Hebrews 3:12-19 helps us learn how to guard your heart against unbelief, support one another, and hold fast to faith in Christ.
Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-19 (ESV)
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”
In our fridge at home we have a fruit and vegetable drawer. Now as a new and, shall we say, “domestically inexperienced”, new husband, I really didn’t think these actually did anything other than cool down the fruit and veg in a dedicated space. I did not realise that things like airflow and humidity and whatever else these things do actually made much of a difference. Now I do… Anyway, these drawers now hold the countless fruit our children seem to devour. The problem is sometimes a plum or a strawberry goes bad in one of these drawers. They start to mould and the mould spreads and before you know it what started with one little issue has spread to the whole drawer and then all the fruit needs to be thrown out. This is how things in an fallen heart works —small, unnoticed doubts or sins can lead us away from God if we don’t address them.
In Hebrews 3:12-19, the writer warns us to guard against an “evil, unbelieving heart.” This warning seems pretty stark doesn’t it? We don’t tend to think of our hearts as “evil” and “unbelieving”. But that is our reality – our hearts are constantly deceived by sin which infects it like the mould in my fruit drawers. The Israelites demonstrated this as they wandered through the dessert. They witnessed God’s miracles, but their stubborn unwillingness to submit to God’s rule kept them from entering the Promised Land. Their hearts were hardened by the infectious deceitfulness of sin.
But this isn’t an Israel problem – this is a human problem. We might not face a literal desert, but our spiritual journey is full of temptations and distractions that can lead us astray. Unbelief can creep into our lives subtly, through doubts, fears, and persistent sins that we fail to confront. There is a real danger in allowing these “small” failings grow, because sin is like mould. It grows, infects and ultimately spoils our lives.
Hebrews calls us to remain vigilant against sin’s deceitfulness. This is something we can do because the Holy Spirit empowers us. And when we get it wrong, we are also supported by a church community. This passage reminds us that we are pilgrims on a journey together – we are to help each other remain steadfast.
The reality is you can’t do faith alone. You need the Spirit, and you need God’s people around you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to guard our hearts against unbelief. Strengthen our faith and keep us vigilant against the deceitfulness of sin. Surround us with a community that encourages and supports us in our walk with You. May we hold fast to our confidence in Christ, trusting in Your promises and remaining faithful until the end. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge: Today, make it a point to encourage someone in their faith. Reach out to a friend or family member with a word of support, a prayer, or a reminder of God’s promises. Your encouragement might be the reinforcement they need to stay strong in their journey.