Sometimes, it takes a graphic approach to wake up people, that hopefully results in widened eyes, an open heart, a stretched mind, and an unclenched fist.

However, in today’s uninhibited world, a lot of folks aren’t fazed by what used to shock people. And they don’t appear to be lacking in knowledge. When in doubt, they Google what they don’t know. Then they close their laptops and move on to the next big thing.

But there is one topic, one word, and one issue that no one can speed by if they’re honest. We face it every day. Well, some people do.

The best way, I think, to explain what this problem is—is with questions. For starters, looking back at your life, what was going on that led you to take a wrong turn that you regret?

A pastor in Tennessee used to proclaim, “Given the right set of circumstances, we’re all capable of anything.” But then someone says, “I would never do such and such or ___________________.”

Secondly, in the here and now, when are you more prone to get off track, although you have everything you need to continue driving straight ahead?

From one angle, like the side of a road, life doesn’t make sense. Think about it. God created the flesh, or our physical bodies. He then asked men and women to not give in to the flesh, its desires and wants.

Consider Eve and the man who was either standing behind her or beside her, named Adam. “So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then, she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.” (Genesis 3:6b, emphasis mine)

Adam and Eve had everything they needed, but it wasn’t enough. That is the sickness of sin, the one word, the one reality, Google can’t help you with.

To address the problem of the flesh and sin, God sent people called judges and prophets to deliver unpopular messages of holiness.

One of those prophets, Jeremiah, explains “the setting” for sin, “When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery.” (5:7b, NKJV, emphasis mine)

So, when the Israelites had full tummies and ideal circumstances, they were still unfaithful to God, and enjoyed infidelity with other lovers, idols, and gods-over and over and over.

Jeremiah gets graphic:  

“They were like well-fed lusty stallions; every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.” (5:8-9a, NKJV)

So what’s the big deal with sin since it’s a part of life? Jeremiah also answers that one. “And your sins have withheld good from you.” (5:25b, NKJV)

Man couldn’t refrain from sin long-term or change on his own. Man needed a Savior. That pretty much sums up the Old Testament.

Besides God creating our flesh, yet telling us to not give in to it, He then chose to become flesh, yet without sin, through the person Jesus, which leads us to the “hope” of the New Testament, the gospel, meaning good news: God did what we could never do, what we “refused” to do.

While we were still in “the sinning state” God wooed us, loved us, and sacrificed Himself for us. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8, NLT)

Bridging our problem of sin to God’s solution of salvation to our real world is paramount. Back in the day, if a person wanted to get in trouble, they usually had to go find it, compared to our accessibility to sin and lust in the 21^st century.

Today, the temptation to give in to the flesh and sin comes into our homes and into our lives 24/7-invisibly and wirelessly. Technology is good and bad, just like the world.

For example, some folks are stunned (and they should be) by what they find on Netflix, referred to by a few as Nastyflix. Our “smart” phones have been viewed as “porn in a box” by not just men (the Adam’s of the world) but women (the Eve’s of the world).

After famed apologetic, (a defender of Christianity-intellectually) Ravi Zacharias, died in May of 2020, it was discovered and revealed he was involved in sexual promiscuity. Christians and non-Christians are always appalled by the sins of believers.

Lest we think the category of lusty stallions is reserved only for the “other people” who get caught, the last time I checked, our bathrooms and our bedrooms still contained mirrors.

And the knowledge we brag about possessing in the 21^st century has not benefited our souls. Are we smarter? Listen to James, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (4:17, NLT, emphasis mine) Man “still” needs a Savior.

Many, many times I tell God, “I need You all over again!”

I’ll leave you with my second question as also stated above: “When are you more prone to get off track, although you have everything you need to continue driving straight ahead?”

pictures courtesy of pexels.com