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Discussion Forum : General Topics : Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?

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Santana
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Joined: 2006/8/17
Posts: 286


 Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?

For years i wanted something but felt God say No. I prayed for it one more time and I felt that I finally got a word and confirmation to pursue 'it'.

Now, months later I feel a lack of peace all of a sudden. Did God hearded my heart for a moment, when I felt he gave me the green light?


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Leonardo Santana

 2009/1/7 15:23Profile









 Re: Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?

Regarding your personal pursuance on what you went and sought after is between you and God, only you know if what you sought after had any association with the "lust of the flesh", the "lust of the eye" or "the pride of life".

But as to your question, Does God harden our hearts? He certainly does.

However the good news in your situation is that your aware that something is amiss. So your taking an inventory of what might have happened and your are looking back to see if this "it" you were seeking after was worth it. We've all pursued our own desires one way or another and for many our hearts were hardened against what God was saying and obtaining the "it" that we so thought would answer our hearts intensity.

 2009/1/7 16:34
rreighe
Member



Joined: 2008/12/23
Posts: 124


 Re:

I once thought my heart was hardened against God but not that i think about it it was realy satin lusting my desires and convincing me to forfeit my new found love with God and go do stuff with my hands that i would rather not talk about here...

what if God is trying to Get your attention but you are missing his calls or you are ignoring them?

it took me about 4 or so months to get 'saved' for real real. because i kept going back to my old ways and then feeling guilty then going back for christ. and i am so glad this just came to mind;

my friend told me about a little skit that my church put of before i joined. it was basicly without going into details this kid (jake) would start to read the bible, which symbolizes being a christian for real, but his friend (Chris) would be like "hey lets get high and drunk and party and stuff" and jake would say to jesus "no not today" and go get high. and he did that a few times rejecting Christ. then the pastor was like "99% of people do this, they reject christ and do their own things" you can't be a christian if you keep rejecting jesus. becasue it doesnt work like that.


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allan

 2009/1/11 13:23Profile









 Re: Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?

Quote:

Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?



Does God actually harden anyone's heart? No.

Our hearts are plenty hard enough on our own, all God has to do is withdraw and leave us to our own hardness. This is the sense in which the hardening of Pharoah's heart was attributed to God.

Does God withdraw from a Christian? Yes for a time for chastisement, but it is always limited in severity and duration.

Does God withdraw from those who pretend to be Christians finally and irrevocably as He did with Pharoah? Yes.

Does God withdraw from a genuine Christian finally and irrevocably as He did with Pharoah? No.

Old Joe

 2009/1/11 15:26
HomeFree89
Member



Joined: 2007/1/21
Posts: 797
Indiana

 Re:

Quote:
Does God actually harden anyone's heart?



Yes!

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said." (Ex. 7:3,13)

Obviously, if we go by what God says, He does harden people's heart.


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Jordan

 2009/1/11 17:48Profile









 Re:

Quote:

HomeFree89 wrote:
Quote:
Does God actually harden anyone's heart?



Yes!

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said." (Ex. 7:3,13)

Obviously, if we go by what God says, He does harden people's heart.




The only question is how is man's heart actually hardened by God? Through external force, or simple withdrawal?

Here is an alternate source, JFB Commentary on Exodus 7:3

Quote:
[i][b]I will harden Pharaoh's heart.[/b][/i] This would be the result; but the divine message would be the occasion, not the cause of the king's impenitent obduracy. [b]God did not assuredly harden the heart of the Egyptian monarch by any direct operation upon his mind.[/b] But the circumstances into which he was brought by the demands of Moses and Aaron, combined with his own constitutional temper and cherished character, would produce and render certain the bad effect described, without making that evil necessary in the sense of being unavoidable. The goodness and forbearance of God, so far as divine agency was concerned, were the only circumstances which, acting upon an imperious temper and a heart habitually evil, led to increasing and confirmed obduracy. But those circumstances would have been followed by a very different result, had the king's previous character and dispositions been benevolent or virtuous. The true view of this clause is, that while the Divine Being pre-intimated to Moses in words what His providence would permit to take place, [b]it was not God, but Pharaoh himself, who was, properly and strictly speaking, chargeable with the sin. [/b](See further the note at Ex 11:10).



When someone doesn't believe man's heart is already in terrible condition, they must go the external force route, but if someone admits to the depraved condition of the heart of man, a simple withdrawal will suffice.

Again....

Our hearts are plenty hard enough on our own, all God has to do is withdraw and leave us to our own hardness. This is the sense in which the hardening of Pharoah's heart was attributed to God.


Old Joe

 2009/1/11 21:32
pastorfrin
Member



Joined: 2006/1/19
Posts: 1406


 Re: Can God harden a Christian's heart...like Pharoh?

