I’m a guitar player. I learned how to play acoustic guitar in college from one of my old roommates. I can remember one of the worst parts of the process was developing calluses on my fingers. If you’ve never tried to play guitar you may not be aware of this, but pushing down the strings in order to fret a chord or a note hurts your fingers. Sometimes, it can take several weeks to get your fingers used to this. Eventually you will develop calluses on the tips of your fingers and once that happens it will become exponentially easier to play. I can recall sitting on the couch trying to switch from a G chord to a D chord all while my fingers felt like they were on fire. It was unpleasant, but like my roommate assured me, the friction of the string against my fingertip eventually made the skin rough and tough. The pain I once felt slowly went away.
It is possible to develop spiritual calluses as well. While physical calluses on your fingertips can help you play guitar better, spiritual calluses in your heart can cause you to ignore the work of the Holy Spirit. If you are a follower of Jesus then the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and will guide and direct your life. You are to be led by the Spirit in your daily life. Often the bible refers to daily living as “walking.” Galatians 5:16-17 tell us;
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
When you walk by the Spirit, the spirit will prompt you to do the things that you once rebelled against. The Spirit will produce certain “fruit” in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us;
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
This is the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who has been transformed by Jesus. Unfortunately, it is entirely possible to ignore the Spirit’s prompting. You can refuse to listen and even refuse to do the things that the Spirit is leading you to do. When you do this, you ignore that deep urging of the Spirit. It can make you feel horrible. Over time if you can say “no” to the Spirit over and over again, you will develop a spiritual callousness in your heart. This is a very dangerous place to find yourself. If the Spirit’s guidance no longer pricks your conscience, stop what you are doing, repent, and pray that God would soften your heart. Let the words of King David in Psalm 51:10-12 be your prayer;
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”