If you don't have the Lord, you don't have anything

   If you don't have a relationship with the only true God, creator of everything, you really have nothing. If you don't have the relationship described by Jesus in John 17:3
 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

    This is not the "know of" we used to describe distant characters or people. This is a "know" like I know my wife. I know what see is all about, dislikes and likes, we communicate feelings and dreams with each other. If someone wrote a long letter to me I would be able to tell you if she wrote it or not by how things are written. I know the things she says, her desires, her humor...I could tell you if she would express things that way or not. To know God this way only comes through the saving power of Jesus. Our sinful state of being separates us from the perfect Holy living God. But he loves us so much He made a way that we can be clean and changed through His only Son Jesus. Now we can have that close relationship.
    If you don't have this relationship, then you don't have anything. If you don't have this relationship with God you have a false sense of security in the things around you. Your things..house, money, relationships, retirement plan, job can all be gone tomorrow. Even the things you take for granted...your family, friends, health, ability to think or reason can all be gone in a moments notice. The only thing that has and ever will remain or mean something is your state with the living God. If you just "know of Him" there is still something between you and Him. If you "know Him" you have everything that will last for eternity.
 For most people this life in creation with all it's beauty and pain is as close to Heaven as they will ever get. For true Christians who have entered in to a relationship through the saving Grace of Jesus...this as close to Hell as they will ever get.

Evidence Of A Hard Heart

The Bible describes something called a hard heart. The heart is the sum total of our inner most being. Here are some evidences of a hard heart.
1. They interpret all information(especially moral) negatively.
2. They spin every situation so that they are innocent and you are guilty, or they are the victim and you(or somebody) owes them.
3. Everybody who opposes them needs to change not them...including God. Oh, by the way, they found many things wrong or mistakes in the Bible.

BAD NEWS- Before Trusting Jesus for salvation

Ephesians 4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles(non Christians) also walk, in the futility of their mind, 4:18 being darkened in their understanding(their view of reality is wrong), excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart 4:19 and they, having become callous(don't care about sin), have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

GOOD NEWS- The transforming power of God once you become Christian

4:20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 4:21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus... (NASB - sent from CadreBible)

When you put your faith, hope and love in Jesus(who he says he is and what he did for you) he gives you his righteousness, a new heart and a new identity...now being "In Christ".
  If you want to know more study the book of Ephesians in the Bible.

In Christ

Romans 8:1 "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (NASB - sent from CadreBible)  This is a famous and abused verse in the Bible. We see many nominal believers(my old self included) use this verse to say " I can do whatever... and God will forgive me." But I think the key words to look at are not the "no condemnation" but more importantly "In Christ". When you are In Christ you have a stronger desire to please God then to continue to follow the old self. So if you have no desire to love God and your strongest desire is still the love of the world... then maybe you are not "In Christ". Just believing in Jesus is apparently not enough.  
James 2:19 "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." (NASB - sent from CadreBible) You can bet that the Devil knows who Jesus is and what He did. You can also see that he knows the Bible well when he quotes it many times when tempting Jesus (Matt 4:1-11). So knowing the information is not enough. Being "In Christ" is something different... there is a transformation that happens when you accept the gift of salvation. To be "In Christ" is a free gift of God's grace and the transformation that happens when we make him the Lord of our life is a new set of desires(a new heart). A gratitude that shows your deepest desire is to love him back. So think twice before using this verse to excuse your choices in life. If you are "In Christ" you really do have "no condemnation"...but if you really don't care about your relationship with God, then you might want to question if you actually have one.