Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3:12-15 warns me to take care to not have an evil, unbelieving, hard heart. How does one guard against having a hard heart. I think this passage contains some practical suggestions on how to guard against this danger.

See to it, brothers, 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. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts"

First, the passage says that it is sin that hardens my heart (3:13). Sin separates me from God and His love for me and others, and isolates me from fellowship. In repeated sin, I find I make excuses for it in order to justify my continued behavior: "Oh, that's just the way I am," or, "I can't help it." This is one sign of a beginning hardness. Guarding against sin in my life protected my heart. This is related to the next point.

Second, truth protects my heart (3:13 – encourage, to speak truth). Hardness of heart comes from believing and living a lie. In order to not be one of a hard heart, I must be honest with myself about sin. I must call a spade a spade. No excuses. No justification. No rational thinking to try to make the desired activity acceptable. It is really looking at each opportunity and action and asking God if that is what He wants for me and looking at sin for what it is. I find this is one of the more difficult struggles for me because honesty with myself at times is hard. Who am I trying to hide from? Me?

Third, I see the word encourage in 3:13 and I think this is a key to a soft heart. Looking at others and empathizing with them in their struggles reminds me of my own struggles. A softness of heart comes from realizing that I am not alone in my struggle and reaching outside of myself to help others in their struggle. I can encourage others by sharing with them that I too struggle with the same weaknesses and together we can come before God and unite in prayer and repentance. Not only am I speaking truth to myself, but I am speaking truth (hopefully in love) to others.

Fourth, softness of heart comes through being focused on Today and what I am to be about today (3:13). I have found that when I am faced with the long road of obedience I immediately think of giving up. I think it is too much, it is not doable, I can't make it, how is it possible? But that is not "today." What God calls me to do tomorrow He will tell me then, what He asks me to do now is for now. I do not mean to limit God to what He can or cannot say – for that would be silly. I simply mean that God wants me to obey Him now, His grace is sufficient now, and I am not to worry about how I will obey tomorrow or five years down the road.

Fifth, softness of heart comes through perseverance. We are to encourage one another "day after day" (3:13). It is not something to do for only one day. I am to encourage and speak truth every day. But I am to do so with "today" in mind. Let me obey today. Let me trust today. Let me believe today. Let me encourage today.

Sixth, it means I hear His voice. It says in 3:15 "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart." To become one of a soft and obedient heart means to be one who hears God when He speaks and is obedient to Him in what He asks. And hearing God means being in relationship with Him.

And last (but not at all least or comprehensive), belief is required. We are told that some did not enter His rest because of unbelief (3:19). Do I believe that God's grace is sufficient? Belief will move me towards action – obedience. It is one thing to encourage and speak truth – and these are necessary to strengthen belief. But the real change of belief comes from action. It comes from acting on what I believe in.

How can I guard against a hard heart?

1. Guard against sin.
2. Speak truth to myself and allow His truth to pierce me (see also 4:12)
3. Encourage and receive encouragement from others (speak truth to others).
4. Be about obeying today.
5. Persevere.
6. Listen for His voice.
7. Act on my belief in God.