Is you Heart turning to Stone?
Your warm smile and personality may fool people for a while but your heart will eventually give you away. The tiny pebble of bitterness is so small it cannot be seen by the keenest spiritual eye. Some of the most wonderful people are carrying a pebble of bitterness without knowing it. My Spirit instantly detects the slightest formation of one of these pebbles. These pebbles grow in the heart over a period of time and eventually harden the entire heart to the density of stone.
It all begins with a simple offense that is not dealt with.
“It is impossible to stop offenses from coming: but woe unto him, that carries the offense!” Luke 17:1 The carrier of an offense eventually becomes poisonous to the entire body of Christ. Bitterness is first detected by temperature, because its core is ice cold! The moment you feel a coolness developing toward a person who walks in the room, you can be sure you have one of these pebbles in your heart. This is where the love of many begins to wax cold. Matthew 24:12 Deal with it quickly or you are headed for disaster. Your first outward sign is you body language. You refuse to look at them, you walk to the opposite side of the room, you refuse to laugh at their jokes and you always avoid or ignore them! If it is not dealt with, soon your tongue will not be held back and the cold hard pebble will begin to speak poison into the rest of the body.
The pebble will then grow by the hour until you cannot stay in the same room, church or company with the person. That simple little pebble will turn into a despicable hatred that not only includes the person, but even their family and friends. Eventually the very mention of their name will cause the grinding of your teeth, exploding into yours or their exodus and fulfilling the will of Satan. You will either cause a church split, walk out with a heart of stone, or cause the person to leave because the temperature is so cold! Which ever it is Satan won and you are lost and undone again. The basic rule of the kingdom is; If you will not forgive men their trespasses, offenses, or sins, neither will My Father forgive yours, Matthew 6:15.
It is very difficult to find forgiveness of this sin because a hard heart is not easily broken, and stone does not easily melt. All I can say is, “Repent of this wickedness, and pray God, and see if perhaps the thoughts in your heart may be forgiven. [23] For it is easy to perceive that your heart is in the gall of bitterness, and you are bound again by iniquity” Acts 8:22-23. There is one hope left for those with a heart of stone; you must leave the altar, and go be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present yourself to Me” Matthew 5:24. Then and then only will I give you a new heart, and a new spirit: and I will take away the stony heart, and I will give you an heart of flesh once again, Ezekiel 36:26.
Is there anyone at all you don’t want to see today? Pray and ask My Holy Spirit to reveal the pebble before it destroys you. If the pebble is not to large you still have a chance to “bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” Luke 6:28. If you can’t, your heart is already turning to stone, get help now, your dying. There is someone right now that is saying, this is crazy, I have a reason, and you are rehashing the offense, making a stronger case, like you have done a hundred times before.
I’m sorry child, but your heart is already too hard! “If you think you can judge them which offend you, and do the same thing by offending My Spirit, and not escape the judgment of My Father; Your Wrong!! [4] Your despising the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering toward you; not knowing that His goodness has been trying to lead you to repent? [5] But now your hardness and impenitent heart has stored up in your account His wrath against you in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of My Father” Romans 2:3-5.
It’s not that My Father can’t forgive you, it’s that you can’t repent because you have a heart of stone!
~ Jim Hammerle
 Jim Hammerle (1941-2017) began ministry working with David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz, founding Teen Challenge Philadelphia. 6 times in the mission field pastoring a mission ship, 15 years with tv and radio, teaching, and preaching. As a retired businessman, Jim helped to feed widows and orphans in Uganda, helping Muslims find the Jesus who fed them. He became His banker and was privileged to give His money away, wherever He decided, so he also helping to build an orphanage in Haiti and investing in lives in the USA. Totally in love with his Lord, at age 73 he served in ministry at Victory Christian Church and lived every hour listening for his Heavenly Father’s voice. Jim passed away on May 23, 2017 to be with the LORD. |
I know in and of myself I am nothing without Christ. I want to encourage someone out there who is struggling with forgiveness, love, and displaying the fruits of the spirit. You are not alone but the true transforming power needed to forgive, love, be patient, joy, peace, gentleness….is not found in you but in a Risen Savior that will supply your lack and put his love in your heart!! As it is written,
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NLT)
So if you have lost your way come and rest in Christ Our Lord!
As it is written,My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. (1 John 2:1-6 NLT)
Remember what Our Lord has said:
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:1-17 NLT)
To Our Father I give the praise and to Our Beloved Savior and King Jesus Christ! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Matthew 18:21-35 (NKJV)
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”