“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12-13
The author had just finished talking about how the Israelites had hardened their hearts against God in the wilderness. Now he encourages us to not have a sinful, unbelieving heart. What is this heart like? It is one that desires to take a part of sinful practices. These may not be the “horrible” sins such as murder or adultery, but they may be in gossip, lies, cheating, jealousy, and anger, along with many other “small” sins. The unbelieving heart just plainly does not really believe in God or believe that He is in control or believe in the promises He has made.
Here the author tells everyone to encourage each other as long as it is still today. Each day you get up and are still breathing life on earth it is Today. We cannot live in yesterday or tomorrow, only today. We must encourage each other to stay focused on God and what we have learned from Him and about Him. This follows what was said in Hebrews 3:1 to focus on Jesus.
How can we encourage each other? Tell each other testimonies on how God is working in your lives; sing songs of praise together; remind each other of the promises of God; if you see someone slipping into sin, warn them gently; and be accountable to each other.
Sin is deceitful and will catch you if you are not watching closely your walk with God. Satan does not usually come after you roaring loudly, he usually comes quietly trying to look like an angel of light. Temptations will arise in this form and slowly pull you away from God.
I pray that today you will not have a sinful or unbelieving heart; that God will help you to encourage others to stay focused on Him; that God will open your eyes to the deceptions of sin; and that God will surround you with other believers to lift you up and keep you focused on Him.
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