Causes of a Hard Heart

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Several weeks ago I mentioned that my husband preached on the causes of a hard heart. My friend Barbara asked in the comments if I'd send her my notes, and I said I'd just post them here. Then I couldn't find them. Well, Monday morning I was clearing up the table beside my chair, and there they were! So I'll pass them on to you now. In a couple of days, I'll post the sermon he preached the Sunday morning after our revival on how to keep a soft heart.

Causes of a Hard Heart
I Corinthians 10:6-11

1. Lack of cultivation. James 1:22 Cultivation is applying the truths of God's Word. Truth without application hardens the heart (knowledge puffs up).

2. Resistance to Truth. Jeremiah 5:3 Refusing to receive correction. Two choices - to obey or to refuse. Godly sorrow brings repentance (II Corinthians 7:10)!

3. Self-righteousness. Romans 12:3 Our only value is through Christ. Any other thought makes the heart hard.

4. Pharasaical pride. Mark 3:5 "Holier-than-thou" attitude. Jesus was grieved for the Pharisees' hardness of heart. They were known for thinking of themselves as special to God because of their obedience to the
 Law and tradition.

5. Material affections. Lose your focus on God and others.

6. Sin. Hebrews 3:12,13 The heart is hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. The conscience is often seared (I Timothy 4:1-2)

7. Hurts to the heart. Proverbs 18:8 Usually, hurts will turn a person either to God or away from God.

8. Disappointment. Keep your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)

9. Lack of variety in the Christian life. Psalm 51:12 Sometimes our spiritual life gets stale, and we must ask the Lord to restore our joy.

10. Our personal inhibitions. II Timothy 1:7 We worry about what others think, but God has not given us the spirit of fear.

Comments

  1. Miss Linda7:48 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing your notes! These are wonderful. I'm sure your husband's sermon was powerful.

    May God bless you and your family this week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:58 AM

    Thank you! Very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JustNeedling2:00 PM

    Thank you for sharing your notes. Something I struggle with a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Admin3:22 PM

    Thanks for sharing Susan, I just shared the link on facebook. I think we can all use a softer heart.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Clare1:38 AM

    Thankyou so much for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kristi8:55 AM

    Great notes! Can't wait to read on the soft heart.

    ~Kristi

    ReplyDelete
  7. Susan12:16 PM

    I'm glad the notes were helpful, ladies! I hope to post the notes on Wes' other sermon within the next couple of days.

    ReplyDelete

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