A HARDENED HEART CAUSES UNBELIEF, MISUNDERSTANDING AND WORSE

A HARDENED HEART causes unbelief, misunderstanding AND WORSE

Mark 6:45-52 NKJV

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened {#4456}

When I did a study on the Greek word "hardened" the Lord revealed some of the conditions that cause a hardened heart.

NT:4456 HARDENED

poroo (po-ro'-o); apparently from poros (a kind of stone); to petrify, i.e. (figuratively) to indurate (render stupid or callous):

KJV - blind, harden.

CALLOUS: Synonyms for the word callous are: to cauterize, be thick skinned, hardened, insensitive, deadened feelings, indifference to suffering, cold blooded, emotionally hardened.

When I read the word cauterize, immediately the following scripture came to mind:

1 Tim 4:2 NKJV

...having their own conscience seared with a hot iron..

When we cauterize something, it is burnt and when the pain of the burn heals, it causes a thick skinned scar. Scars are insensitive parts of our skin where the nerves are deadened to feel no pain.

PETRIFY: Synonyms for the word petrify are to: deaden, fossilize, stiffen, rigidify. To be so rigid means to be inflexible and unable to move or change.

When I read the word petrify, it reminded me of this scripture:

Gen 19:26 NKJV

But his (Lot's) wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot's wife was literally burned by fiery sulfur raining from the sky. To this day, there are salt statues in the region. Jesus warned us about Lot's wife.

Luke 17:28-34 NLT

"And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

SCRIPTURES USING THE GREEK WORD #4456 HARDENED

When we look at the same Greek word used in other scriptures, we see that a hardened heart causes the following conditions:

Can not understand what God does or says
Can not perceive what God does or says
Not able to see what God does
Not able to hear what says
Not able to remember what God does or says
Made indifferent to what God does or says
Not able to repent and come back to God

Mark 6:52 NKJV

For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. {#4456}

Mark 8:17-19 NKJV

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? {#4456} 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

John 12:40 AMP

He has blinded their eyes and hardened and benumbed their [callous, degenerated] hearts {#4456} [He has made their minds dull], to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and minds and repenting and turning to Me to heal them.

Rom 11:7-8 AMP

What then [shall we conclude]? Israel failed to obtain what it sought [God's favor by obedience to the Law]. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent {#4456} (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it). 8 As it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, [that has continued] down to this very day. [Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10.]

2 Corinthians 3:14 KJV

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

WORD TO PONDER: THOSE WHO SEAR THEIR CONSCIENCE 6/09/11

Those who burn their conscience by rejecting its conviction and continuing in sin, develop hardened hearts that are insensitive and no longer able to feel My heart. They desire to shut Me out of their lives and harden themselves against My knocking. Through many thickened veils seared over their hearts, they become petrified in unbelief and unable to change or move.

Layers of unbelief are shrouded in blindness, deafness, misunderstanding and imperceptions. Having shunned and not heeded My Word, they do not remember My Word or works. They miss their day of visitation because they are no longer able to respond to My nearness.

When the fruits of a harden heart culminate, a person is given over to My judgment of being unable to repent. Beloved intercessors cry out for those who have hardened hearts! Loose them into repentance with tears and godly sorrow.

John 12:40 AMP

He has blinded their eyes and hardened and benumbed their [callous, degenerated] hearts [He has made their minds dull], to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and minds and repenting and turning to Me to heal them.

2 Cor 7:10 AMP

For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].

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WORD TO PONDER: CONSCIENCE 1991

Keep your conscience void of offense. I placed it within you to be your barometer, your sounding board of My approval or disapproval. Nurture your conscience, and do not grieve it. For in grieving it, in order to cover the pain, you will eventually numb its ability to discern for you, and you will lose this precious gift. You numb your conscience by continual rationalizations. Listen to your thoughts. Inside you wrestle with them over and over again, constantly defending yourself. Listen to how your thoughts compromise the issues. Be wary of this, for your conscience is a very tender gift. If you are faithful and follow My inner nudging, you will be given greater and greater responsibilities and thus rewards.

“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.” (Acts 24:16)

“They demonstrate that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.” (Rom 2:15 NLT)