My heart is so hardened

Even in this life people get 2nd chances. Not only that, but 10th, 100th, 1,000th, etc.

Even - apostates - (1 Tim.1:19-20) were being given another chance:

19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.
20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

Luke 17:4
Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Love covers a - multitude - of sins.

***Above all***, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

"Mercy triumphs over judgement" - Love Omnipotent (God)

You cannot sin beyond the ability of God's grace to save you:

"where sin increased, grace abounded all the more"

"I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven"

If you want to know how much God loves you, look to the incarnation, life, sufferings, and crucifixion of Christ. His love & power for you are greater than the size of the universe:

aiki said:

I have been a proponent of the OSAS view for most of my adult life (I'm past fifty now)

Click to expand...

REVELATION.3: = The Lukewarm Church
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

Gold refined by fire symbolizes the sanctification work of the Holy Spirit of God, ie to make the Christians pure/refined = to be without unclean sins/evil-deeds/law-breaking, especially Gentile Christians.

White garments symbolizes the atoning/cleansing of fallen Man's inherited Adam's Original Sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, ie fallen Man are born with dirty/unclean/sinful garments and they need to put on the white garments of Christ, in order to be saved from hell.

God will spit out unrepentant Christians who do not have both.

Gentile Christians who have put on the white garments of Christ but have ignorantly committed sins, eg by following the false OSAS doctrine, suffered for their sins and then repented will still be saved.

discipler7 said:

But as long as they keep the faith in Jesus Christ/God-in-the-flesh, like Job, they will still be saved from hell when they die.(JOHN.3:14-18)

Click to expand...

aiki said:

Which means that they are saved, not by the atoning work of Christ on the cross, but ultimately by their own ability to "keep the faith." This is works-salvation which the Bible flatly rejects.

Click to expand...

2TIMOTHY.4: = Paul’s Valedictory
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Wrt works-salvation, please read GALATIANS.2 & 3 about salvation/justification by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of keeping the Law or Moses Law.
....... There is no law that says "You shall keep your faith in Jesus Christ".

Even though knowing better many years ago I pushed my sin to the limit. All the while knowing inside someday I would pay for this. When I think about those times I am still sickened and sad.

A healthy conscience is a good thing. Keeps the sinner from repeating the same sins over and over again.

Today we want to finish the good race.

Oh God please have mercy on me a sinner.

M-Bob

Invalidusername said:

I fell into a long season of willful sins and when I realized what I was doing I tried to repent of it. I was able to physically repent of my sins in the manner of simply not doing them anymore. I was able to quit my addictions and etc. but my soul still has a void in the inside. I think I even remember a time when I sensed the Holy Spirit left me. I keep praying and praying and interceding but God does not answer. I search for him diligently but he will not be found by me.

When I quit all of my sins it just left a void in my heart. Since I have nothing to replace my sin since God left me, I can't enjoy my victory over sin. I think I have done Hebrews 6 where I cannot ever repent truly from the inside out again. There is a sin unto death and you should listen to the Bible warning about it. It's been 1 year now and I still have no resolution. Almost everyone else I see in the same predicament as me(truly born again and fell away) are in the same state as me feeling spiritually dead.

If you want to give me a story about a backslider who was restored, don't bother because most of those stories are only superficial believers who fell away. I think I am a true born again believer as described in Hebrews 6 and I truly fell away. I don't even feel fear anymore. Just consuming apathy. The second death is here and now.

Click to expand...

This is just another way the enemy comes to kill steel and destroy us.....there is no condemnation to those who are Christ, which you are. There is a great deal of apathy in God's people...they are worn and weary and the evil you see everyday on the news has taken its toll on the moral of many and it just makes you wonder how much longer can the world continue in the direction it is heading before we self destruct.....or Christ returns.....

But cheer up because the Bible says that God is going to pour out His Spirit and there is fixing to be an awakening in the body of Christ like never before.....the great revival is coming....God is going to stir up His people once again and He is going to heal us and free us from oppression and bondage to satan's snares that are continually laid before us.

If you like music....listening to praise and worship music can help lift your spirit...

Pray and ask God to restore your joy in Him...the Joy of the Lord IS IN FACT YOUR STRENGTH.....

Rebuke the negative thoughts....command satan to get behind you! Take authority over the enemy in your life....

