Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
This passage of scripture warns us not deliberately become hardened through the commission of known sin, a condition that leads us down a slippery slope to perdition, if we do not confess and forsake it by the power of God. Sin by its very nature is deceptive, for it often assumes an air innocent pleasure, yet when it is indulged, the end results are always negative. The deception is that it does not show its true colors upfront, until afterward, when the stings of remorse, shame, and actual damage is done. This is what the apostle James is saying when explaining the process of sin. Let's read:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
It is a fact that sin always takes us further than we want to go, it keeps us longer than we want to stay, and it costs us more than we intend to pay. That's why prevention is better than cure, for although a remedy has been provided through Christ, yet we must often live with the bitter consequences and the collateral damage that sin causes. This is what the thief on the cross found out the hard way, for although he was forgiven, and will be saved when Christ comes again, yet in his own body he suffered the literal consequences of a life of crime.
It is much better to learn from the mistakes of others or better yet, to learn from God's word. It takes faith to believe that the result of sin is what the Bible says it is, and thus it is as a result of unbelief in many cases, why people decide to try sin for themselves. Even though we are all sinful by nature, yet the grace of God can be applied to our hearts preemptively so that we can be saved from sin without being deeply entangled therein.
In our day sin has taken on a new deceptive aura, in that it is sometimes masked as fun, thrills, dare-deviling, entertainment, pleasure resorts, movies, partying, and premarital sex. All of these disguises make it the more difficult to discern the true nature of sin, and so without the word of God to correctly identify it, many Christians inadvertently place their feet in the snares of satan, and only realize too late that what they had bargained for, is not what they actually received.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us, as far as possible to avoid deliberately trying sin, for grace and omnipotent power is available and promised to all who truly believe. Let's read:
Psalms 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
May we access God's grace today so that the deceitfulness of sin may not cause us unnecessary harm and heartache. God bless!