Hardhearted

In Jeremiah 17, we can find a passage that addresses the fulfillment that comes through a knowledge
of God, in contrast to the hardness of heart by which we can be consumed:
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

The enemy will come to steal, kill, and destroy, according to Jesus in John chapter 10. But, God offers a way to life - abundant and eternal.  A life of fulfillment, with our hearts attuned to His, not allowing our hearts to become hard; rather, allowing Him to search our hearts and make them tender toward Him.  The Psalmist wrote, asking God to search His heart, to identify wicked ways, and to lead him in the "way everlasting," His way, the path to fruitfulness in the Lord.

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In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul addresses the dangers of hardheartedness and offers a strong word of
caution:
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Val Kalende is a lady who fled her home country of Uganda several years ago, being granted asylum in Canada.  She was, as described by Faithwire, a "prominent LGBT rights activist," in a country that had passed a new law against homosexuality in 2014.

The story says that Kalende...

...declared in late July that she’s no longer lesbian and will, in fact, soon be married, according to The Christian Post.

In 2012 and 2014, Kalende authored columns for The Huffington Post, arguing against the country’s anti-gay legislation. In one of the columns, she even wrote, “The church in Africa has become a safety net for homophobia mainly because it is safer to bash gays with the Bible than it is to bash gays with politics.”

The article continues:

But now, Kalende says she’s been “saved.”

Kalende explained in an interview with the Daily Monitor that her transition away from homosexuality happened roughly one year ago. She waited to make a public profession because she “wanted to take time to do the important work on myself” before speaking out.

Faithwire refers to a Facebook post, in which she reflected on the rebellion against God that she allowed to enter her heart, despite being raised by Christian parents, who rejected her after she announced she was gay.  The story says:

It wasn’t until Kalende changed her “approach” to God that she began to see her own perspective change. She wrote:

My approach should have been: “Lord, I don’t have answers but I trust and believe your Word. Your intention is not to harm me or prevent me from enjoying life. Your intention is to preserve me; and to give me not the life of my choice but the life I deserve according to your love. Help me to obey your purpose for my life.”

According to the article, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel told The Christian Post that Kalende is "an incredible example that Jesus Christ can change the heart of even those who have acted adamantly against him," adding, "Ms. Kalende’s testimony...is like Saul’s conversion from persecuting Christians to then giving his heart and life to God and becoming Paul. Despite those who want to deny reality, people can and do change.”

Liberty Counsel has been involved in defending an American pastor who had faced legal action because of his preaching against the sin of homosexuality in Uganda. An organization called SMUG - Sexual Minorities of Uganda - according to CBN News, had sued pastor Scott Lively "in 2012 for sharing his biblical views on homosexuality during three visits to Uganda in 2002 and 2009."  The organization sued in American courts for "international crimes against humanity."

The article says:

In their lawsuit, SMUG could not produce any evidence against the pastor. Instead, the evidence showed that Lively, in a country where homosexuality has been illegal for decades, urged treatment of people identifying as LGBT with respect and dignity, and the liberalization of Uganda's laws against homosexuality, even as he spoke in favor of biblical sexual morality and against the LGBT political agenda.

A judge had dismissed the lawsuit on "jurisdictional grounds," but not before saying that the pastor's actions and words were "odious" and "crackpot bigotry."  Liberty Counsel sought to have the judge's critical statements removed from the record, and a Federal appeals court, while not removing the language, said that the words could not be used in "any future litigation," as SMUG had desired.

Praise God for the transformation that occurred in Val Kalende's life, which confirms the Biblical teaching that Scott Lively had attempted to carry on in Uganda.  It's a reminder to us that people can change - there is no sin so great that the power of God cannot enable someone to overcome. We have to be careful that we do not settle for less that what God intends for us in our lives.

And, we can continue to be bold to declare our faith in God and our belief in His Word, even though we may face opposition.  And, we can speak with compassion and conviction - proclaiming His truth with the love of Christ.

Val Kalende admits that she had hardened her heart - the antidote for hardheartedness, for rebellion against God, is the life-giving truth of the Scriptures, the living and active Word of God.   We can trust the Lord to soften even the most adamant hearts of people who have set themselves against Him.