In review of Hebrews 3:13 it says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Bottom Line:
Encourage each other every day, before you can be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
What this means to me:
I am to have others in my life, who can encourage and warn me about sin, as sin can be deceitful and harden me against God.
Having a church family will help keep me from backsliding. I am certainly not immune to temptation. Given the right situation, I’m capable of any sin. The good news is that God knows this, so he has assigned us as individuals the responsibility of keeping each other on track.
The Bible says, “Encourage one another daily … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13 NIV). “Mind your own business” is not really a Christian phrase!
I am called and commanded to be involved in other’s lives. If I know someone who is wavering or having problem, it would be my responsibility to go after him and bring him back into the fellowship.
James tells us, “If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back” (James 5:19 MSG).
A local church can also provide the spiritual protection of godly leaders. God gives this shepherd leader the responsibility to guard, protect, defend, and care for the spiritual welfare of his flock (Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:7).
I am told, “Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God” (Hebrews 13:17b NLT, second edition).
Given all of this, Satan loves a detached believer, one who is unplugged from the life of the Body, isolated from God’s family, and unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because he knows they are defenseless and powerless against his tactics.
The warning from this verse today is to not let him get a foothold. I need to join and stay connected to a church family.
As I reflect on this verse today, It reminds me that I am to be in close contact with other believers, so that I can encourage others and they can encourage me. I need this daily because sin can be very deceitful and cause me to be hardened against God. Having other believers around me will help me and my thinking patterns. Others can help me realize when my thought patterns and behaviors start to get off-track. I think this verse emphasizes “Today”, because I can easily let fellowship slip in the day-to-day events of life. It doesn’t take long for isolation to make my mind begin to drift. I thank you God for this great reminder that I need other close Christians that I can encourage and be encouraged by. We need each other to make sure we aren’t going astray. Today, I should consider how I can better get connected to others in the church community I’ve been regularly attending. Once a week on Thursday nights may not be enough. Also I should consider reaching out to others via phone, text, or email from before I moved as they can also be a source of believers that I can interact with still. Distance may not be that big of a problem for continuing fellowship.
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