Day 2678 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Proverbs 21:2 NIV

We've been talking a lot about repentance lately. As we've been discussing, it's something that is a vital part of our faith because God's forgiveness can only be sought when we realize that we need it. Nobody seeks forgiveness for something they don't realize they're doing wrong, just like you don't go to the hospital when you feel perfectly fine. We have to learn to be able to see the mistakes we're making so that we can start pruning them before they grow into bad habits and eventually habitual sin.

The eye-opening thing that hit me this morning as I started writing today's post is that all of us have sins in our lives that we've not yet repented. Each of do things or say things or think thoughts that we don't even realize aren't right. We make those mistakes that go unnoticed either out of complacency or convenience. But the fact remains the same that each of us are doing or saying or believing things that simply have no place in the minds and hearts of true believers and faithful followers of Christ.

The problem lies in the fact that we've all been desensitized to sin. This world that we're living in has twisted this whole thing to where things that are truly sinful and should be abhorrent to us as Christians are simply overlooked. Humanity has fallen so far from God's intended design and His perfect will that we don't even realize the horrible state that we're in. Rather than fixing problems and trying to do better, we've collectively decided to smooth out rock bottom and call it home.

Let me give you a couple of examples that came to mind when I was thinking about what needed to be said today. Violence. It's in video games. It's in TV shows. It's in movies. And if it isn't in something then whatever that something is isn't going to be popular. And the further we go and the more intense the desensitization, the more extreme things need to become in order to remain shocking and exciting and attention-grabbing. Roadrunner tricking Wile E Coyote into running into a wall isn't enough anymore. We need blood and gore and horror movies to keep our adrenaline flowing and the endorphins ramped up.

Or how about filthy language. Used to be that you could turn on TV and not hear much of anything. Flipping through the channels a while back and this show was on regular cable TV and they were dropping F-bombs like some of kind of bombing run right into our living rooms. There was a time when you would never even imagine hearing that word on TV, and not even in movies all that much. Today it's right in your face, easily accessible for any and all regardless of age or anything else.

Then there's all this sexual stuff. Songs about it, movies, video games, and don't even get me started on what you can find on a computer or cellphone. Society grew bored with class and decency and discretion because those things don't bring the same excitement that this new stuff offers. And so we have this over-sexualized society that again has to keep pushing the barriers so that they keep the fans coming back looking for that next hit of shock and awe.

We could list plenty of other options, but they all point back to the same underlying fact. Humanity is unworried about sin. We hear about it. We read the Bible that tells us about it. But the issue is that it doesn't hurt. It doesn't affect us physically. If anything, that rush and excitement we feel seem to be pretty enjoyable, so what could possibly be wrong with that? That's where we've gone off the rails and crashed into this world that we've created where nothing is off limits and the only thing people want is what makes them gasp in shock at how much more extreme it is than what they've already seen or heard.

The thing is that our hearts are truly deceitful. We can find ways to excuse our way into just about anything. It's not that dangerous. It doesn't really hurt anybody. The kids are already hearing this language from their friends. The violence is harmless because it's on a screen. It's just a little white lie. It's just the way things are. Gotta keep the ratings up. Have to be in the know and keep up with your friends. And the excuses and reasons and validations and stupidity rolls on and on and on.

One of the biggest things that we've apparently decided to be okay with forgetting is that God doesn't compromise. We do. We do it all the time. We'll watch something that maybe isn't good just because we're bored. We'll throw on some music about drinking and drugs because we're angry and want to let the rage out. We'll hop on the interweb and click over to a dirty website because we're alone and feeling lonely and have some spare time that would be more fun with a little excitement.

Friends, our hearts can convince us that anything and everything is okay, simply because we want it to be okay. But what we seriously need to get back to understanding is that God weighs our hearts, and when they're loaded down with sin and darkness, we can be assured that we will face some tough questions regarding why we allowed ourselves to fall to such a point as to let our hearts become filled with all this garbage rather than with God's will for us. We may think it's harmless. We may feel the need for more extreme versions of what we already have. We may be willing to give in and ignore the warnings.

But if we think that God will give in and let us redefine what's okay then we're in for a very long eternity.

That's why we desperately need the change that repentance brings into our lives. Sin is all around us and it's more popular than we could imagine. And as harmless as everyone is trying to make it seem, the truth is that sin wants our hearts, our minds, our souls. The devil wants us to be his slaves who do his bidding through the spreading of sinful and vile practices. And what better way to reel us in than to make it look fun and feel good?

Friends, Scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death, and if we don't die to sin then we can be sure that we'll die in sin. It's not a game. Not harmless. Not something to be taken lightly. The harsh fact is that we are each in a war for our souls and that's quite a bit more important than a TV show or catchy song. We have a responsibility to not give the devil a foothold in our lives. Problem is that we already have. And until we seek out every corner where he lurks, we'll not be able to rid ourselves of his wicked presence.

We all like to convince ourselves that we're doing good or at least good enough. But we can do better. And if we truly want the salvation and freedom and peace that we've been offered in Christ, then we'd better fight much harder than we've fought up to this point. God will weigh our hearts, and His scale doesn't account for the deception and deceit that ours are willing to embrace. It may not seem like much fun to shut the funny movie off or close your account to that virtual pleasure palace when the rest of the world is living it up in our despicable culture of wickedness and immorality.

But we need to understand that we either get our reward here or we get it later. We can't a life filled with everything our fallen hearts crave and have an eternity of peace and joy to look forward to at the same time. Our hearts want everything this world has, and that's why we need to change our minds toward sin so that Christ can change our hearts to turn away from it where we can find the eternal reward that outweighs everything this place could ever possibly offer.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold