We Do Not Have a Darkened Heart

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." (Romans 1: 21)

One preacher outline four steps to staying filled with God, which would mean "know" God, glorify Him, be thankful, and keep your imagination full of good things. The biggest problem with any "steps" to "anything" is that the focus falls  back on us, when we are called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18)

His departing verse for his teaching, Romans 1: 21,  does not apply to believers:

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2: 10)

We are already filled up with God! He is our righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14: 17)

In fact, we do not have a heart that can be darkened:

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

"That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezekiel 11: 19-20)

This is a new heart, one which has been replaced in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Hebrews, the writer outlines that all the steps which the writer initially drew from Romans 1: 21 have all been taken care of:

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

We are made to know Him, and the more that we know Him, all that He is and has and does for us, the more we glorify and thank Him.

We have received a new heart, a full or good news (the other meaning of "flesh"), for we now have received the Holy Spirit who convicts us of righteousness (John 16: 11).

Instead of trying to maintain our "spiritual level", we are called to keep receiving His overflowing and superabounding grace and righteousness (Romans 5: 17)