Author and Pastor Kevin Horath and I talk about a hardened heart. Not a physical condition but a spiritual one. He’s written several books but the one we focus on is The Pharaoh Factor – Living with a Hardened Heart. If you know the story, Pharaoh hardens his heart toward God, but what does that mean for us today? How does one acquire a hardened heart? How do we know if we have a hardened heart?
Kevin and I both dug around in our own personal stories of what it looked like in each of our specific situations of having a hardened heart. How did we get there and what does recovery look like? And just as important, we cover the question of how do we keep our hearts soft and teachable so that we don’t return to an isolated, fearful, self-sustaining condition? A condition that I personally know is exhausting, frustrating and it’s definitely lonely.
I marvel at the contradictions of this life in comparison to the things that have spiritual value, specifically God’s spiritual value. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.
When things are the most painful, the beauty of what God has for us on the other side, the healing, it is something that we couldn’t think to ask for. He wastes nothing and He redeems everything.
When we submit ourselves, our situations to God, lay down things, in God’s value system we get better than we had, better than we deserve. It’s not simply restored to what it use to be. Rather we’re given what God Himself has for us. And of course the ultimate example of submission is when Christ said, “It is finished.” Sounds like the final conclusion, end of story, it’s over. And yet, it was just the beginning for us. New life, direct access to God, salvation, eternal life, heaven on earth, and so much more.
Another example is when we leave our old self behind (accepting Christ’s work on the cross), we gain direct access to our Creator. Direct access gives us the opportunity to activate an intimate relationship with God and get to discover who God created us to be at our origin, when He knit us together in our Mother’s womb. We get to put on, wear, walk-in God’s original creation for us. We fulfill our purpose, our calling with joy no matter our circumstance. Free to live above the limitations, pain and brokenness of this world.
My final example….when fear is most terrifying, whatever area that may be, whatever form that takes on … behind that fear is a revelation, a truth about God and therefore a freedom for us to experience. The God of the Holy Bible is not the god of fear. Fear, chaos, confusion that’s the presence of your enemy.
For example, your fear could actually be blocking knowledge of your gifting or clarity about your purpose. Satan does not want you to make a breakthrough because he can’t afford for you know who you are, for you to bring forth the message God has appointed to you, at this time in your generation.
So my point being, don’t let this brief conversation between Kevin and I, about familiar scriptures, disciplines and God’s truths pass you by. Draw in a little closer and ask Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and reveal any areas of your heart that may be hardened. Ask to reveal His truth so you can experience the freedom that He has for you.
Ezekiel 36:26 is a promise from God to you and I. It says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Why would He make this promise to us? Because, a heart of stone is only as far away as the next painful situation, trigger about past trauma, or when you hear words that strike deep in your heart, when you get what you feel, is an external confirmation of your internal voice.
When we don’t take the painful places of this life captive to Christ, hold them up to God’s truth and let Him give us clarity with His value system, we will harden our hearts to the things we have no control over, no context for and no understanding of our identity.
Despite the pain of this life, which we all know revolves around family, friends and relationships in general. It all comes back to relationship. It’s the core of our existence because we were created for relationship. For that reason alone, it’s worth being alive to and not dead to it … even though alive. With Christ, He rewrites all the evil this world dishes out, giving our soft tender heart a safe place to thrive despite the presence and in the very midst of pain and suffering. That’s His speciality.
Live Loved and Thrive!
Connect with Kevin:
IG: thefactorbooks
FB: The Factor Books
Website: TheFactorBooks.com
Bio:
Author Kevin P. Horath is a dynamic speaker and teacher who has served as Associate Pastor for Hillside Bethel Tabernacle since 1997 as well as working as a healthcare human resources executive for over 27 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Kevin lives in Decatur, Illinois, with his wife, Kathy. They have three children, three grandchildren, two dogs, and one cat. In their free time, Kevin and Kathy love to sail on Lake Decatur.
His goal is to help others find a spiritually healthy approach to life through the realistic, practical application of biblical stories, characters, and principles.
Transcript: https://www.happyscribe.com/transcriptions/e023aefe34da4b418c7c8463937b34d5/edit_v2
