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The Cement Jesus in our Heart
April 3, 2022
by Dan Li
[See also the devotion from My Utmost For His Highest, for April 1st (here also) which speaks of this hardness towards God and a resulting despair towards others.]
I believe there is a hardening of our hearts that can happen when we begin to walk by the light of our own thoughts and mind instead of by the mind and heart of the Lord. Scripture tells us that we are one Spirit with God, if we are His, if we are saved, if the Holy Ghost dwells in us (1 Cor 6:17; Rom 8:7-11).
I think when a person has to deal with the false things, false-teachings, that are entering in among Christians and Christian groups, it shakes us some and produces a desire in us to firm one’s self up. But I think we must be careful that the motivator of this is not some temptation to fear or doubt that we act upon- that is, a fear that one might slip, being human and fallible (not acknowledging we are held by the power of God, doubting that God keeps or holds us by His own power and not by our own hand).
We were saved when God drew us – God was the one who initiated, Scripture is clear about the initiator being God. “Of His own will, He brought us forth…” and, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world…” (Eph 1:4-6;11; James 1:16-18; 1 Cor 6:14; 1 Jn 4:19; Rom 5:8; 2 Thess 2:13). Yet, because of this increasingly unstable world we live in, and the increase of the falling away (2 Thess 2:3) of those who have named the name of Christ, there is a temptation to try to sure one’s self up by hardening into what we know of Jesus/God. I believe that is giving place, or giving in to the temptation, that we are unstable ourselves, when in truth, we are founded upon the Rock, Jesus Christ, Who of His own will chose us.
I think this can get between us and the Lord, a hardening into our own picture of Jesus occurs in order to guard ourselves; yet not relying on Him, not relying on being in Him, not relying on the Holy Ghost’s keeping of us (“Who are kept by the power of God through faith…” 1 Pet 1:4-5). But somehow we ourselves begin to look for something to grab onto, to steady ourselves, giving in to that temptation to doubt instead of just standing firm. At that moment, we begin to walk by the natural, the natural mind, yet assuring ourselves that we are walking in Jesus, when we are walking in DOUBT. It is the result of giving place to some doubt, and we ‘put feet to it’ when we attempt to steady ourselves instead of trusting in God’s keeping power.
It is a diabolical deception by the enemy, a method of getting us to doubt in God, and not trust Him to keep us, to get us to rely instead upon ourselves in some area of our life instead of God – a recipe for disaster. “Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? … Having begun in the Spirit, are you now perfected by the flesh?”(Gal 3:1-3). All works of the flesh, including any attempt to fix one’s self, any attempt to sure one’s self up apart from simply going to God in prayer by faith and asking for His grace, are enmity against God (Rom 9:15-16; Rom 8:5-7). God has not chosen the flesh, our own arm, to save us, not at all, not initially when first saved, and not as we walk out our life.
We become hardened in our heart against wrong, but by steadying one’s self, we put ourselves as an idol between us and our living relationship, the constantly flowing, ongoing walk with Jesus in faith and trust. Consequently, we increasingly begin to rely more and more on ourselves, as if we could ever keep ourselves walking aright with God! This is the beginning of a parting with the living person of Jesus, away from a personal relationship with Him through faith. The living, trusting, loving relationship with Jesus becomes cold and hard, or fearful and doubty, and confused.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7). This is a Scripture that is well known to most Christians, yet if we don’t consider that Scripture with our hearts and DO it, it becomes of no effect to us in our hearts, not having been applied by faith with action (James 2:18-26, Heb 4:2). God’s Word becomes to us ‘just so many words’, instead of the life-giving power in us, changing us. Because, we have not really applied it to our hearts by faith with action. Hardness towards God and His Word is the eventual effect.
In response to the shaking that happens when false doctrine comes around, we attempt to protect ourselves by hardening ourselves in our own image of Jesus in our hearts, instead trusting the actual person of Jesus in us by the Holy Ghost. Those 2 things are very different. One is the living God, the other is our image we have made of Him. We begin to look to and trust in our image of Him. Did God not command the Israelites saying, you shall not make any images (that includes God, or our image of God) in any way? (Ex 20:4-6; Deut 5:8; Is 44:9-11; Lev 26:1). He did indeed, because He wanted a living relationship with His people, not a man-made image of Himself by the work of our imagination or our hands, but a real, walking, living, speaking – relationship with us. If they back then were not to make an image of God to worship, but instead to have a living relationship with Him, why in the world would we, who have the presence of Jesus Christ in our hearts by the Holy Ghost living in us, ever want to have an image of Jesus in our hearts, rather than the actual person of Jesus? Scriptures teach us that we have access to the very throne room of God by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, able to boldly approach the throne of God and ask for grace from God (Heb 4:16). So, why do we instead harden-up an image of Jesus in our hearts? Doubt.
Shaken by something false, some false teaching, some sin, some other Christian failing, we attempt to sure ourselves up, not relying on the actual person of Jesus to help us by His keeping power; but we help ourselves, by our own arm, our own mind and intellect, because of the temptation to doubt God. It is doubt acted upon, doubt-in-action. It was pointed out to me recently that God’s answer to doubt was, ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27b; 1 Tim 2:8) (repent of doubt and believe), look again unto Jesus, recall the former things, hold firm to the faith we do have and stand-fast – not to shore ourselves up in some way by our own arm, but instead trust God to hold us and keep us. (Heb 12:2; Rev 3:2-3; 1 Cor 15:1-2; 2 Pet 3:1; 2 Pet 1:12-13; Heb 10:32; 2 Pet 1:6; Heb 4:14; Heb 10:23; Rev 2:25-26). “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their own lives even unto the death.” (Rev 12:11). The word of our testimony is not a testimony of what we have done, but what He alone has done in us, it is our testimony of Jesus’ work and presence in us.
The Bible, in Jude 20-21, does tell us to “build-up yourselves on the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” – yes, spending time with God in prayer in the Holy Ghost does that – but not by making an image of Jesus, the picture of who we think He is, instead of He Himself dwelling in us. For, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20).
Time to repent and return to Jesus, the person of Jesus, in prayer. Time to repent of doubt and stand firm in faith upon Jesus, trusting Him. Recall the former times when you were enlightened (when you first came to know Jesus because He revealed Himself to you back then). Recall these times in faith (Heb 4:14; Heb 10:23; Rev 3:2-3).
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:4-5)
Some Related Scriptures:
“And the residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image: he falls down unto it, and worships it, and prays unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. 19 And none considers in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:17-20)
“We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!” …
“Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?” Jer 8:15,19b
