God's Hammer Softens Hearts (Jeremiah 23:29) - Your Daily Bible Verse - January 9 - Daily Devotional.
Here is what he promises in Ezekiel 11:19–20: “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them.
-Psalm 32: 1 and 2.
Bringing our sins into the light softens our hearts. It's important to regularly confess our sin to the Lord and to others. Confession keeps us sensitive to the Lord and to His gentle correction.
My compassionate Lord, Your firmness and chastisements are an act of Your utmost mercy for those who are hard of heart. Please soften my heart, dear Lord, and when I am stubborn and closed, please rebuke me in Your great love so that I will always turn back to You and Your saving message with all my heart.
Melt/soften the heart is a call to release tension from your chest and upper back. In a more esoteric sense, it is a call to become more fluid and open yourself to freedom and energy.
Start with Prayer and Ask God for a Softer Heart
God actually gives us a softened heart when we turn to him in search of healing from our hardened heart. Having a softened heart is like having a whole new heart that is more refreshed, more willing to love God and others, and more open to trusting Him.
Josiah's heart was soft because he chose to do RIGHT at an early age. Although he was young when he became king, Josiah made a decision to walk in the ways of the Lord. Choosing to walk in the ways of the Lord at a young age helped him maintain a soft heart as he grew older.
According to Gordon Neufeld, a heart can only be softened with the cultivation of safe and caring attachments with others. It is relationship that offers someone the promise of safety, warmth, and dependence. It is attachment that is the antidote to facing too much separation and wounding.
Exercising our will to obey the Lord
Repeatedly disobeying God hardens our heart toward Him. But if we go along with Him and say, “Yes, Lord, I won't go there,” we obey Him. This may be difficult, but when we obey Him, our heart is kept soft and submissive.
The sinner would rather die than repent. So how does God change a stubborn heart? He says: “I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry… I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him” (57:16, 18).
Proverbs 17:10
Rebuke is more effective for a wise man. Than a hundred blows on a fool. a. Rebuke is more effective for a wise man: Because a wise man or woman will respond to rebuke and learn from it, it can be truly effective for him or her.
God wants us to be gentle to others. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” A gentle heart comes from having love for others.
Lord, You alone know the many ways people have hurt me. And You see the hardened places in my heart that affect how I love others. I'm asking You to break my heart in a good way, Lord. Be my protection from the rough rubbing of the world, so I can be Your hands and feet to a world in need of Your love.
One of the best examples of hardheartedness is found in the book of Exodus. Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel leave the land of Egypt as God had commanded. Fifteen times in Exodus, the Scriptures mention Pharaoh's heart being hardened.
Psalm 10:17 says, “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart.” Only when we trust in the Lord and depend on Him can we find the strength to make our hearts not subject to change or variation. Humility is an essential ingredient in the preparation of our hearts.
Proverbs 3:3-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Find your Soft Heart attitude by intentionally feeling love, care or appreciation for a person, pet or something you truly care about. This helps take you to a soft place in your heart and increases your ability to feel care and compassion for yourself.
Having a soft heart means we are teachable and loving. We have faith in Jesus Christ and try to become like Him. Having a hard heart means we are stubborn and unwilling to change.
What kind of heart is God looking for? Deuteronomy 10:16 says “God needs a circumcised heart”. We must therefore open our hearts to God by removing all reservations, coverings, secrets and unbelief. Only when we circumcise our hearts, can we be obedient and walk in the ways of the Lord.
He raises the spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:5). He gives new birth (John 3:8). He takes out the heart of stone and puts in the heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). We should be encouraged that God can take out any hard heart that he has handed people over to.
Only God can make him open to the Gospel, and only God can change his heart. You can be sure that Satan will put up a fierce battle for his soul, for Satan doesn't give up easily. But God is stronger than Satan, and even the hardest heart can be overcome by His Spirit.
When we are certain that God loves us, is interested in us, and has a plan for our lives, our focus will shift from what we or other people think to what God thinks. We can open our hearts up to him by listening, talking, turning, and committing to being close to him.
[1] And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: [20] But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
22:37). Psalm 78:72 says David had integrity of heart. David was not perfect, but he was a man after God's own heart. David did not have a sinless heart, but he loved God with singleness of heart.
Simultaneously, Jesus acknowledges the subtle contact the woman made with his garment, an act that should have gone unnoticed. Jesus feels this act on a deeper level, however, because she actually touched his heart, the heart of God.