The writer of the book of Hebrew warned the brethren of an evil heart. In Hebrews 3:12-13, the writer instructed the brethren to exhort each other daily, so that they would keep walking in the will of God on the path of righteousness, instead of entering the path of unrighteousness. What is an evil heart? What does the Bible say about an evil heart?
What is an evil heart according to the Bible?
Take heed, 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 To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-13)
According to the Bible, an evil heart is a heart of unbelief. In the previous posts, the entering of God’s rest was discussed. The only way, you can enter God’s rest is by faith in Christ. When you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God; the Messiah, and become born again in Him, you will enter God’s rest (Read also: ‘‘How do you enter God’s rest?).
The Word says, that without faith, it is impossible to please God. The walk of God’s people revolves around faith.
When you have faith, you will believe every word in the Bible and you will obey and act upon the words of God. But when unbelief enters your heart and your mind, it won’t be long, before you become disobedient to God and depart from God and His words, which represent His will.
What does evil mean?
Let’s have a look at the meaning of the word ‘evil’. The word ‘evil’ is translated from the Greek word ‘ponêrós’ (nr 4190 (SC)) and means:
From a derivative of 4192; hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from 2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from 4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural sinners: —bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked(-ness).
An evil heart is a heart, which is affected by evil and is ill, malicious, wicked, and bad. An evil heart is the wicked heart of a sinner, who has the devil as father.
What is the origin of an evil heart?
The origin of an evil heart is unbelief. When you don’t believe in Jesus Christ; the Word, and in His mighty work(s) and don’t do what He says, you walk in unbelief. You shall not obey His commandments and therefore you shall stop doing His will.
When you stop doing His will, you will no longer walk after the Spirit, but walk after the flesh.
You will walk according to your carnal mind, after the lusts and desires of your flesh again. Just as you did, when you were the old creation and were ruled by your senses, carnal thoughts, feelings, emotions, will, etc..
And you know what Jesus said about the old creation, it is an evil generation of unbelievers. They were evil, because of their unbelief (a.o. Matthew 12:34-39, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:41; 11:29).
When you walk after the flesh, you will walk in unbelief. When you walk in unbelief, you will depart from the living God.
You can’t live in the Kingdom of Heaven with a heart of unbelief. Because everything is based upon faith in Jesus Christ; the living Word. An evil heart of unbelief will never please God.
What happens when unbelief enters the heart?
When unbelief enters your heart, your heart will be affected by evil. Your heart will become defiled, corrupted, and vicious, and therefore, your nature will become defiled, corrupted, and vicious.
A vicious nature, which is corrupted by evil, is the nature of a sinner, an unbeliever, who is not born again in Jesus Christ, but is still an old creation; born of the flesh.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Why? Because without faith, you won’t believe in His words and consider His words as the Truth. When you don’t believe in His words, you will not obey Him and be a doer of the word and walk after His will (Read also: ‘What is faith?).
A faithless generation
In Matthew 17:17, Jesus spoke about a faithless generation. The old creation is a faithless generation. They are carnal and walk after the flesh and persevere in sin. They are sinners, who keep living in sin and whose spirit is still dead. Due to the fact, that the spirit is still dead, it is impossible for this generation to believe God. Because God is Spirit and His Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom. A carnal person, who is dominated by the flesh and sense ruled, lives after the flesh, and will not be able to understand, nor comprehend the things of the Spirit and the Kingdom of God. It is foolishness for a carnal person (a.o. John 3:3-8, 1 Corinthians 2:14).
Only when a person becomes born again and the spirit in that person becomes alive and the person is filled by the Holy Spirit, a person is able to walk after the Spirit.
The person will put off the old man and separate himself from that wicked, faithless generation and start walking as a new creation.
The new creation is born of the Spirit of God. Therefore a new creation is a son or daughter of God.
When you have become a new creation, it’s important to renew your mind, with the Word of God. So that, your mind will be transformed by the words of God into the mind of Christ.
You will get to know Him and think and act the way God thinks and acts. By becoming a doer of the Word, you will please Him and glorify and exalt Him (Read also: ‘The hearers versus the doers‘).f
The writer of Hebrew warned the body of Christ of an evil heart, which is a heart full of unbelief.
