Hinderances to our Christian Walk Acts ch 28v27 For the people’s Hearts have become Calloused, they hardly hear with their ears and have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with theirs hearts and turn, and i would heal them. Three things are mentioned here… The heart, The eyes and The ears. A calloused heart is explained as Emotionally hardened, Unfeeling and Indifference to the needs and sufferings of others. Our World is full of selfish people within and outside of the Church. Those in need are often frowned upon as it is believed they bought it upon themselves. Some state that the Government should do more to provide for the needs of its people, and some believe that the leaders of those Countries where there is suffering should deal with their own problems and not depend on handouts; yet the individual does nothing to help those in need. In reality, as christians we called upon to care for the poor, the weak and the needy. If we do not have a heart of love and compassion, the desire to meet people at the point of their need; then we close ourselves to Gods love, grace and blessing. James focussed a lot in his book in the bible concerning the importance of actively living your Faith by providing for the needs of others James ch 2v14-18 What good is it,my brother, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?Can such Faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says Go, i wish you well; keep warm and well fed. but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead, but someone will say you have Faith; i have deeds, show me your Faith without deeds, and i will show you my Faith by what I do. Helping others is good but we must also be careful that we don’t do our acts of Faith to receive human praise, honour and notice. Our heart must be sincere and our faith walk righteous at all times. In the same way we need to be careful so as not to be over generous, it can feel good at the time, but it is equally important that we pay our bills and provide for the physical and emotional needs of our family also. Time and a listening ear are as valuable as food and clothing in providing care to someone in need. Sincerity of heart is vitally important anyone can sniff out a fake, (someone who does not truly want to help or support you). What we choose to see and hear can effect our Christian Walk too. We can go to Church every Sunday and sit in a meeting without actually growing in our Faith or changing for the better. Church should be our Training ground, we are Gods workmanship but we need to become mature and holy through the growth and development of our Christian Faith. Sometimes we as a believer refuse to acknowledge what is being taught or ministered because it hits a nerve and we don’t like to admit our faults. Every child needs to be guided and disciplined in order to become an upstanding member of society within the home as well as outside of it. When we mess up it is hard to swallow, but when we learn from our mistakes and make positive choices we can become better people who are truly blessed as a result. Our eyes take in so much more than we register in our waking hours. Most of the information we take in is stored and sorted out by our subconscious while we sleep. If we fill our minds by sight and hearing with things that are contrary to Gods will, purpose and way. We can be polluted and influenced by the world around us, the company we keep, the things we focus our attention on; will affect us, and if those things are not of God they hinder our Christian growth and Gods ability to work in and through us for the better. The biggest hinderance to any person is themselves and how we live and conduct our lives will affect those around us for better or for worse, and when our focus is not on God it is usually for the worse. To be Christ centred and Righteous is hard for anyone as Christ so eloquently put it… Luke ch 9v23 Then Jesus said to them “ if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me” The choice to follow God is a daily one and isn’t always easy but God can bring us through. God loves a servants heart, one that desires to help others, to learn from their mistakes and gain new skills along the journey. As a child i was taught a simple chorus about JOY which is explained as … J: Jesus first ( his will, his way, his purpose ) Y: yourself last ( not proud, selfish or unteachable ) O: others in between ( putting others first ) We can find real Joy and contentment when we cater to the needs of others. Ask God to once again soften our hearts to the needs of those around us, to choose to have open eyes and ears daily before God, to be teachable and not to surround ourselves with things that distract us from Gods purpose. In conclusion 1 Timothy ch 4v15-16 Be diligent in these matters, give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress, watch your life and doctrine closely, persevere in them, if you do you will save yourself and your hearers. AMEN