In Scripture there are two kinds of hearts that are slow to or fail to respond to the wooing of God's love or the warnings of God's imminent displeasure. There is the heart that is hardened by the deceitful pleasures of sin and the heart that is fattened by the comfort, material blessings and the security of a worldly life.

The tender circumcised heart will and does respond to the wooings and the warnings of God. The heart that is tender towards God ( not practicing sin ) and the heart circumcised from the world is this kind of heart.

The hard heart or the fat heart are easily persuaded that all is well and that God is ok with their condition and they continue on in their unbelief and presumption. They rest blissfully in the theological abstract that they are children of God because they believe they are. Trusting in God without being trustworthy towards God is actually a deadly "half faith." If you look at the examples of "faith" in Hebrews 11, far more often do you see faith evidenced by people who sacrificed all in this life because they looked forward to and counted on a future reward. Their faith was resting in a future hope. A confidence presently enjoyed and presently lived through, but future in its joyful realization.

This attitude of "faith" and the actual sacrifice that arises out of "faithfulness" is sorely lacking. It's a heart issue. Hard or fat, the danger of the condition is the same.

What does it mean to have faith? Biblically it means trusting in God's promises and being trustworthy towards God's call and commands. That is what "faith" means in the Greek and what it means in the absolutely overwhelming multitude of teachings and examples in the Bible.

Why do we call Jesus Lord, Lord, and not do what He says when it comes to our most prized worldly possessions (life, time, relationships and money)? Our treasure is where our heart and our faith lie. Hypocrisy in the western church is rampant. Crazy as it is, many hearts have become so fattened that hypocrisy is just an old friend. It's a mournful state of affairs. Not to worry, God will take action to surgically heal the sick hearts.

Most are far more lamenting of the sick world we find ourselves living in than we are mournful of the sick heart we ask our Lord to live in.

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Robert

Brother Robert,
This is by far the best thing I’ve read on SI in a long while and it is as timely as it is true:)
May God be praised for the faith He gave you to share this post calling His children to awaken to the condition of our own hearts <\\\><

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Fletcher

Dear Robert,

I experienced a mixture of joy (agreement) and pain (conviction) reading this just now. I share brother Fletcher’s sentiment.

Truly a life-giving post that I will re-read and meditate on.

May the meat you shared be digested by all who “eat” it for the nourishment is real. Bless you Robert!

Much love!!

P.S. the title (and timing) of your thread is interesting, because a dear brother lamented to me today that this world we live in is “suffocating”. Oh dear God, may we live and breathe in you in this hour!!