Heart Issues - Part 5 ~ Hearts of Stone

Heart Issues – Part 5
Hearts of Stone

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: Ezek.36:26-27, Col.3:1-10 (“v.5 in NIV “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…” )

For us to have close fellowship with each other and with God, we need Him to break up our hearts of stone and cause us to be soft towards each other.

What is a Heart of Stone?
A defense mechanism which keeps us from being vulnerable or “seen”.
It’s a hiding place we believe will protect us, but actually makes us lonely.
A heart of stone keeps us from giving and receiving love from others.

Let me illustrate the problem of a heart of stone by using our working knowledge of the “Star Ship Enterprise.” What are some unique aspects about this ship?
The transporter – the ability to beam people out and beam people in.
The ability to travel at warp speed – the speed of light.
The electronic shields – when the Star Ship Enterprise is under attack, you raise the shields to protect it.

Here’s how I want to use this illustration for us to understand the heart of stone.
To raise the shields, you must divert power from the warp engines, you can no longer go the speed of light.
It slows you down, and you can’t maneuver well.
If I allow walls to go up, I am going to sacrifice ability and power.
I now spend my time and energy trying to keep my walls up.

What else can’t happen when the shields are up? You can’t use the transport – no one can get in and no one can get out while the shields are up.
If my defenses are up, I can’t share who I am with people.
I spend all my energy keeping others out, but it also keeps me captive.

What happens when people throw temper tantrums?
Everyone around them backs off – they get their way - they gain control.
What about when I slip into my silent treatment?

How is a Heart of Stone formed?
Frequently it starts to form within the first six years of our lives, without realizing it – that is we don’t consciously realize we harden our hearts towards others.
It develops out of our earliest experiences of frustration and disappointment.
Because of my Adamic nature, I sinfully respond to frustration and disappointment, and painful experiences. I learn to harden off.

Maybe a parent responds to our need in an angry frustrated way – a child cries, but no one helps - we learn to build a wall of protection around our heart.

We all form stony hearts - But to the degree that there is affection, laughing, and prayer in a family, the heart of stone can be softened.
To the degree these qualities are missing, the heart of stone hardens quickly and becomes closed off.

The results are that within a family the heart of stone refuses love and intimacy.
Inside relationships, it keeps people at a distance.
In the Body of Christ, we don’t get close to anyone, it doesn’t allow unity to thrive.

Then we suffer from physical problems, high blood pressure, ulcers, tension headaches, fibromyalgia, etc.
We feel isolated, lonely, that no one cares, no one really knows me.
Is it any wonder that the sins of the Fathers visit to the 3rd and 4th generation?
Ps.95:8 “Do not harden your heart….”

It’s interesting to me some of the most hard hearted people towards the things of God are people who have attended church most of their life.
Mar. 6:52 “they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
Mr 3:5 The man with a withered hand. “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts…”
Mr 16:14 “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”

When my heart is hard, I CAN’T minister to others with the heart of the Father.
It comes out as religion. 1Cor.13

How do we become free from a Heart of Stone?
First we need to take a look back to see and understand how this stony heart was formed. Holy Spirit where is this coming from?

Confession and Repentance: I need to confess and repent from my sinful reaction to frustration and disappointment.
I need to confess and repent for wounding loved ones, and for wounding the heart of God.
Forgiveness: I need to forgive my parents or whom-ever frustrated me, and
I need to forgive myself for the damage I caused to others.

Prayer time: God we ask for you to break our hearts of stone and to place that hart of flesh within us.
Show us those places where we became hard hearted.
Let the oil of your Spirit be poured out on us again.
Continue to place Your Spirit within us – Baptize us in your Holy Spirit again.
Help us not to allow ourselves to be ruled by our feelings and emotions.
Help us yield to Your Spirit.