Blindness of Heart

“If you can’t be told, you have to feel.” Part deux.

Which simply means, if words alone aren’t enough to warn you away from poor behavior or choices, then you’ll have to feel the consequences, which may include punishment, in order to learn.

But what happens when you are beyond even feeling?

Ephesians 4:18-19
(18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
(19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

Blindness of heart, being past feeling, looking greedily for opportunities to sin, to be fully given over to the lusts of the flesh…what does that even look like?

1 Kings 16:30
(30) And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
(31) And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
(32) And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
(33) And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

When you get past feeling, there’s not much that can reach you to get your attention. You’ve thrown caution to the wind. You act on impulse, whatever feels or seems good- you do it, and whatever doesn’t feel good you ignore. What used to prick your conscience doesn’t even phase you now.

Blindness of heart is a pretty serious description, and it is mentioned twice. It is defined as stupidity or callousness. Purposely turning your heart away from that which is right. The warning here: don’t take sin lightly. Walking in the ways of others who have sinned before you never justifies your choices. You could end up doing worse things than anyone you used to mimic. 

Things didn’t turn out so well for Ahab, or his wife, by the way.

It’s easy to shake off or ignore godly counsel and warnings, thinking that those people just don’t understand you, or your circumstances, or that they’re old fashioned, or just plain ignorant to the ways of the world. I know from experience that being open to reproof and rebuke can save you a world of trouble before you’re led down the wrong path. Those who would reach out are usually doing so out of love.

“If you can’t be told, you have to feel.” 

Don’t allow blindness of heart to move you past feeling, and be drawn into evil ways and sin. 

Who might be trying to speak life into you that you’ve previously ignored or shrugged off?