a successful course for his life. Such blindness is the default position of man's soul, and only the grace of God and the truth of Scripture can open man's eyes to see his dilemma. God's Word leads man to discern the waywardness of human reason, as well as the beauty of divine inspiration.
6. You have no hunger or thirst for spiritual food and drink.
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A closed heart to God always leaves a person without any hunger for "the bread of life" (John 6:35) or any thirst for God's "living water." (John 4:10)
The Psalmist had the opposite experience: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm 42:1)
And the prophet Jeremiah experienced this hunger and thirst centuries ago: "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight." (Jeremiah 15:16)
This phenomenon is still being experienced by millions of God's children today.
7. Your life is void of godly wisdom.
No one is born with godly wisdom. This is one reason Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John 3:7)
The new birth brings with it an impartation of godly wisdom. St. John wrote, "The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit, just as it has taught you, remain in Him." (1 John 2:27)
An open heart toward Christ is the path to godly wisdom. And the opposite of an open heart is a hard heart.
If you are experiencing any or all of these 7 consequences of a hard heart toward God, there is only one remedy. "Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:8)
As the Lord told His people through the prophet Ezekiel, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you .... I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:26)
And it all begins when you repent of your sin and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. (Romans 10:13)
So do you have the heart for it? If so, go ahead and take the Lord up on His offer. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelation 22:17)
