Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:12-13

Prior to searching the Scriptures for revelation on the cause and cure of a hardened heart, I thought that a person with a hardened heart was a person who was just a God hater, a person who is living in open rebellion, deliberate sin against God, somebody who just was going the other way and didn’t care. Well, although a hardened heart is true about a person like that. One of the things that I have learned is that anybody who is cold, insensitive, unfeeling, or unyielding to God in any area of their life has a hardened heart in that area. All of us have areas of our lives where we just don’t seem to be connecting with the Lord, and it’s easier for us to relate to the natural realm than it is to the supernatural realm. It’s easier to relate to defeat than it is to, faith. You may be praying for healing or deliverance or finances, but if your miracle was to manifest, you would be shocked. The shocked response is a result of a hardened heart.

What are the signs of hardness of heart?

Signs or characteristics of hardness of heart could be identified in the following:

• Shock towards God’s power or miracles
  • When the supernatural manifests, if our hearts have been sensitive towards God, we would not be surprised.
• Relating more to the natural realm
• Lack of spiritual perception
  • Jesus refers to this in the above Scripture, Mark 8:18-19, and He is speaking to His disciples who knew the truth but did not yet regard it enough for it to change their behaviour. This Scripture also answers the question on what did Jesus say about hardness of heart.
• Non-productive knowledge
  • Following on from the previous point, if we do not perceive, understand and regard truth enough for it to change us, then our knowledge of the truth will not yield results in our lives. The disciples Jesus was speaking to, remembered the facts of what Jesus did with the bread, but they did not have a personal relationship with the supernatural to the point they could spiritually perceive God’s power continuing to happen around them.
• Insensitivity towards God
• Deprived of wisdom, judgement and understanding of the will of God
• Quickly forgetting past miracles and acts of God, leading to new doubt and unbelief
• Stubbornness
  • Refusing to change or repent even when confronted with the truth

These characteristics for hardness of heart can lead to a spiritual blindness that hinders your relationship with God. It’s crucial to keep your heart soft and open to His Word, allowing His truth to penetrate and change you.

How serious is it to have hardness of heart?

If we are trying to gauge how big a deal all of this talk on hardness of heart really is, and whether we should worry too much, well, it’s very serious. A hard heart towards God significantly impacts one’s spiritual life and relationship with God. It can lead to,

1. An inability to hear God’s voice, which is the crisis of a hardened heart. If we can not hear Him, how can we be led by Him?
2. Unbelief, which can make it difficult to trust and have faith in God’s promises. Paul warns us in Hebrews 3:12, “ Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;”
3. Missing God’s best for us because we are not living a life fully aligned with God’s will for our lives.

What is the cure for hardness of heart?

So the cure to a hardened heart, is realised when you understand that your heart goes in the direction of your dominant thought. The cure to a hardened heart is to change your thinking and put your thinking, your mind, your heart upon God 100%. The first part of Proverbs 23:7 says,

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7a

As you turn the focus of your heart towards God, your heart will in turn become sensitive to God. So that’s the cure but the big question is, how do you do that? Let me share this passage with you. Jesus is the one speaking in Matthew chapter six and in verse 19 and He says,

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

And then in verse 21,

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Most people would think that where your heart is, that’s where your treasure will be. Jesus said just the opposite. Where your treasure is, your heart will follow that. So the reason I’m bringing these passages up is to say one of the ways to cure a hardened heart is to invest your time and finances into perceiving and understanding God’s truth. That’s why making the time to attend Charis Bible College is a great cure for hardness of heart because it’s an act of treasuring your personal relationship with God.