"Hardened Hearts"

 "Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber." (John 18:40 KJV) 

  "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd, "People of Israel," he said, "what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the God of all our ancestors - who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed - and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes."" (Acts 3:12-16 NLT)

 Yes, we can change our hearts, for the sake of envy, lust, and person desires! Once we have turned to pick up that which once was holding us in false satisfaction, it really doesn't take much to make our hearts turn back into stone! Such is the case, despite the Holy Spirit telling us not do it, we only try harder and harder to get our own way; like a dog returning to its vomit! 

 Been there, done that! More than I care to talk about, over the last 42 years of walking with the Lord. In the case of trying to be honest, most of the times I felt as though I was entitled to do what I was doing, as if the hard work I put into serving the Lord gave me the right to treat myself to some personal pleasures. You can laugh at that if you want to; but it's more real than you might think. 

 What was it that made David stay back from going to war? Wasn't it his thoughts of having the right to take a break? Having defeated so many already, it wasn't it something he felt entitled to do? One thing leads to another: each becoming more and more lethal, ugly; making the heart harder; till you don't even see the damage that you have done, no matter what length's your passions take you! 

 Anywho, that's my take on what is going on here; as these, so called, men of God, have no compassion what soever; they can't even see why they hate Jesus so much, except for the fact that He is more perfect than they are; which fills them with envy! Just like Cain towards Able, there was a hardened heart that could do nothing but become harder and harder. 

 There is only one way that we can change our hard hearts, and that is to ask and allow God to change it! God knows our hearts, we do not! I really don't care what you might think your heart is like, because if your buttons are pushed in just the wrong way, you're not going to control your passions! 

 When I was growing up, and when we were studying with the J.W.'s, my mom would say that Jesus really wasn't perfect, as some might think. She based that statement upon what Jesus did, more than once, turning over the tables in the Temple and chasing out all the moneychanger's; which was the point that the J.W.'s would use to show Jesus was not perfect. 

 I'm sorry to inform anyone that feels that way too, but Jesus was passionate about His Father's house! It was not for His own benefit that He did this; besides, He would be the final sacrifice for sin; so those selling and making money in the Temple, they really didn't count! (No pun intended!) 

 Do you want to change your heart? Then allow God to change it; but it is going to require sacrifice...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." (Psalm 51:10-17 NLT)