Hebrews 3:12-14, New Living Translation

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.  You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.”

There are things that we go through in life that we don't understand at times. Hindsight is 20/20. But, when we make it through the storm, we can see how God delivered us! When we see how faithful God was in our difficulties, we learn to trust Him more and grow even more in love with Him than we did before. He makes us stronger, wiser, and more steadfast in our faith. He is making us closer to His image...His nature...His character. It is a beautiful thing!

I think back to the beginning of 2025. It was a challenging year for me. I was in a negative thought pattern that was taking me down a dark path pretty quick. I hated almost everything in my life. I was a miserable person. Every day it was a challenge for me to hold onto my faith in God...I felt like I was running out of faith and running out of hope. I was desperately hanging onto Him. I could not bring myself to let go of Him. Every day I was crying out to Him for help. It wasn't until one day I was standing in my living room talking to my husband and saying, "I want the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give me, and I don't have it." Just a few short moments later I picked up a book about soul healing. When I opened it to the chapter I had stopped at, I began to read, and the text literally was talking about the abundant life. I have it right now. It was like God opened my mind to truth and it sunk to my heart. So much happened so fast! He healed emotions in me that needed healed, and He delivered me from many things that I didn't even know were bringing me down. He literally fulfilled Romans 12:2 (NLT) in my life, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” I had believed so many lies from the enemy. He had done a great job at making Leslie look at Leslie...But God! He transformed me by changing the way I think! I am so grateful that He did this miracle in my life! I share this in hopes that you will recall a moment where God did something miraculous in your life. Perhaps it happened last week or last year. I want you to remember that moment! Hold onto it!

I was reading in my Bible and came upon this scripture: “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. ² For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. ³ So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? ⁴ And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.” (Hebrews 2:1-4, NLT) We cannot ignore or forget what God has done for us. Satan wants us to forget the faithfulness of God. He wants us to turn our backs on the God who delivered us. He wants us to complain against God. He wants to take as many of us to hell with him as possible. But we cannot let him! As I continued reading in Hebrews, I came upon these verses that gave me an urgency to share this word with anyone I could! “That is why the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, “Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.” So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” (Hebrews 3:7-14, NLT) I want to warn us to no harden our hearts towards God. Do not be unaware of the enemy and his schemes! Do not let him convince you to sin against God and go back to your old way of thinking. Do not let him convince you that life was better when... I had seen a post the other day that said, "Maybe the grass is greener on the other side because it is fake." Satan gives a fake imitation of what God wants to give us. He wants to entice us and pull us away from God, just like he did to Eve in the garden..."Did God really say?" He is cunning, but don't let him deceive you! No matter what your circumstances may be and as difficult as it might be, keep hanging on! God can and will deliver you just as He did for me! Don't be afraid to come to God and confess your sins! Repentance is a beautiful gift from the Lord that also leads to our freedom. Do not let the enemy rob you of this beautiful gift by making you feel ashamed and not good enough to go to the Lord. The Bible tells us there is not one that is good, no not one. Really, none of us are good enough, but Jesus died for all of us! Confess your sins to the Lord, repent from agreeing with the enemy, and allow God to transform you into a wonderful new person and set you free!

When we go through difficult moments we must realize several things. God promises to be with us to the very end of the age. So wherever you are and whatever you are going through, God is with you...He sees you...He hears your cries! The Israelites were under Egyptian slavery for four hundred years. God heard the cries of His people, and He made a plan to deliver them! Now we have Jesus! The perfect sacrifice that was done once for all time! His blood is more powerful, more precious and more valuable than anything this world or Satan would have to offer! The Bible tells us, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.  For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.” (Hebrews 10:26-29, NLT) My brothers and sisters, this is Satan's goal! He won't tell you that God's judgement will fall and you will lose your salvation. He wants to entice you with that fake imitation that is "better" than what God has. But do not be deceived. We must also recognize that He is teaching us to depend upon Him.  He is testing our faith.  If things were perfect all the time, our human minds would come to the conclusion that we did it all ourselves. But that couldn't be further from the truth!

Through my difficult times at the beginning to mid-2025, I learned that I can trust God. I have more resolve and steadfastness in my faith than I ever have my whole life. I have learned that I can't make it through this life without Him leading me! My way left me high and dry, but His way has transformed me into a new person! A beautiful person! A person of faith that loves God and loves people! I pray, that if you are going through these moments, that you would see God for who He really is, and allow Him to shape you and mold you! He will make you stronger, wiser, and teach you many things that will only benefit you in your walk with Him!

I would encourage you to get in your Bible. Read your Bible! Get to know God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Develop your relationship with them! When you get to know the One who created you, it is easier to walk by faith and not by sight. It is easier to "trust the Lord with all your heart." Blessings to you, my brothers and sisters! May God keep you and protect you from the enemy in Jesus’ name. Amen.