How is Your Heart? Part 1

How is your heart of faith?

Hello all,
           I adopted this concept from my home church, Knott Avenue, and I will break it down into 4 parts.  The concept is an explanation of the different kinds of hearts someone has toward faith, in "religion" and in God.  If you are not a believer you may very well fall under an unexpected category and even as a believer you may feel like a different category describes you than what you expected.

        Jesus often taught in Parables, which comes from the Greek words Para-alongside, Ballo-to throw, to put a well-known truth together with an unknown truth to reveal a moral that will give a deeper understanding of a situation involving unbelievers and fellow believers.

HARD HEART

         Essentially, when the "seed was sown" (when someone heard The Word of God), it landed on hard soil, where it cannot be rooted to grow and flourish. Those with a hard heart who hear the Word won't be saved because they have chosen to turn a deaf ear and a BLIND MIND to the perception of God's grace.  It is a choice.  It's too much work, or too impossible, and they won't believe.  As told in Matthew's gospel, the Word will be taken swiftly by Satan, who's main objective is for any arrow that tries to penetrate the unbeliever's heart.  The arrow will be snapped in two, in midair, their heart will not be penetrated by The Word.


 Matthew 13:3-4, 18-19
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.


Luke 8:12- Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.


2 Corinthians 4:3-4- And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.




Matthew 13:13-15- This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see;  though hearing, they do not hear or understand.  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:  " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.  For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

In closing, have you heard The Word but let it fall on deaf ears, or fall against a closed heart?  Do you see and not believe?  Do you hear not heed?  If you'd like more information, you can always ask me.  I have some answers and a testimony, but more importantly I have resources and a network of people who can outline the core beliefs and the truth of the grace of God.  This isn't a shiney new bicycle, or a brand new pair of shoes, because this love will never fade and it will never fail you.  God's love goes through each trial with you, even when you are running away from Him, He is holding your spot in His heart.