The writer of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible warns us of the following:
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13
Drawing from the history of the Jewish people, the writer exhorts us not to be like those who had unbelieving hearts, fell away from the living God and died in the wilderness.
The Holy Spirit is speaking through the writer to warn us about our heart [our inner man- who we truly are] becoming hard [unbelieving] toward God and His Word [the Bible] because of the deceitfulness of sin.
What is this that hardens our heart toward God? How does our old sinful nature deceive us into believing it is better to obey our evil cravings instead of obeying God? Here is how:
Offers False Promises of Pleasure – sin acts as bait, dangling immediate, fleeting satisfaction or gain while hiding the inevitable pain and ruin it produces. Sin will cost you more than you’re willing to pay and sin will keep you longer than you’re willing to stay.
Progressive Hardening of the Heart – sin dulls spiritual sensitivity over time, moving a person toward apathy, disobedience, and an inability to recognize evil.
Self-Deception – The Bible warns that our own hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), prompting us to rationalize wrongful behavior and believe we can escape consequences. Our sin flatters us in our heart into believing we are “special” and “different”. We lose any fear of God we once had.
Distortion of Truth – Sin mask itself as wisdom or enlightenment, just as it did in the Garden of Eden, causing us to doubt God’s word. It makes us forget that God said you would reap what you sow.
Misleading About God – It makes God’s commands seem unreasonable or restrictive, trying to make us believe that God is against our best interests.
Did you recognize any of sins tactics? Unfortunately, I recognize them all. They have tricked me at times into forsaking church attendance, not reading/studying my Bible, not praying, being prideful and arrogant, thinking I’m special when I was just sinful, not loving my fellow Christian and the unbeliever, being consumed with my agenda and not God’s, lying, lusting, rebellious, unloving, stubborn….and we could go on all day.
What should we do if we find ourselves with a hard, unbelieving heart today? We need to confess our sins and pride to God the Father. He already knows them and they are not a surprise to Him. He has promised the following:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. I John 2: 1-2
and
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9
In Proverbs there is a Scripture that says a righteous man falls seven times but he always gets back up. So lets all get back up, turn from and confess our sins, receive God’s forgiveness, believe God’s Word, live smarter by the power of the Holy Spirit and go do the good works God saved us to do. Be a blessing to someone.
May He richly bless you in your obedience.
Carl
Psalm 119: 38 