Find someone that needs ministering to and share your story.....
And Just hang in there and get ready for the Latter Rain for it is coming!
I will pray for you....I just came through this same thing in my life. What I learned is that 99.9% of what I thought was apathy or no zeal for serving God was just the Holy Spirit bringing me through the trial by fire of my faith and that it caused me to seek Him..and the more I sought Him the more my heart changed and then one day I found Him....I heard His voice and it was so wonderful to hear Him speaking to me again.

God Bless.

Invalidusername said:

I read the Bible but the words don't speak to me like they used to with the Holy Spirit's promptings. I miss that.

Click to expand...

Some modern-day Christians may be falsely believing that they become like "born-again" robots that are miraculously and powerfully animated, prompted, directed, manipulated, remote-controlled, telepathy'ed, etc directly by the Holy Spirit of God.
....... Such Christians seem to have desired to be like the powerful apostles of Christ and Old Testament prophets = easily misled into errors and sins.

Maybe, the Holy Spirit of God mostly works in the life of Christians through the commandments/Law/Word of God = the Bible, ie to sanctify/cleanse from sins and kept saved(from hell). According to the Bible, only during the time of Moses, the prophets and Jesus Christ, did the Holy Spirit of God worked miraculously with power, eg spoke directly to the apostles(at ACTS.2 & 9) and prophets, healed, exorcised, raised the dead, created miracles, etc.

discipler7 said:

God will spit out unrepentant Christians who do not have both.

Click to expand...

And why must "spit you out of my mouth" mean "rescind my salvation of you"? Are we to think God drinks us like a cup of tea, or carries us about in His mouth? Are we to think that when God saves us He drinks us like water, or slurps us up like a bowl of soup? Obviously not. If we wanted to distort the analogy, though, we could certainly draw these sorts of odd conclusions. What is the analogy of spewing something lukewarm out of the mouth supposed to communicate to us, then? At most, it seems to me, we can conclude that spiritual tepidness disgusts God. I don't see, though, why God being disgusted with spiritual lukewarmness should equate to being cast out of His family. All sin, big or small, willful or not, He hates. Is God going to undo the salvation of any of His children who sin in any way whatsoever, then? If we want to say being lukewarm results in this effect, we would have to say that all sin has the same effect. But we don't see this being the case in the New Testament. Paul wrote to the Corinthians as fellow believers but he rebuked them sharply for their very willful - and gross - sin (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 5, 6, 11:17-30). He did the same to the Galatian believers (Galatians 5:13-15). And to the Ephesian Christians. (Ephesians 4:17-32) I don't see, then, that the phrase "spew you out of my mouth" must mean "cast you out of my family."

discipler7 said:

White garments symbolizes the atoning/cleansing of fallen Man's inherited Adam's Original Sin

Click to expand...

I don't believe man inherited Adam's "original sin." Scripture teaches that we all have a inclination toward sin, a "sin nature," as consequence of the Fall, but we are not held guilty of Adam's sin from birth. (Ezekiel 18:20)

discipler7 said:

2TIMOTHY.4: = Paul’s Valedictory
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Wrt works-salvation, please read GALATIANS.2 & 3 about salvation/justification by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of keeping the Law or Moses Law.
....... There is no law that says "You shall keep your faith in Jesus Christ".

Click to expand...

Paul "kept the faith" as a consequence of the power of God at work in him by the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:13
13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Paul, then, had nothing whatever of which to boast. His keeping of the faith was ultimately God's doing, not his.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--
31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."

"Keeping the faith" is not, then, a prerequisite of salvation but the happy - and inevitable - consequence of it.

Invalidusername said:

I never once said that... ? I'm not an OSAS guy....

Click to expand...

My apologies, wrong poster.

@Invalidusername Hey, I was just reading the bible and these verses made me think about you. Praying you're doing better.

4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
7For there are three that testify:
8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.
10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Invalidusername said:

My heart is hardened still.

I pray everyday for God to forgive me and grant me true repentance but he is not answering.

Thank you for the verses. Appreciate it.

Click to expand...

