There are eight persons that will never be able to get God to hear and answer their petitions. These persons are known by the condition of their hearts toward God. God can only hear and bless people that respect and reflect His personality; He can never bless what He has cursed. To expect God’s blessings, you must ensure that you align with the character that God honors. If you are wondering why your prayers have not yielded expected desires, consider the condition of your heart. God responds to people to the degree that they submit to His influence and avoid the negative heart conditions discussed here. Any thing you receive outside of God’s character is a fraud and is cursed; it will either not last or will not be enjoyed in peace.
You will discover from this article that the mind of man is key to what ever a person becomes in life. The word of God is meant to help you condition your mind to function according to God’s nature so you can receive His blessings. If on the contrary you yield your heart to the conditioning that works against God’s nature, failure, disappointment, frustration, pain, and misery are inevitable. Here are eight heart conditions that God despises and can never bless. I recommend that as you go through this list, check if any of them reflects your heart condition, make a change, and you will begin to enjoy the abundant favor of God. To give you a better understanding, I have added some relevant scriptures at the end of every point discussed here.
- Stony Heart
Just like stone cannot retain water, a stony heart cannot retain the word of God. Since God’s blessings come from hiding His word in the heart and doing His will, a person with this heart condition will never partake in God’s blessings. This person receives a head knowledge of the word of God, but because he has trained his heart to live in ways contrary to God’s way, he finds more comfort in rejecting it because the stone in his heart will prevent the word from penetrating to a fertile ground. So, the word cannot find root in his heart to grow and produce fruitfulness. To be fruitful, this person must break up the fallow ground of his heart.
“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So, the LORD Almighty was very angry.” Zech. 7:11-12 (NIV)
“The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” Matt. 13:20-21 (NIV)
“For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.’” Jer. 4:3-4 (NKJV)
- Wicked Heart / Evil Heart
This is a heart that honors Satan because wickedness is Satan’s nature. Just as God and Satan do not travel on the same road, His blessings do not go along with a wicked person. God will not commit His blessings to people who are wicked, else they cause so much pain on others. The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and adds no sorrow to it. On the contrary, God is committed to destroying the wicked who choose not to repent.
“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.” Prov. 10:22 (NKJV)
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. Luke 6:43-44 (NKJV)
- Stubborn Heart
This is a heart that acknowledges God’s word, but deliberately chooses to reject it in preference for His own ways. A person with this heart never submits to the influence of God’s word. Of this sort God says, “these people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” They are like the Pharisees who say but do not do. It is not the person who hears the word that is justified, but the doer of the word. James says this kind of people deceives themselves (James 1:22). While a stony heart would love to submit to God’s word, but the precondition in his heart regrettably blocks it’s influence, a stubborn heart on the contrary willfully fights to reject God’s influence or even scoffs at it.
“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So, I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. “If my people would but listen to me,
if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!” Ps 81:11-14 (NIV)
- Doubtful Heart / Double Heart
This is a heart that hears the word but questions its power to do what it says. This often happens to people who live in the sense realm, governed by their senses, and are limited to their own human reasoning. Unless they can figure out how things would work out, they would not believe, but God often works in ways that human mind cannot fathom. This was the heart possessed by Thomas Didymus (John 20:24-25). An officer of the king of Israel in 2 Kings 7:2 is another example because he doubted when Elisha promised that within 24 hours food would be surplus in Samaria when there was severe famine in the land. Jesus could not do many miracles in His own town, Nazareth, because the people would not believe Him (Matthew 13:58). A person who doubts also has the character of a double mind. As a double minded person, he is confused about the legitimacy of God’s declarations and cannot harness the faith to act on His word so it can produce fruits.
“Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night and have no assurance of life.” Deut. 28:66 (NKJV”
“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:6-8 (NIV)
“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (NIV)
- Fearful Heart
A fearful heart is a heart that receives and believes God’s word. However, that is where he stops because he does not have the courage to take the necessary actions that would allow the word to bring out the promised blessings. Faith without works is dead. Fear is not an attribute of God, but a reflection of submission to Satan’s manipulations. Anyone that God used in the bible were people who defied fear and worked valiantly as they demonstrated the character of boldness. If you are afraid to fail, you cannot dare to try, and if you do not try, you can never move forward in life, so you remain retarded in one location.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7 (NKJV)
“The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’ Deut. 20:8 (NKJV)
- Blind Heart / Blind Mind
A blind heart is a heart that lacks discernment and cannot see the direction that God would like to lead him in pursuit of His destiny. A person with this heart is subject to severe Satan’s manipulation because he has blinded his mind. He can be used by Satan to hurt or cause harm to others and self while he feels he is justified to do so. He can be a nice person, yet he acts blindly. This person may think he knows and sees, but he does not know that he does not know. He falls into the category of blind witches. Because he never sees the way, he falls into many troubles as he only learns that the way he travels is the wrong one after he hits the wall or falls in the ditch. He needs God’s intervention to have him delivered.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps 119:105 NKJV
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Prov 4:18 (KJV)
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Cor 4:3-4 (NKJV)
- Seared Heart
A seared heart is Satan’s agent who replaces God’s truth with heresy and teaches it as the “truth” to deceive people. A person with this heart knows the truth of God but purposely distorts its intended application for personal gain. He does not only willfully reject God’s truth but deceives those who would by spreading falsehood designed to exploit the vulnerable for personal gain. Such are false prophets.
“Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” 1 Tim 4:2-4 (NIV)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time, their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)
- Proud Heart
A proud heart is a person who has made himself equal with God. This was the grave offense that Satan committed against God which lead to his downfall. A person with this heart never submits to God; he has made himself God’s rival and enemy. Therefore, the word of God never finds a place in his heart. He never sees God as part of his life; instead, he gives credit to himself for everything he has and places his trust in material possession. Read the story of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21 for an example of this.
“But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6 (NKJV)
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.” Psalm 101:5 (NKJV)
Pray this prayer today to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. When you submit to Him, He will forgive your sins and give you abundant life.
“Lord Jesus, I confess I am a sinner and believe that you died for me on the cross. Today I give you my life and invite you to come into my heart to be my Lord and personal Savior. Forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness in your precious name, amen.”
If you said that prayer, you are born again. Please join a living church in your area. If possible, please share your experience with us to encourage others.
Alfred Ogogo
Thank you for this