{{2011_03_01_t1.jpg}} {{2011_03_01_t2.jpg}} {{2011_03_01_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2011_03_01|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_iii|| Topics Collection iii ]] ======Faith Journey 18 - Locked Hearts ...====== Tuesday, March 1, 2011. We are discussing things which can keep us from faith. We have already talked about a wrong idea about faith and knowledge, which can be an obstacle. Today, we want to look into another cause of difficulties. {{2011_03_01.jpg }} **Our heart - an image ...** Most problems people have with faith in God do not come from their reason, they are not intellectual problems! Our biggest problems with God are problems with our heart! The "heart" of people has a central role in the bible! It has become an important symbol for our culture as well. {{ 2011_03_01_2.jpg}} The heart is the image for the center of a persons existence, it refers to our openness for others, to our capacity for dedication. Humans with heart are open to what happens to others, what moves them! They are open to the things which God wants to tell them! Humans with heart are open to help and to dedicate themselves. Humans with an open heart are also open for the gospel of Jesus Christ. They listen and understand the message about the love of God. An open heart? ... However, there are many difficulties, which can be there with our hearts! We lock our hearts for others, we lock them for God, we have built thick walls to protect our heart! In the bible it is an important topic. Jesus sees the walls around our hearts, which are one cause of our disability for faith. He clearly states: the locks on our heart have important consequences! They influence our intellectual ability, i.e. our ability to listen and to understand! In the gospel of Matthew we read (Chapter 13, Verse 15) "The people’s hearts (i.e. innermost beings) are not able to receive these truths, their ears are clogged up, and their eyes are closed. Otherwise their eyes would really see, their ears would really hear and in their hearts they would really understand ..." The walls around our heart separate us from the living God! [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_iii|... more texts]]