Hey man going through the same thing. I posted on my page everything that happened. I grew up in the church and at 16 I fell in love with god. I read my Bible every day for an hour or sometimes more because I loved it. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to scripture and I was in bed every night worshiping god and thanking him for salvation. I grew up in church but it was 16 when it became crystal clear to me. He changed me and all my bad habits. I still struggled with inappropriate content but brought that to him every time and repented. Slowly I started flirting with other sin. It started as messaging girls and talking about sexual acts. That let to me doing sexual acts with a particular person and soon after I spiraled down in sin and intentionally ignored the callings of the Holy Spirit to turn back. Some times I would resist but I kept all my sins to myself so it made it easy to fall. I felt like the Holy Spirit told me there would be consequences if I continued. This continued for awhile and I ended up getting completely depressed and couldn’t feel God at all so I doubted him. A friend showed me an apologist called Ravi Zacharias. I started watching his videos and my faith in God and Jesus came back strong. I haven’t felt as close since then, and I’ve been really lazy in Pershing God and had been on and off struggling with inappropriate content and occasionally sin involving someone else, usually it would be them sending pictures. I started to read Hebrews 6 and 10 and felt 100% condemned to hell. I’ve talked to about 6 people personally and really seeking God for forgiveness. I think what is happening is definitely the devil trying to trick us and make us believe it’s over. I’m 24 now btw. These past two days I’ve seen improvement. Ive has terrible fear and anxiety the past two weeks. But yesterday I just worshiped God even feeling like he hated me. It’s all lies from the devil. I had the story come to me about peter walking to Jesus on the water, when he looked at the waves he started sinking and crying out to God and immediately he was saved by Jesus. I felt like God told me I wasn’t completely hardened like the Pharisees and that God still loved me. I remembered peter was also the one to deny Jesus 3 times. That was after seeing ALL his miracles. We haven’t seen God in person and yes we both fell into sin, but I believe if we seek him even when we don’t feel it, we will eventually find him and realize all he wanted was us to direct our hearts to him. Since then I had doubted what happened to me yesterday and felt anxiety again. Today after reading all these posts and seeing I’m not alone comforts me. You are not alone! I will not stop seeking. Try worshiping to him even if you don’t feel it. I did that this morning too and I feel like slowly he’s going to build me up.


1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife.
2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 5:1-5

I did research and when he says deliver over to satan it means kick out of the church but in order that he comes back to repentance. I believe Hebrews verses could just be talking about Jewish Christians who were wanting to go back to animals sacrifices instead of trust Jesus.

If a man was sleeping with his fathers wife, he was probably doing it continually. He was kicked out so that he could realize his fault and come back. I believe we can do the same if we repent and want to come back.

Will keep pressing on and hopefully have even better news for you down the road. Keep going, it is worth it. It’s all we can do.

Dave L said:

If you did a Hebrews 6, you wouldn't be concerned in the least. The fact that you are concerned means you're still with us. The joy returns as you act out in unconditional love for others and stop obsessing over self.

Click to expand...

That's right. You haven't gone there.

This is deception you are under. If you are in Christ, there is NO CONDEMNATION. Tell that voice or those thoughts to SHUT UP. Out loud if you have to. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Then get into the Word of God. Renew your mind instead of ponder these lying thoughts.

Invalidusername said:

I fell into a long season of willful sins and when I realized what I was doing I tried to repent of it. I was able to physically repent of my sins in the manner of simply not doing them anymore. I was able to quit my addictions and etc. but my soul still has a void in the inside. I think I even remember a time when I sensed the Holy Spirit left me. I keep praying and praying and interceding but God does not answer. I search for him diligently but he will not be found by me.

When I quit all of my sins it just left a void in my heart. Since I have nothing to replace my sin since God left me, I can't enjoy my victory over sin. I think I have done Hebrews 6 where I cannot ever repent truly from the inside out again. There is a sin unto death and you should listen to the Bible warning about it. It's been 1 year now and I still have no resolution. Almost everyone else I see in the same predicament as me(truly born again and fell away) are in the same state as me feeling spiritually dead.

If you want to give me a story about a backslider who was restored, don't bother because most of those stories are only superficial believers who fell away. I think I am a true born again believer as described in Hebrews 6 and I truly fell away. I don't even feel fear anymore. Just consuming apathy. The second death is here and now.

Click to expand...

God made Israel suffer 430 years under Egypt, then after having them led out of captivity they did another 40 years wondering in the wilderness, then darned if they didn't do 2000 years for rejecting Christ..., yet He has not given up on them. The silence you hear is because of your needs, not of Jesus. He knows that your return can't be considered frivolous and He knows you better than you do. No, it is because of you. Your feelings that need fixing. YOU feel that your sins are greater than He can forgive which is putting your beliefs above His power. NO, you don't hear the Lord because the Lord is waiting for you to realize that He is greater than you and that your salvation is not from your deeds, but the gift from Him to you. Stop fretting and just start living the life of Christ before others. Don't worry about what you did. Focus on what you need to do. Your salvation has already been secured by your belief in Jesus Christ as Lord, just live it day to day. Give to others because it is right to do. Go to others because they need you. Live for others and just do it because it is righteous before God.

