Session 19

It Gets Easier With Time

From Hebrews: A 24-Day Devotional

Tackling something for the first time can be difficult, but once you realize you can accomplish whatever is causing you hesitation, it continually gets easier. The roller coaster doesn’t seem so scary once you’ve survived it. The 350 person lecture hall on the first day of college doesn’t seem so big after a month of school. Unfortunately, stepping into sin is the same way. After you make the decision to sin one time, each step away from God’s plan becomes a little easier to take.

Sin is deceitful. It tricks you into believing that your immediate urge for what feels right and good is more important than the eternal joy and blessing that is a part of the Lord’s perfect plan for your life. And once you make the decision to sin, it gets harder to overcome temptation in the future. It’s easy to fall into the mindset of, “I’ve already done it once, so what does it matter?” or “I’ve messed up already, so there is no way I’ll be forgiven anyway.” Sin hardens our hearts and puts a gap in the middle of our relationship with Christ.

The good news is that God knew how hard it would be for us to avoid sin’s deceitfulness, and He knows we can’t do this life alone. Instead, He encourages us to be involved in a community of other believers. He wants us to “encourage one another daily” and “share in Christ” so that we can withstand sin’s temptation (Hebrews 3:13-14). By sharing our struggles and victories and our prayers and praises, we help arm ourselves with a greater protection from sin. Not only can we lean on each other to avoid sin, but we also can count on each other for healing after we make mistakes. We can help one another identify God’s truths and rebuke Satan’s lies. A Christ-centered community is essential for growth in our relationship with Him.

Reflect:

• Are you a part of a community of believers such as a small group? If you’ve never joined one, you can find out more information here.
• If you are in a community, do you openly share your struggles and fears? What’s keeping you from being honest with the people who love you and want to see you grow in your relationship with Christ?
• Are there any lies you are believing about sin you may have already committed? God loves and forgives you no matter where you are or have been in the past. If you need help believing His truth about sin, talk to our care and prayer team!