Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12
A second way our hearts can be hardened is through habitual sin. Herod knew that John was a righteous, holy man. Herod was drawn to the truth (Mark 6:20), but he followed the flesh.
Herod’s palace was a den of indulgence. We get the flavour of it from the story of the party where Herod, presumably having had too much to drink, saw a girl dancing and offered to give her anything she asked. The girl asked for the head of John the Baptist, and Herod agreed to the murder of the man who spoke God’s Word. Habitual sin hardens your heart.
The book of Hebrews warns us against being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (3:13). Deceitfulness means that sin promises a happiness it cannot deliver.
Perhaps you remember an old email warning about a computer virus that read something like this:
If you receive an email with a link called “Life is Beautiful,” DO NOT OPEN IT. If you do, a message will appear on your screen saying, “It is too late. Your life is no longer beautiful.” The person who sent it to you will gain access to all of your personal information.
That’s what sin does. It draws you in, promising that “Life is Beautiful.” But when you open yourself to it, sin destroys you.
The Christian life is a constant battle against sin and unbelief. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).
Consider whether there are any areas in which you have allowed habitual sin to harden your heart. Ask God to help you overcome this sin.
