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rl69
07-11-2017, 06:50 AM
"For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."

—Hebrews 3:14

The great evangelist Billy Sunday said the problem with a lot of people is they treat sin like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake.

Have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? They are actually kind of cute. They have a little snake body, a little rattler, and little fangs. Someone might say, “Look at that little baby rattler. He’s so cute.”

Let me tell you something about that baby rattler. He might be smaller in size than an adult, but his venom is actually more potent, drop for drop, than the venom of an adult rattlesnake. And if that little rattlesnake were to give you a little bite, you would die if you couldn’t get to a doctor quickly.

Make no mistake about it. Sin is powerful. It is elusive. It is tricky. And it can appear so appealing on the outside. I have seen people who knew better, Christians who have walked with the Lord for years and know His Word well, fall into sin and be deceived by it.

We must be very careful, especially when it comes to seemingly small sins in our estimation. Sometimes we look at something and say, “That isn’t a big deal. It’s just a small sin. Surely it won’t do that much harm in my life.” Watch out. Dynamite comes in small packages.

We are told in Hebrews 3:12–14, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”

We must be careful and not let sin harden our hearts.

USMC87
07-11-2017, 09:15 AM
Thank you for an excellent lesson.

EMC45
07-11-2017, 10:06 AM
Excellent reminder!

buckwheatpaul
07-11-2017, 04:40 PM
Great lesson and great and good parallels....

Wayne Smith
07-12-2017, 07:28 AM
Amen and Amen

Blackwater
07-12-2017, 03:26 PM
"We must be careful and not let sin harden our hearts."

Wow! What great advice! Satan often uses our "good enough" sensibilities to get us to err in small ways, because once he has us there, he'll gradually increase our "tolerance" for sin until we'll fall for most any old sin, great or small. It's SO easy to fall victim of Satan's wiles, and he IS, remember, supernatural also! It's long been a principle of warfare that we not underestimate our enemies. With Satan, underestimating HIM can lead us to hell!!! And he is MUCH smarter and more persistent than we'll ever be, too! Learning to recognize his temptations, and how we can successfully turn away from them, is one of the great hallmarks of a mature Christian. Many who don't or simply haven't given themselves the benefit of deep thought on the matters are easily misled - too easily.

And in a cultural atmosphere where the guiding philosophy seems to be "let it all hang out," it's certainly not getting any easier! But it'll ALWAYS be worth it when we learn to identify and turn away from Satan's efforts to capture us, even (and maybe particularly?) when it's those "little temptations" he's throwing at us. God be with us always. Satan surely never gives up trying to lead us astray!