Watching out for hardening of the heart

Yesterday my devotional guide ended its review of Ephesians and I’m supposed to be in Philippians, but I cannot leave Ephesians. Chapters 4-6 are favorites and as I read, God gave me a command with a list of things to avoid . . .

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 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 heart. (Ephesians 4:17-18)

The command is to abandon my old life and not live as a person without faith. That happens to people who are ignorant of God because they have hard hearts. A hard heart can develop in Christians too, as when I refuse to listen to a repeated reminder or decide to be ‘tough’ about something painful. It can happen when I want something even if my heart says I should not, but I persist instead of running the other way.

A scan of 4-6:9 gives me some symptoms to watch for in case I’m letting my heart get hard.

Callous = losing the ability to feel shame.

Sensuality = indulging in sin without any restraint.

Greedy = desire to have more and more regardless of need.

Impurity = engaging in moral filth.

Deceitful desires = wanting something because I have believed a lie.

Falsehood = deviating from or perverting the truth.

Angry with sin and not dealing with it quickly.

Stealing rather than working = taking what is not mine rather than doing any necessary work.

Corrupt communication = unsound, useless, harmful words.

Grieve the Holy Spirit = make Him sad, a sorrow that I will feel also.

Bitterness = resenting someone.

Wrath and anger = intense anger that doesn’t last, or long-term anger that hangs on.

Clamor = screaming or shouting.

Slander = abusive words that harm the reputation of others.

Malice = hostility, wanting to harm others.

Sexual immorality and impurity = self-explanatory.

Covetousness = same as greedy.

Filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking = everything from witty jesting to speaking obscenities.

Speaking of things done in secret = akin to gossip about gross speech/behavior of others.

Foolish rather than understanding the will of the Lord = self-explanatory.

Drunkenness = excited by too much alcohol .

Lack of submission = refusing to let anyone have their way, including my husband or others in authority.

(Ephesians 4:19–6:9)

The point? If I start or indulge in any of the above, this indicates a hardening of my heart toward the commands of God and a beginning of acting like a person without faith, without Christ and without eternal life.

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Lord Jesus, this lists only the negatives yet there are also positives in this passage that each have opposites that I should guard against. For instance, You say to make wise use of my time. The opposite of that is squandering and wasting it with trivia and selfish pursuits. This also is hardness of heart that nurtures ignorance as well as giving me a poor testimony of Your incredible grace and mercy. You have delivered me from my old sinful life. What a tragedy to fall back into any of it — and the above list gives me a few things to confess and turn away from. Thank You for speaking so clearly!

Today’s thankful list . . .

Walking and talking with God about all the above.

Making a dent in a case of peaches.

A call to pray for a woman in need.

Tuna salad and cheese biscuits.

Sunny days and cool nights.

God is sovereign.

God forgives all my sin.

Some things are a mystery . . .

Yesterday was one of those ‘down days’ that hit me without any apparent reason. The best word, but not a nice word, is crappy. I sat on the sofa with the television on and fell asleep sitting up — for two hours! My stomach felt odd and all sorts of other things seemed odd. I was not sick yet had no energy at all. By supper, I felt better. We went out for fast food (a rare thing) then did a bit of shopping. I asked for eight hours of solid sleep and the Lord gave it to me. Weird and awful day that ended well.

This morning, I asked Him to give me what I need to hear. This is what I read:

“For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly. He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.” (Job 22:29–30)

The first part seems clear, but not the last part. When I read this in several other translations, it became clearer and even the first part surprised me. This is from the New Living Translation:

“If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them. Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure.” (Job 22:29–30, NLT)

Tozer points out that sometimes we really don’t know what God is doing with us. As I walk with Him, His light reveals to me my sinfulness but that same light reflects Jesus to those around me. This is a puzzle, and if true, Tozer is totally on the mark.

He writes that there is such a thing as the “secret workings of the Spirit” in the soul for a time unknown and unsuspected by the individual and that most of the fruits of the Spirit are unsuspected by the person in whom they are found. He adds that the most loving, patient, compassionate soul is unlikely to be aware of these graces. Others will discover and see the Holy Spirit long before he or she will. They will thank God for that sweet Christian even as the person who has it mourns the absence of the very graces that others know he or she possesses.

If nothing else, the events of yesterday illustrate the unpredictability of human life. I cannot figure out or explain the bad days, nor the good ones. In the same way, I cannot figure out or explain whether the Holy Spirit is using me for anything. These verses say that God hears and answers my cries when I pray for those in trouble. They also say that as I walk with the Lord, sinners will be rescued. I don’t rescue them, but when I walk with Jesus, my demeaner contributes to their salvation. This is no more explainable than my physical situation yesterday.

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Jesus, reflecting You when I don’t think I am also makes no sense. My conclusion is that faith is in that which is unseen. I don’t know everything and don’t need to know. I just need to trust the One who saved me. You are in charge of my life. I also need to stay on the path with You and trust that You will use me, whether I realize it or not.

Released from Ignorance

The self-help, self-image gurus say that no one should downgrade themselves by negative self-talk, such as, “Are you ever stupid” or “What a dummy you are.” In their philosophy, it is important to think well of myself if I want to have self-esteem.

I’ve done it that negative thing for years. When I goof up, I usually echo, “Stupid” or some other word or words to indicate that I just displayed my ignorance. But there is good news; this morning I realized the advice of the ‘self-image’ pushers is not biblical. Recognizing my ignorance is important!

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:14–16)

This week I had a dream about a problem that has plagued me for years. When I woke up, God impressed on my mind that this major struggle in my life was due to my ignorance. When He told me what I needed to know, It was a tearful revelation with sorrow for being so ‘stupid’ — along with tears of joy because I knew the battle was over.

Being ignorant about the motivations and behind sin is not smart. Once I know what drives me to think and do sinful ideas and actions, the victory over them becomes a sure thing. A favorite verse explains the best way to discover these motivations:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

The Bible is like a probing light into the dark places, the deepest thoughts and intentions that most people either do not want to admit, or do not realize their existence. The more I study the Word of God, the more I know about myself. Only pride would have me think that all those discoveries are going to be pretty.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

Thinking too highly of myself will make me blind to what is true, not just to the sinful stuff but also to any godly blessings and skills. Instead of being content with who I am, this blindness keeps me dissatisfied and always wanting something else.

Introspection can be a selfish occupation too, but if the Bible is doing the inspection, it is mentally and psychologically healthy. The Lord had a way of exposing sin and building righteousness at the same time. As I’ve said many times, He is the only one who can kick my butt and hug me all in one action! He did it this week and He keeps doing it as His Word gives what Tozer calls, “a forceful exhortation to holiness of life.”

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Jesus, You repeatedly show me that Your focus for my life is not happiness but holiness. You are more concerned with the state of my heart than the state of my feelings. Yet as You work on my heart, You give me the joy of being released from sin, darkness, selfishness and all sorts of fears and negative thinking. I am so thankful and so glad that You are my Lord and Savior, and that You use that wonderful, leather-bound book to set me free from both rebellion and ignorance.