Invalidusername said:

Thank you for your prayers. I don't know if I or God can fix my empty heart. I think God can revoke His gift of salvation to a child who is disobedient. It matches the parables Jesus says. I just wish God had been patient with me a bit longer. But then again He knows my stubbornness better than I do.

Click to expand...

Remember when Jesus talks about the parable of the guy who was put in charge of his master’s house while he was gone? I’m typing fast and not looking up the verse right now. He talks about how while his master was gone he started to beat the servants and start partying and drinking. He said his master will come at an hour he does not know and send him with the unfaithful. He’s talking about the last days.

So basically someone who is a believer can start doing bad and if they’re not abiding in Christ upon his return, then he will be punished. But let’s say someone changes their life around before jesus’s Return, then they will be saved I believe.

The point is, no one will know when he is returning so we need to pursue him while we can! We can always turn back and repent. Jesus said the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Read it in the book of mark.
I don’t think it’s ignoring the Holy Spirit. I think it is clear in mark. If we ignore the Holy Spirit it becomes harder and harder to hear but I think if we turn away from our sins he can help us to start hearing again.

When people read Hebrews they think it means there’s no way back after we leave so they say “hmm that must be blasphemy of the Holy Spirit then”. When in reality he says things like ,if they turn away it’s impossible to bring them back to repentance. I’m pretty sure he’s saying WE as people can’t bring them back, which is why some got kicked out of the church because only GOD can bring them back to repentance.

And Hebrews 12 is talking about how Esau wanted the blessing again, not repentance. He couldn’t get the blessing because it was already given to someone else.

And Hebrews 10 says if we go on deliberately sinning there no longer remains a sacrifice. So if you stop “go on deliberately sinning” and repent then God will accept you back. I don’t believe it’s ever to late to come back even if you’re just motivated by hell. Jesus Warned about hell for a reason. He doesn’t want anyone to go and it’s a great motivator if someone is at their lowest point. If someone’s heart is completely hard, that means they HATE God and don’t care what happens they will never turn back to him. There are people like this.

This is all my opinion so don’t take my word for it. I’m in the same spot as you and this is what I’m learning. And I’m realizing that no matter what you hear from people, everyone has their own opinion. You need to just seek and trust that if God still loves you he will make a way. Try worshiping even if you don’t feel something at first. Even if you aren’t sure if you’re lost or not, out of faith worship. Because if you aren’t lost I know you will encounter God if you step out in faith. Not having faith would look like you not trying at all. God bless.

Invalidusername said:

My heart is hardened still.

I pray everyday for God to forgive me and grant me true repentance but he is not answering.

Thank you for the verses. Appreciate it.

Click to expand...

Did quitting your sins soften your heart at all? Like help with ur emotions motivation and apathy overall even a little

Invalidusername said:

I know my post makes me sound concerned but I have an consuming apathy right now. I can't bring myself to really care about it on the emotional or spiritual level. It's all intellectual.



I'm not giving up but if it's impossible then it's impossible.

Click to expand...

I think you may be focusing to much on emotions. The Holy Spirit isn't ONLY about emotions. Jesus actually says that the job of the Holy spirit is to "remind us of everything that Jesus taught". (John 14:26) If you want to find the Holy spirit again, then I suggest you read the four gospels where Jesus is teaching the world. Once you start putting these teachings into practice, then you will see the spirit baptize (cover) you.

Besides, what do you got to lose?

In peace

Nigel said:

You need to just seek and trust that if God still loves you he will make a way. Try worshiping even if you don’t feel something at first. Even if you aren’t sure if you’re lost or not, out of faith worship. Because if you aren’t lost I know you will encounter God if you step out in faith. Not having faith would look like you not trying at all. God bless.

Click to expand...

Good advice for people. I'd add on to that not to just give God 10 minutes and say well I prayed or worshiped for he said he's the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Some people will give television or entertainment 2-3 hours a day but God gets under 30 minutes. Maybe it might be good if we switched that around? Not that we can't enjoy a time of entertainment but shouldn't we all ask ourselves....generally speaking....who is getting more of our time? God...or the world? This isn't something we have to do either....but something we get to do.