For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Romans 1:21 HCSB
And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know full well God’s just sentence- that those who practice such things deserve to die- they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them. Romans 1:28-32 HCSB
I worked for 28 years in law enforcement and I can tell you that I’ve seen some crazy things. I’ve seen people do some things that I wouldn’t have even thought of doing. I’ve seen people bring harm to themselves and those close to them in ways that are unimaginable. It’s easy to look at them and wonder if they have lost their mind. We spoke recently about having a biblical view of things. If you have a worldly view it is easy to look at people that do crazy things and think they are crazy, but with a biblical view we understand it goes a little deeper than that.
Our scripture passage tells us if we deny God, He will give us over to our desires. If you have sexual sin in your life and you continue to reject God, He will give you over to your sexual sin. You may that you are doing things you never thought you would do or maybe swore you would never do. It’s important to understand- once God gives us over, the devil takes over and the potential for depravity is limitless. This is what our Scripture passage is trying to tell us.
I have a good friend who is a substance abuse counselor. A few years ago, she told me about the impact heroine was making. She was saddened by the fact that it is almost impossible to cure someone from that addiction. Heroine is instantly addictive and has some severe physical withdrawal symptoms. Users would rather keep using than suffer through the withdrawal. Why would anyone use it knowing this? Well, why do any of us sin knowing that our sin will take us farther than we want to go, charge us more than we want to pay, and keep us longer than we want to stay? In Psalm 81:11-12 it says, “But my people did not listen to Me; Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans.” I can tell you from personal experience no good comes from following our own plans.
It’s so easy to look at the insanity flooding our nation and the world and talk about how crazy “they” must be. But, what about us? Do you have sin in your life that you can’t let go of? Do you know God, but refuse to surrender to Him? Do you fail to show gratitude to Him? Are you disobedient? Do you participate in sin knowing it’s wrong and refusing to turn from it? Be careful, be very careful, because the Bible tells us there will come a time when God will just give us over to the sinful desires of our hearts.
God will help you let go of your sin if you will only ask for His help. He stands with outstretched arms to receive you. Are you willing to surrender to Him. If not, you might just lose your mind. You might be trading logical, rational thinking for senselessness. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the LORD with all our heart, and not to rely on our own understanding and to acknowledge Him in all we do and He will guide us on the right paths. But, our Scripture passage tells us that if we fail to acknowledge God, He will deliver us over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong.
As I write this I am heartbroken, because sadly, I have loved ones who have fallen into this category. I beg of you today not to fall into this trap set by the devil. Turn to God, acknowledge Him in all you do. Glorify Him, give Him honor and praise and He will help you win your battle with sin. In Him we can be victorious. But, without Him we are doomed to a worthless mind that not only practices evil, but applauds those who also practice evil.
There are only two choices my friend. We can surrender our hearts, our souls and our minds (Matthew 22:37) to loving Jesus Christ. Or, we can indulge in our sinful desires and lose our minds. If you haven’t lost your mind yet, turn to God before it’s too late.
Have a great day!