Hebrews 3:12-13

“Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.”

Today we are building on yesterday’s devotional, where we dug into a deeper understanding of what was meant by hardening your heart. It also means to be obstinate or stubborn towards conforming to the will and way of God. The author then clarifies in black and white a clear indicator of how hardening of heart will look…. A life that continues in evil and sin. This portion of scripture is as black and white as we could wish for. As a family, we are to hold each other accountable to keep evil and sin out of our midst. Why is this so important? The author tells us why. Sin leads to deception which leads to a hardening of the heart.

Let me elaborate, when we choose to allow sin into our lives, the sin starts to create a root of deception that makes us believe it is okay to walk in such ways. This root then grows which leads to further rebellion and stubbornness from God’s ways. To put it in a simple context, nobody starts by smoking 20+ cigarettes a day. The bad habit begins with one or two here and there. Then, the habit grows and grows until it is uncontrollable and you are unable to break it. This is how sin leads to a hardened and stubborn heart from God’s ways.

Today embrace the word of caution and guidance given to you from your family in Christ, they are helping you stay soft on the honest narrow path with God.