Refusal to pay attention to one's conscience when guilty over sin will bring a hard heart that at some point can never be softened again.
Romans 2:5
"But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed."
Psalm 34:18
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Pride prevents an offender from admitting their sin against another person and God. The stronger the pride, the more resistance to confess the harder the heart becomes.
God will either break a person with a hard heart through many very difficult experiences or He will turn them over to their hard heart never to be able to be cleansed from it.
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
It is only through confession of sin to God and to the one offended that the offender can be softened to begin growing again. Those who will not confess do not grow but worse yet they regress, becoming harder than before.
Ephesians 4:18
"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."
Daniel 5:20
"But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him."
The prideful unrepentant heart always loses in the long run.
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