Fighting Sin

So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..."

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 indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the every end. (‭Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭7, 13‬-14 NIV)

This might sound pretty obvious, but sin (and Satan) is really tricky. Sure, there are times when we intentionally do something sinful, but even then, I feel like most of the time there are several intermediate steps where we are presented with lies and ultimately convinced that certain things are OK, leading to an act of sin. We make compromises that we ultimately we ultimately regret later on and it only hurts us as well as the greater church body. The greater problem lies when we start to become hard to it. Whether it's due to resignation (i.e., giving up with certain struggles and just giving in to it) or simply ignoring the fact that it's a problem and just living with it, when we allow this to be a part of who we are. I'm encouraged by these verses, however, because it reminds me that we need for the Holy Spirit as well as the church body to work in and be a part of our lives to fight sin and live for Christ. The Holy Spirit is always with us as our Counselor to guide and lead us during temptation and battling sin. In addition to that, we are commanded to "encourage one another daily," showing the importance of true fellowship and spiritual accountability. True accountability hasn't come very natural to me and has been something that I've had to consciously attempt and work on through the last several years. Things like pride, fear and simply not being used to sharing about certain things get in the way. But I'm reminded of the reward that we have in Christ and I as I press on toward the prize, I want to keep seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit as well as grow in accountability for my personal sake, to encourage my brother/sister around me and to ultimately build up His kingdom.