A Heart Massage

In Hebrews 3, Paul refers to the Israelites' time in the desert, citing Psalm 95:7,8.

"'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did" (Hebrews 3:7a-9).

Paul then makes a connection between encouraging each other and guarding our hearts.

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Heb. 3:12-13).

Sin is deceitful. Slowly but surely, little acts of rebellion against God's ways can lead to a hard heart that does not care what God wants. But God knew that our human nature was this way. So, that is why the Bible urges Christians to encourage each other and be accountable to each other. God knew we couldn't do it alone. We need support. If you do not have a network of support comprised of at least some believers, do what you need to do to change that. We all must massage each other's hearts so that they remain soft and ready to accept God's will for our lives. Sometimes it hurts when someone is working to get those kinks and knots out of your heart. But those knots can lead to hardness that is dangerous. So, make sure you get regular heart massages. And giving soneone a physical shoulder rub now and then can be a good thing, too. ;)