Cold-Hearted Killer

Acts 7 is the story of the church's very first martyr, Stephen. What a man of God! This morning, I was reminded of him in a devotional by A.W. Tozer, “My Daily Pursuit.”  The passage in Acts says,  

"Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Those words “…gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God…” Stephen was a man who was filled with the Holy Spirit and on fire toward the things of God, for God would not allow a man with any other posture to see His glory. There were two phrases that captured my thoughts that Tozer shared. First, he writes, “The shining face of Stephen has done more to illuminate the church of the living God than 10,000 theologians and cold teachers of the law.” His second statement is as penetrating as the first, “We need men and women today who are willing to push in and beat their way past the flesh, the world and the devil, and cold Christians and deacons and elders.” Again, Tozer uses the word “cold” to describe those who have no Spiritual flame or passion. 

Things that are hot radiate heat; they burn. Things that are cold, if not dying, are already dead. In Luke 6:45, Jesus said, “... for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” In my own words, if you want to know what is within a person's heart, listen to what he says and watch what he does. Every word and behavior communicates what is going on beneath the surface of the water. With more conviction, take a look within the dark shadows of your own heart. 

How does one change the spiritual temperature of their heart? 

1. Ask the Lord for Help 

There are two directions that doubt can take us. Towards the Lord or away from Him. In Matthew 14:30, Peter is walking on water towards who? Jesus. He starts to struggle as the text says, "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” He was afraid, and in the midst of his fear, he cried out to the Lord to do what only the Lord can do... save him. Romans 10:13, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” This is in salvation but also in temptation. It is the Lord who saves. He is the one who can change the darkest of hearts. How do I know? Well, I’ve experienced Him changing mine.

Oh weary Christian, how quickly we have forgotten that our Father is the “good shepherd.” It is He Who “...will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart…” It is He Who “leads me beside still waters.” When you are hurting, trust Him. When you are lost, seek Him; when you are cold, ask Him, and He will do what only He can to revive your wayward heart. 

2. Obey Truth Over Feelings

There is so much about theology that I have yet to learn. It seems as if some people think all they have to do is pray that prayer, and they are good to go. That it involves no human energy whatsoever. Well, Paul tells Timothy to “discipline” himself for godliness, to work and toil. Jeremiah tells us that we will “seek him and find him…” but only after we seek with ALL of our hearts. James tells us to be “doers” of the Word. In my own opinion, God provides the shovel, but we must dig the hole. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are told to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, or they will be thrown into the fiery furnace. Obey man, dishonor the Lord, or die. Pretty simple. What did they do? They refused to dishonor God and disobeyed pagan men. As they stand before the king, death impending, they say, "If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” We believe that God can deliver us from death, “but if not,” we will die obeying what he has commanded. Their obedience was not dependent on anything other than their authentic love for God. 

Why is your heart cold? It might be because you don’t know the Lord. Sure, you said a prayer when you were five cause you didn’t want to go to hell, but your life looks no different. Nothing has changed. If you were truly changed, you may have seasons of sin and regret (just like me), but you’ll forever be following Jesus. That is not judgmental; that is caring enough to bring it up.

Or you might know the Lord, truly, but you’ve snacked at the table of the world for so long that you have lost your appetite for the things of God. You no longer know what good, healthy food is. If your loyalty to God is only dependent on how you feel about any subject, Christ is not your King; your emotions are. A heart that follows Jesus is a heart that experiences the passion that comes with “tasting” and “seeing” that the Lord is good. Commit to following the Lord when you feel like it and when you don’t. 

3. Take a Look in the Mirror 

First, do some self-assessment. As I just mentioned, James 1:23, 24 says, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” If you can’t be honest with yourself and the reality of who you are, you will continue to be what you’ve always been: a spiritual baby, completely dependent on others for everything. 

If I never showered, brushed my teeth, wore deodorant, and continually ignored all other personal hygiene, you would not only hate being around me, you’d go out of your way to avoid me. So, it is spiritually to those who ignore the mirror of God’s Word and fail to make the adjustments that require godliness and the benefits thereof. To become effective in God’s Kingdom, we must look in the mirror, repent of our sins, adjust our ways, and experience the passion that comes with an obedient heart. When people neglect self-assessment over a long period of time, the same thing happens to them as what happens to an airplane one degree off target: A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DESTINATION. 

When we fail to look in the mirror and ask why we lack passion for the things of God, we will eventually be overcome with sin, and it will leave our hearts cold and frozen towards the things in life that matter the most. It is not the Lord who left our presence; it was us with our prone-to-wander hearts. 

Secondly, and just as important, surround yourself with friends who make you a better man or woman. Hebrews 13:7, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” In that same vein, Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety…” Find people who LOVE you, but they are not IMPRESSED by you. They ask hard questions out of a heart of love and concern. Too often, we look for people who AFFIRM our choices but fail to CONFRONT them. It’s People you can trust who see your blind spots. They are not above you; they are beside you, and you should do with them as they shall do with you. 

We can protect ourselves from becoming cold-hearted by looking in the mirror and adjusting our ways. Don’t ask for shelter during the storm; ask for shelter before it arrives. General Norman Schwarzkopf said, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” 

4. Count Your Blessings 

Jim Collins, the famous author and leadership guru, has a famous line on how the mighty fall; he says it's by “…an undisciplined pursuit of more…” Wanting more and more is something that is carved on the heart of every American and really every human being around the world. And I believe it’s also the ingredient for a wayward heart. Our greed and pride have left us in a place of complacency. We chase idols, we get them, they lose their allure, and we go after the next. Days turn into weeks, weeks into years, years into a life. All we have to show for them is an empty heart laying in a six-foot hole of our own selfishness.

Counting your blessings means that you slow down and recognize ALL that God has given you daily, predominately through His Son, Jesus. Ephesians 2:10 says, “...you were dead in the trespasses and sins…” Jonathan Edwards said,"'You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” Your heart changes when you truly know who you are and what you deserve. Hard times become opportunities. Thankfulness becomes your posture, loving others your mission. The love of Jesus sets you free from the bondage of yourself. When that happens, your heart is no longer cold; it is ALIVE! It beats to the rhythm of AMAZING GRACE.

Tozer ends his devotional with these words, “Those who have truly seen Christ in His glory have eyes for nothing else.” King David said, "Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” If you want to walk with Jesus and experience His life-changing glory, pray and ask Him to save you, change you, and make you like Him. Worship and obey God when you feel like it and when you don’t. Stop, look in the mirror, and adjust your ways. And finally, know who you are and what you deserve, and may that bring you to a place of praising God for ALL He has done and will do in your life.