Can a heardened heart be softened?

[daniel neverson]

I love jesus, but i always focus on what's happening on earth. I never read the bible and never do what jesus tells me to do. I sin all the time. Did i blaspheme the holy spirit? What can i do to come back to Jesus?

 

[pekoe]

Hello dear friend. I hope you consider this:

Jesus said,
He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me: Jn.14:21

You said you love Jesus, but He is saying you don't. Believe Him.

If you love Jesus, then follow Him. You can do it my friend.

 

[Coconut]

I smiled at your question "Can a heardened heart be softened?" Boy did you pick a good place to ask that question, among the worst bunch of hard headed - hard hearted folk you`ll ever come across...until Jesus Christ got a hold of us of course :baffle:
You don`t sound quite so hard hearted, but yes Jesus can soften the hardest of hearts - simply ask Him to. That`s all you have to do to come back back to Him - simply ask. He will take you from there. <3

 

[RJ]

ReelKeel1

I love jesus, but i always focus on what's happening on earth. I never read the bible and never do what jesus tells me to do. I sin all the time. Did i blaspheme the holy spirit? What can i do to come back to Jesus?

This really doesn't make sense/ How can you love Jesus, never read the Bible and never do what Jesus wants you to do? That would be an oximoron! Doesn't sound like you were ever with Jesus to start with. You can't come back from where you have never been. Perhaps you are just describing a "what if" for a non-believer? If you are honestly describing yourself, you need to seek Jesus for the first time. You need to do something similar to Romans 10:8-13

 

[Christian Saul]

I would have to agree with what RJ has said and explained to you friend.

 

[TC4JC]

Daniel,
If you go to the book of James, chapter 4 , verses 7-10, you may find your answer you are searching.
TC

 

[B-A-C]

You may also want to check out Ezek 11:19; and Ezek 36:26;

 

[stephsteph33]

Yes, but that doesn't mean it will.

 

[Stickz]

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

If you read the verses that I posted, Daniel, read them from the Bible and read the chapters that they come out of so that you can see them in the context they were written in.

 

[B-A-C]

Ezek 11:19; "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezek 11:20; that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
Ezek 11:21; "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD.

Ezek 36:26; "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezek 36:27; "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

1 Jn 3:17; But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 Jn 3:18; Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
1 Jn 3:19; We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
1 Jn 3:20; in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
1 Jn 3:21; Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
1 Jn 3:22; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
1 Jn 3:23; This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
1 Jn 3:24; The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

It seems God can remove a heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. But can God abide in us if we don't keep His commandments?
But I have another question, that is similar...

 

[B-A-C]

What is the different between a circumcised heart and an uncircumcised heart? I think we can agree on what circumcised flesh means.

Ezek 44:7; when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void--this in addition to all your abominations.
Ezek 44:8; "And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My sanctuary."
Ezek 44:9; 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.

Acts 7:51; "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

Can the Holy Spirit dwell in us if we are disobedient?

Acts 5:32' "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

 

[RJ]

What is the different between a circumcised heart and an uncircumcised heart? I think we can agree on what circumcised flesh means.

Exactly, this is another prime example of salvation by grace / faith alone and no ritual that man can ever participate in.

• In the Old Covenant, God set up laws and restrictions that man had to abide by, including the requirement to be circumcised.
• God found fault not in his laws, that were Holy and Righteous, but he found fault in man because he was not capable of completing them perfectly. God went so far as to say if you fail just one aspect of his laws you have failed them all. Man was not capable of saving himself. Like Abraham, it could only be by faith in God that he would impute to us righteousness.
• God then said he would do it all for us by putting himself in our hearts, thus creating the New Covenant and the previous covenant became the Old Covenant because he declared it obsolete.
• In the New Covenant, God still requires circumcision but not the man-made kind. Remember, under the New Covenant, God does not allow man's works.
• Under this covenant, God does the circumcision for us. But it is not a physical circumcision of the body done by man but a spiritual circumcision of the heart done by God.
• Now, during the act of becoming a Christian, God puts himself in our hearts. This process God calls circumcision of the heart.
• He does it, we don't. All we do is put faith in his works!

 

[Stickz]

And faith without works is dead. If you aren't living a righteous life in Christ Jesus then your faith is dead. It IS Christ in you making it possible but it IS something that one can gauge their salvation on so that there is no guessing game about where one stands with God. Scripture tells us that we can know a tree by it's fruit and we can test whether or not we are in the faith, right? That's because it IS something tangible. The fact that you know you're hardened against Jesus Christ is probably actually a good sign; I believe there is a lot of people hardened against Him and don't even know it. They continue to just believe that they are as saved as they can get because someone, some preacher, told them that they had said the right prayer ( went through something kinda ritualistic, actually ... ) and that they should continue believing it because that is what the Bible teaches, but does it ...? The Bible doesn't teach you to believe that you are saved, it teaches you to believe in Jesus Christ unto salvation. You realize you are hardened? There is a real good chance that you'll realize when you are softened by the Lord and learn how to stay that way, in the Lord.

 

[Wired 4 Fishen]

I love jesus, but i always focus on what's happening on earth. I never read the bible and never do what jesus tells me to do. I sin all the time. Did i blaspheme the holy spirit? What can i do to come back to Jesus?

Hello Daniel,
First of all I am very thankful that you are here and asking these questions. In fact I can say I am proud of you for being honest and honestly asking for help and direction. :thumbsup:

First of all I must ask have you ever accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior ? This makes a huge factor in this.
Loving Jesus or God is always a good thing but it is simply not enough to ensure that your name is written in the lambs book of life and you will be able to spend eternity with the Father vs spending it separated from God the Father.

So Daniel I ask of you to please reply back to me here or by PM and we can follow up with this....
However I do want to finish this reply with this.........Daniel NO MATTER if you have or have not accepted Jesus as your Savior I got some awesome news for you. There is Hope in His Grace for you and YOU CAN become within Right Standing with God.
Believe me when I say this.........Once you do you will not ever regret it one bit. He is that AWESOME.

Will Be praying for YOU Daniel
Looking forward to hearing from you
Blessings and Love in Christ
Jim