[harden] Hebrew: chazaq (HSN-2388), to brace or tighten as opposed to relax (Exodus 4:21; Exodus 7:13,22; Exodus 8:19; Exodus 9:12,35; Exodus 10:20,27; Exodus 11:10; Exodus 14:4,8,17; Joshua 11:20). God is often said to do the things He permits. God gave Pharaoh the chance to resist Him and harden his own heart (Exodus 4:21; Exodus 9:12; Exodus 10:1,20,27; Exodus 11:10; Exodus 14:8; cp. Romans 9:18). Each time was also a chance to repent and obey, but he refused. In the same way the gospel saves or damns, softens or hardens all who hear it today (Romans 2:4-11; 2 Cor. 2:15-16). As the sun hardens clay but softens wax, so it is with truth. The results reveal the nature of the materials.

(Dake)

 2009/1/11 21:46Profile
justen
Member



Joined: 2010/7/21
Posts: 1


 Re:

Quote:
Does God withdraw from those who pretend to be Christians finally and irrevocably as He did with Pharoah? Yes.



does this mean that a person who's heart was hardened because of was pretending to be a christian cannot truly repint and get God to come back after he has left?

I ask this because i think my heart has been hardened. I was pretending to be a christian rather than following the actual guidlines God gave me.

I just thought because i believed Jesus died on the cross and I loved God i was safe. I know now that God was giving me time to try and repint for the sinning i was doing (which was alot) but i didnt take heed.

All of a sudden my life flipped upside down (me losing my peace) I had a mental breakdown, lost all of my close friends and had the feeling my wife turned on me.

I immediately began to pray and repint each day. i was saved from the mental breakdown but it has been a few months and i still havent found peace.. i occasionally hear the little voice of the holy spirit, but i feel that i might be cut off forever.

I have read the bibnle each day as well.

I found the passages about the grape vine and how "good christians" will be "pruned" from time to time so that their fruits may blossom, but false christians (dead branches) will be cut off at the root and cast into fire...

i really hope i haven't reached a point where i have comletely pushed Christ away, but as i said.. for a number of years i was saying that i was a christian but living a very sinful life...

 2010/7/21 10:39Profile
jimp
Member



Joined: 2005/6/18
Posts: 1481


 Re:

hi, Jesus said i came not to condemn the world but to save it. He said He wanted none to perish. why would He harden your heart.learn who Jesus is ...He loves you.jimp

 2010/7/21 15:59Profile
knitefall
Member



Joined: 2010/3/2
Posts: 253


 Re:

This now is indeed an interesting topic. 'Had to think about this one a bit.

It seems like someone could go under condemnation and mistake it for a "hardened heart." We must always remember, this Gospel is not a 'you work at it and do everything perfect before you will be accepted' Gospel. It is a Jesus did it already and Loves you with an unconditional Love kind of Gospel. Now that being said, read on.

It also is possible that Godly conviction could be the culprit. In order to know what to do from here, you must understand some things. When Jesus gave His life sacrificially, He gave unto us the Zoe(Greek) Life. That means, since He Resurrected from the dead and the inheritance is now able to be ours, our Eternal Life begins the moment we get Saved. And it does not fade out from there! Good News. Meaning-

Of coarse we do not earn anything with God. There is no way to clean ourselves up before we present ourselves to God. SO, as we live for the Lord, He exposes more items in the flesh that are not pleasing to Him. Usually this concernes our Faith for living for God. Not individual sins but our source of Power is what is in question. Anything that does not reflect the image of His Son, is rejected. What does that mean? We have two things always running constantly. The Spiritual Life in Christ Jesus and the life in the body. While one is corrupt, the other is Perfect because of Faith and the Promise. While one is already Perfect, the other is even being changed by the Power of God, as bonus. So there will always always be individual items in our earth life that is not of God. This is why Jesus came to die on the Cross. So that all of that gets bypassed! Read this-

"When/where we are weak, He is strong." That does not mean He will supernaturally make us strong like Him so that we will not need Him anymore. Can you handle that Theology? It simply means that as we go, we recognize our ever deepening need for Him. Since we are shown that we desperately fall short and... are weak indeed, we rely upon the Plan of God more and more.

The only way a heart gets hardened is through denying the Gospel Plan of Jesus in your life. When you set out to earn a Righteousness or when you try to "be Good" you upset God. The Lord is probably less concerned with people's pet sins than we realize. Now if our Faith gets right, most of that garbage will fall off anyhow. So do not let anyone put you under condemnation. Besides, the Lord is only challenging your Faith to deepen it in Him. God doesn't play games and He is not an angry judge.

Dennis the Menace and his friend were walking along one day. Dennis' friend asked, "How come Mrs Wilson make us cookies and is always so nice to us" And Dennis, the Menace(keep in mind) was the one that gave an awesome answer. He said, 'She gives us cookies and is nice to us not because we're good but because She's Good."

 2010/7/21 19:05Profile





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