What Kind of Heart Do YOU Have?

A Michigan woman said she was shocked to receive a card Christmas Eve from her sister-in-law, who died 19 months earlier.

Lorraine Beauchamp of Quinnesec said the Christmas card arrived with her mail and she was shocked to discover it had been sent 11 years ago by Marion Beauchamp, who died in May 2010 at the age of 94, The Daily News, Iron Mountain, Mich., reported Monday. "I can't believe it. I still can't," Beauchamp said. "It was the only card I got that day." "She was a character. I always liked her," she said of her sister-in-law.

A supervisor at the Mail Processing Center in Kingsford expressed doubt that the 11-year-old card, which bore a 33-cent stamp, was processed at the center, but an employee earlier said it is possible the card was stuck at the bottom of one of the old canvas bags mail carriers used to employ.

Beauchamp said her son, who worked at a Colorado post office, suggested the card may have gotten stuck in one of the old sorting baskets the Postal Service used to have. She said her family was taken aback by the late greeting. "It was just a shock. We are laughing about it, but maybe she's telling me something," Beauchamp said.

Just as this card sent a message 11 years late, God is still trying to speak to us if we would just stop and listen.
-UPI, January 2, 2012

What would it take to encourage everyone to have the kind of heart that God wants us to have? The kind of heart that is open and willing to hear what He has to say? The answer is this, ATTITUDE. In today's message, we will discuss this "attitude of the heart" problem that causes us NOT to listen to God.

In reality, the "attitude problem" we have has to do with two kinds of hearts: 1) The Hard heart, and 2) The Soft heart. In order to change our "attitude" everyone should understand the two hearts, their relationship to God and his word, and which kind everyone should desire to have.

I feel that a little background information is necessary before proceeding any further. Let's read: 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

There are several things that I would also like to mention at this point in relation to this passage . They are:

1) The Israelites selection of a Saul as a king had ended in utter spiritual failure.
2) God had rejected Saul from being king over Israel.
3) God turned his attention to Samuel to have him anoint a new king.
4) God sent Samuel to Jesse’s house.
5) Jesse brought out his oldest sons and Samuel thought that surely one of these would be king.
6) Therefore, in response to Samuel God made the statement in the text mentioned above.

In addition to everything mentioned above, I think it would be beneficial to briefly discuss something called "the Bible heart." When the Bible speaks about the heart, it is not talking about the blood pump. As in today's message, the word “heart” (used in a metaphorical sense) is speaking about emotions.

Many set up a contrast between the mind and the heart. For example, you often hear people say, “Go with your heart” meaning, “Trust your feelings.” This usage is not what the Bible means when it uses the word “heart.”

The Bible speaks of the heart as in:

a. Imagining (Genesis 6:5)
b. Thinking (Genesis 17:17)
c. Willing (Exodus 35:5)
d. Containing wisdom (Exodus 36:2)
e. Seeking (Deuteronomy 4:29)
f. Considering (Deuteronomy 4:39)
g. Loving (Deuteronomy 10:12)
h. Fear (Deuteronomy 28:67)
i. Grieved (1 Samuel 1:8)
j. Desire (2 Samuel 3:21)
k. Pray (2 Samuel 7:27)
l. Courage (2 Samuel 17:10)
m. Guilt (2 Samuel 24:10)
n. Humility (2 Kings 22:19)
o. Pride (2 Chronicles 26:16)
p. Prepared (Ezra 7:10)
q. Faithful (Nehemiah 9:8)
r. Uprightness (Job 33:3)
s. Gladness (Psasm 4:7)
t. Broken and Contrite (Psalm 34:18)
u. Trusts (Proverbs 3:5, 6)

It has also been said that there are four chambers in the Bible heart. These chambers are: a) Intellect; b) Will; c) Emotion and, d) Conscience.

Now, with this foundational information, I think we are finally ready to talk about the two kinds of hearts that affect our ability to hear, or not hear God when He speaks to us.

Let's begin with the Hard heart! This heart has four distinct characteristics. Number One: the hard heart is a stubborn heart! The stubborn heart is the heart that refuses to listen to God. Need proof? Look at what happened to Pharoah in Exodus 7-14. Next, turn to Psalm 78:8 and read about the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt. And, the Israelites during the period of the Judges in Judges 2:19.

Number Two: the stubborn heart is a stiffnecked heart! This is just another description of being stubborn but more intense. It is the picture is of someone who will not even turn around to look if he is going in the wrong direction. Need some examples? How about: Exodus 32:9 Deuteronomy 10:16; Acts 7:51. Stiffnecked goes beyond not listening to God in that there is a visible resistance to God’s will.

Number Three: the stubborn heart is an impenetrable heart! In other words, this kind of heart does not allow anything to come in. That’s what the word “hard” means. This is comparable to Luke 8:12, where the word doesn’t even get in. The Jewish leaders had this kind of heart (Acts 5:33). Those who stoned Stephen had this heart (Acts 7:54).

Number Four: the stubborn heart is a heart that is difficult to break! When something is difficult to break it takes a lot of effort and struggle and is usually painful. Such as breaking a horse, or breaking a big rock with a sledge hammer.

Pride plays a role in making our hearts difficult to break, too (Daniel 5:20). Such as when we are not looking to understand that which makes our heart difficult to break (in the context that of disciples being warned of the leaven of the Pharisees as in Mark 8:17). Pride also comes into play when we do not WANT to understand (John 12:37, 40).

Next, there is the Soft Heart. This heart also has four distinct characteristics. Number One: the soft heart is a submissive heart! This means we are willing to listen to God with a view towards obedience (Matthew 7:24-27; James 1:22-25; James 4:7; Hebrews 5:7-9).

Number Two: the soft heart is maleable and moldable! This means that we are willing to be changed under the hand of God (Isaiah 64:8; Ephesians 2:10 .

Number Three: the soft heart is penitrable! That is, we will allow God’s word to live in our heart (Acts 2:37; Psalm 119:11; Colossians 3:16; 1 John 2:5, 6).

Number Four: the soft heart is easy to break! This means that we let God control it (Psalm 51:1-19; Luke 22:42; John 5:30. When we have this attitude, then it will be easy for God to break our hearts.

At last, we should ask ourselves, "What kind of heart do we have?" Is it: Hard or Stubborn, Stiffnecked, Impenetrable? Difficult to break? Or is it Soft, Submissive, Maleable, Penetrable, Easy to Break?

My beloved, here is an invitation for you. If you are a Christian but have fallen away. You have made a choice. But, do not harden your heart to God’s word! If you are presently not a Christian soften your heart to the gospel of Christ.

Heed the plan that it has for man’s salvation today! Hear the word; Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing…” Believe with all your heart; Hebrews 11:6 “For without faith it is impossible….” Repent of your sins (Acts 17:30). Confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 16:16). Be baptized for the remission of your sins (Mark 16:15,16)!

Prayer:

All through this day, O Lord, by the power of Thy quickening Spirit, let me touch the lives of others for good, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I speak, or the life I live. Amen

Have a blessed day,

Beverly