Although they had become a new creation, the writer warned them to guard their hearts. He exhorted them to keep and stay in the faith and stay in Christ. Because he knew, that when unbelief enters, it will affect faith and they would begin to doubt God’s Truth and sin would enter.
The sons and daughters of God turn from evil
Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good’ (Romans 12:9)
That’s why it’s so important to keep your heart and turn from evil. Don’t consort yourself with the doctrines, wisdom, knowledge, things, entertainment, media, etc., of this world. These things can abhor you, from your faith in Jesus (Read also: ‘Let me entertain you, says the devil to Christians‘, ‘Do the Bible and science go together?‘).
You must realize, that you don’t belong to this world anymore, but you have become a son of God. If you still love the world and want to live like the world, you can’t love God and walk according to His will.
Because when you love God above all, which you prove by keeping His commandments and walking according to His will, which is also the will of Jesus Christ, you will not love the world anymore. You can’t love both. You either love God or you love the world. You can walk according to what God says in His Word or you can walk according to what the world says (Read also: ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus‘ and ‘Why the world hates Christians?‘)
Feed yourself with the words of God
When you keep feeding yourself with the knowledge and words of the world, it shall be impossible for you, to walk according to God’s Word. Because the words of the world contradict the words of God.
When you feed yourself with the words of the world, doubt shall arise and you shall start doubting God’s Word. As soon as doubt arises, unbelief will enter your heart and shall defile your heart, so that you will get an evil heart of unbelief.
Why do you have to guard your heart?
Therefore guard your heart with all diligence and be careful with the things you allow into your heart and mind.
For example, when you enjoy watching medical series or documentaries and watch them frequently, it will almost be impossible for you to believe in divine healing and do what the Word says and lay hands on sick people so that they will recover.
Because when you watch these medical series, you look at all these diseases, that are diagnosed by doctors. You are a witness to all these medical treatments.
By watching these series frequently, you are building inside of your mind a way of thinking and all kinds of images, which will become strongholds in your mind. These strongholds say, that you can only get healed by doctors and through medical treatments and medication.
But there’s another danger in watching television series. These medical series can also create fear. They show you all kinds of diseases and their symptoms, which you will store in your mind.
As soon, as you feel and experience an ache or something extraordinary in your body, then immediately an image will arise in your mind, that will remind you of an episode, in which a person experienced exactly the same thing and didn’t go well.
The devil uses these medical programs to create fear in people’s minds. He uses fear to enter your mind and control your life. Because when you are led by fear, you will go to the doctor. And before you know it, you will be trapped in the medical world, which is the territory of the devil (Read also ‘Jehovah Rapha or doctors, the choice is yours‘ and ‘The throne of satan‘).
Stay away from everything, that doesn’t line up with the Word of God
You should stay away from everything that contradicts the Word of God. You should abhor your eyes and ears from these things. Maybe you think this is a little bit over-exaggerated, but the truth is, it isn’t!
Yes… according to the world system and its standards, it is over-exaggerated and you shall therefore be criticized by the people around you.
But the more you spiritually mature and walk as a son of God (this applies to both males and females), the more you shall discern these two realms: God’s Kingdom (The Kingdom of Heaven) and the kingdom of the devil (The kingdom of the earth, the world).
You will record everything you see and hear. Therefore if you feed yourself with the things of the world, they will become strongholds in your mind. These strongholds shall rise against the knowledge of God and His Word, and shall rise against your faith in Jesus Christ. Eventually, your faith will be affected by unbelief, and your heart will become full of unbelief.
Having a true heart in full assurance of faith
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard (Colossians 1:21-23)
Paul wrote to the Colossians to continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel:
You can only enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus and by faith in Him.
When you become born again, you become a new creation. You will have a true heart in full assurance of faith and therefore walk in faith after the Spirit.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22)
Let us encourage each other to live holy lives and to stay away from unbelief and sin.
Let us walk in holiness on the path of righteousness. Let us keep on walking in faith, without letting unbelief and sin enter our lives. So that, we will not depart from the Living God, but stay faithful to Him to the end.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
