The Conditions of a Hardened Heart

[phkrause]

Your harden heart is not only stopping the flow of God’s relationship, but your dreams, and happiness. Pastor Guillermo Maldonado wrote extensively about this in Supernatural Transformation.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Galleries/The-Conditions-of-a-Hardened-Heart.aspx#5JJ7TqIyXA0vXuwG.99

[Geoarrge]

I don't know that it's healthy to insist that if someone's upset with God, it can only be because of a character defect on the person's part.

[Myron]

 

 

I don't know that it's healthy to insist that if someone's upset with God, it can only be because of a character defect on the person's part.

 

Why would this be so unhealthy?  All sin is a character defect, whether you are willing to admit it or not.  All sin is transgression of God's law, which defines his character, his heart.  Ezekiel and Paul make reference to God's law as the law of life, and indicate that the only way to the abundant  life is to follow God's law, which is his character.  (His law is also his fire, which means his fire is his character as well.  That is another matter, but it is important that we always be aware of these symbols God uses to describe himself, and that we do not interpret them by our own understanding.  To do so is to have a god of our own making, which is idolatry.)

 

God's law defines his character and brings us the abundant life when we are in agreement with it and keep it.  Both aspects are important.  If we are not in agreement with God's law we will only keep the letter of the law by force (usually the force of our own flesh but due to fear of the consequences being imposed on us by some authority.)  If that is the way we keep God's law we receive no benefit from it, and it is actually often detrimental to us, but then that is not really God's law either.  Paul tells us the law is spiritual (Romans 7:14) but because we are carnal (literally flesh) and cannot see spiritual things God gave Moses this spiritual law in a form that is seen carnally and cannot be fully understood until we develop the ability to see spiritually since it is just a representation of spiritual concepts using physical symbols.  The flesh, and physical things cannot bring life, and as Jesus showed us beginning with the sermon on the mount keeping only the physical law is not enough.  We are still sinning if we are not keeping the spirit of the law; thus hate is the sin of murder because it diminishes the life, not only of the person I am hating, but it actually diminishes my life as well.

 

The New Covenant says God will write his law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-35).  By doing so we come into agreement with God and have his heart.  If we are in agreement we will keep the law and not sin, and an effort of the flesh is not necessary.  (This is an overly simplistic view because there are other factors as well, but for our purposes in this post this simplistic view will do.)  If we are upset with God about something we are clearly and openly in disagreement with him.  This means we are sinning and not keeping the spirit of his law.  This means we have a character defect.  It is that simple.  Until I learn why God requires what he requires and come into agreement with him, I continue to have a character defect and that defect is what is unhealthy to me.  If I refuse to acknowledge that character defect (confess my sin) and repent of that defect (repent means to turn around and follow a new path) I remain in that character defect through my denial and cannot have the abundant (you called it vibrant) life and cannot be completely happy.

 

Any upset with God shows a disagreement with God and how he has chosen to lead in my life.  God tells us that He disciplines those he loves (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6) and that if evil (simply meaning something negative) comes against a city it is because he sent it (as a discipline according to the Law of Tribulation as found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28) (Amos 3:6)  God brings these disciplines against us; they are not Satan's efforts to separate us from God but are instead God's efforts to cause us to repent and return to him. Satan has nothing to do with any of this except at God's instruction (Go do to Job whatever you please except do not touch his body (or later do not kill him.))

 

It seems to me that the truly unhealthy thing is to insist that our dissatisfaction with God and his work in our lives does not show that we are dealing with a character defect God is working to correct so that we can have that abundant life.

[JoeMo]

I don't know that it's healthy to insist that if someone's upset with God, it can only be because of a character defect on the person's part.

I agree, Geoarrge.  Some examples - was it because of a character defect that Abraham was sufficiently upset about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Was it because of a character defect that Moses told God to take him too when God threatened to destroy the Hebrews during the Exodus?  No - these men were upset with God because they thought He might destroy the innocent with the guilty.  IOW, out of selfless concern for their fellow men.

 

When I was VERY upset with God over the death of my own son, He told me that it was OK - He'd been yelled at a lot worse than by me; and promised to stay by my side until I was done grieving and ranting and raving.  It helped me bond closer to my Father.

[Tom Wetmore]

A child lacking understanding, experience and maturity may become upset with Mommy and what Mommy cannot explain to the child. We are less able to understand God and any possible explanation He might attempt.

We also may not suffer from anything more than weariness that causes us to be upset easily.

[Geoarrge]

Why would this be so unhealthy?  All sin is a character defect, whether you are willing to admit it or not.

 

It seems to me that the truly unhealthy thing is to insist that our dissatisfaction with God and his work in our lives does not show that we are dealing with a character defect God is working to correct so that we can have that abundant life.

 

We all have numerous defects and according to the Biblical characterization of God, He is able and willing to deal with all of them if we ask. So, why doesn't that always actually happen? Why, when it doesn't, should you construct some rationalization to blame yourself?  Why assume that God is trying to work on our lives at all, when by all appearances He doesn't seem to be interested?

[Woody]

God dishes out character improvements sparingly. We pray in all earnestness .... but He decides which prayers to answer and when.

Our characters will remain sinful till we see Him at the Second Coming. Then and only then we will see Him as He is.

 

In a moment ... in the twinkling of an eye .... THEN we shall be changed.

 

As our prophet states .... the Father beholds NOT our sinful characters .... but instead .... the character of Christ himself.

[Gail]

And things like "character defect" and "hardened heart," even misunderstanding, is not out of reach for God to fix.We should not be ashamed that we find ourselves in such a state. Worse is the Rev.3 Laodicean attitude that sees nothing wrong with itself.