CRUSH THE HEART OF STONE

A heart of stone could be a result of pain or sin but regardless of the cause, it has to be dealt with. So, what exactly is this heart of stone?

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

Just by looking at the definition of a heart of flesh, we can tell that a stony heart is that which is unresponsive to God's touch. A heart that has been hardened to a point where it is partially or completely indifferent to the guidance of God's voice. For the sake of this blog, we shall focus on pain as a cause of a stony heart.

While we tend to resort to putting up walls after going through hurtful experiences, it is in no way a healthy way to deal with the aftermath of the mess. It's easy to tell yourself that the walls will act as an armour against any similar form of pain in the future. With these self-deceiving words, you start detaching yourself from others emotionally, sometimes even physically. Subsequently, slowly but surely you stop being responsive to both the silent and loud gestures from God. You probably think to yourself, "if He cared about me He'd have protected me from that experience".  

A few articles back, I talked about handling those negative thoughts. However, they lead to resentment against both people and God when not dealt with. Instead of protecting yourself, you end up locking out blessings. It becomes even harder for you to discern healthy relationships around you, missing out on the grace they carry.

The good news, however, is no matter how hardened your heart has become, there's still hope for you.  

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

Hebrews 4:12‭-‬13 MSG

Intentionally submitting yourself to the word of God is the only way to soften and heal your heart. I'm heavy on intentionality because this is a decision that has to come from you. Unless you decide by yourself to let go of the pride and be vulnerable , the cycle will never be broken. Your faith in Him can only be restored through interacting with His word. After all, faith comes by hearing this very Word. 

Numbness of the heart is often one of the clear indications of a hardened heart. God created us as emotional beings with the ability to feel and respond to other people's feelings. With a numb heart, one becomes oblivious to these emotions, eventually living in a state of denial.

You may already be crushed by the circumstances that caused your pain, desensitizing your heart and you're now afraid of trusting again. Even so, wouldn't you like the idea of subjecting yourself to one more crushing? Not one that will leave you in pain again. That which will break your heart of stone to replace it with a heart of flesh. For some, the breaking might mean starting the process of healing from scratch again while for others it could be just the last step missing.  

Is not my word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]?

Jeremiah 23:29 AMPC

Just like resentment and unforgiveness, those walls you put up ultimately form a prison for you. What you believe is shielding you becomes a form of self-induced incarceration. It's time you gave yourself up to the surgery by the double-edged scalpel. No armour is too tough for scripture to penetrate through.  No wall is too high or strong for the hammer to bring down. 

We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.

1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT

You may never know why it happened the way it did. You may never get that closure from the place you're expecting it to come from. Whatever your reason is for hiding behind the walls, you're never too far gone to be saved from those insecurities. Allow God to teach you how to trust Him again if that is what you lost. Let His word soften and transform you from the inside out. While at it, you will see that He is the way of escape for you, directly or through the people around you.