Changi Chapel

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1).

The Hebrew word for "reproved" in this verse refers to corrective teaching. And the words for "without remedy" mean "without a cure, without any possibility of deliverance."

This verse first tells us that hardness of heart comes as a result of rejecting repeated warnings and pushing aside all wooing of the truth. Second, it tells us that over time such hardness becomes impossible to cure.

You may ask, "What exactly is a hard heart?" It is one that is determined to resist obeying God’s Word, impossible to stir, and immune to the convictions and warnings of the Holy Spirit.

The tragic truth is that in spite of hearing fiery messages sent from heaven, multitudes of Christians do not practice what they hear. They refuse to allow God’s entry into certain areas of their lives and as they continue to hear without heeding, hardness begins to set in. 

In contrast, there are many sinners whose hardness of heart has been cured. The life of the famous atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s son illustrates this. He had been reared in probably the most atheistic household in America and he later worked for his mother, crusading against God and religion.

But when he heard the gospel, he got gloriously saved and became a minister, preaching Christ instead of cursing Him. This man’s hardness was curable also—because unlike believers, he had not sat under sermons of reproof and continually rejected them.

In my experience, the hardest hearts—the incurable kind—have always been found within earshot of Spirit-anointed preaching.

Such hardness does not exist in cold, dead, formal churches where the gospel has been corrupted for generations. No, it is always found where a pure word is preached from the pulpit and rejected in the pews.


Hardness of heart is curable with a broken and contrite spirit – will you cry out to God for a broken heart today?

David Wilkerson
Pastor/Bible Teacher/Preacher

© David Wilkerson. Excerpted and adapted from his recent writings

Your comments, thoughts or suggestions are welcome. The body text is by the author, the header and the words in italics are mine – John B. Samuel