Are You Hard Hearted, Hollow Hearted, Half Hearted, or Whole Hearted for Jesus? On Today’s podcast: How to Test the Attitude of Your Heart in a Minute or Less.
Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
The greatest factor in your Christian growth and life is the condition of your heart.
Your heart is the soil in which God’s Word is planted. God’s Word never fails; it always produces what God desires. But the attitude of your heart will determine what God’s Word will produce in your life.
We need to become aware of what’s going on in our hearts.
Mark 4:3-9 is a very familiar parable. But I believe the application will be new to you. And powerful for you.
Mark 4:3-9 TPT
“Consider this: A sower went out to sow.
As he sowed some fell along the beaten path and soon the birds came and ate it.
Some fell onto gravel with no topsoil and quickly sprouted since the soil had no depth.
But when the days grew hot, the sprouts were scorched and withered because they had insufficient roots.
Some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
But some fell onto good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty—and some a hundredfold!
If you understand this, then you need to respond.”
The 4 Attitudes of Your Heart
Brian Simmons, former New Tribes missionary, and Bible Translator, brings such clarity here. In a footnote, he deftly creates a picture we can remember. He says,
“The four kinds of soils speak of four kinds of hearts: hard hearts, hollow hearts, half hearts, and whole hearts. With the first soil we see the activity of Satan, the second, that of the flesh, and the third, that of the world. Bearing fruit is never a problem with what is sown but with the soil it falls upon.”
The condition of our hearts indicates what is influencing us:
1. Hard heart – influence of activity of Satan; thinking, doing or being subject to evil hardens us, makes us less responsive to God and love
2. Hollow hearts – influence desires of the flesh – pursuing things that won’t last, won’t matter in heaven. Hollow, empty things. Putting self first. What I want – self indulgence.)
3. half hearts - influence of the world. Distractions – even good things that are pulling you away from God’s best. (e.g. sports, or hobbies that take all our time and energy)
4. whole hearts - influence of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit – 30, 60, 100 fold
This graphic description of the condition of your heart makes it easy to assess what’s going on in your heart each day.
You need to Guard Your heart
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
I explain how to do that in my recent podcast: “Are Toxic Thoughts Killing you? Set a Guard Over Your Heart.” https://youtu.be/gogt4wREIVI?si=iRkDb_2YYLMNDl8G
ACTIVATION
Settle this! Make a firm resolution that you will live wholeheartedly for Jesus and Father today. Holy Spirit will help you.
1. Let’s Declare it as a promise and commitment to God and ourselves:
Today, I choose to live wholeheartedly for You.
I will not let my heart be hard (offended, angry, cold or indifferent)
I will not pursue empty, hollow things my flesh desires - the lusts of my flesh.
Today, I won’t be distracted by the shiny things of the world or allow concern and worry to pull me away from You. I will not be double minded.
Fill me with your presence and Your love. My heart is wholly yours.
2. Now. Decide how you will do that. What specific small things will you do to keep yourself wholeheartedly focused on and enjoying God today?
John C. Maxwell
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
Spiritual progress is made when we break big goals into simple steps that we do daily.
I suggest you Do a 60 second heart attitude check several times each day. Mornings, evenings, and before/after meal times or whenever you decide. But set a time. Then do it.
Ask yourself:
**Am I feeling or acting: hard hearted, hollow hearted, half hearted, or whole hearted toward Jesus right now?
**Why? What is influencing me. (THIS IS THE KEY. BECOME AWARE OF WHAT IS INFLUENCING YOU!!)
Hard hearted – Satan
Hollow Hearted – self-ish desires
Half Hearted – worldly distractions
Whole Hearted – Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit
Then pray David’s prayer – asking God to show you the condition of your heart and what to do about it.
Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
He will answer that prayer.
Correct what you need to and stay on course to live an amazing life walking side by side with Jesus.