How do you know if your heart is becoming hard? How do you know if you are keeping your heart soft and focused on God? Here is a way you can check the condition of your heart.
Can you Submit?
Can you submit to God, to people, and to those in authority over you? An immediate sign of a hard heart is problems with authority. Teenagers aren't the only people who have problems with authority. In fact, most teens reflect their perception of what they have seen in their parents.
The teen with problems at school probably has a father who says, "Where's my fuzz-buster? I don't want to obey the law. I just want to make sure I don't get busted by the law." Purchasing equipment to purposefully break the law does not reflect godly character.
If you break the law and get a ticket, you should say, "Thank you, officer. I was breaking the law. I deserve to reap what I have sown. Give me the ticket." Don't make excuses and try to talk your way out of it.
James 4:6-8 says, "He gives more grace...'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
If you are double-minded, you cannot focus on God. Trust God with all your heart. Open up to Him with willingness to submit to authority, leadership, and other people.
Submission is evidence of a focused heart. When you resist and become defensive, realize your heart may be hardening toward the things of God.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers