Proverbs 1:28-29: Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Proverbs 5:22-23: The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
Isaiah 55:6-7: Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.
Hosea 5:4-7: Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the Lord. Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They are unfaithful to the Lord; they give birth to illegitimate children. Now their New Moon festivals will devour them and their fields.
James 1:13-14: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when he is dragged away by his own evil desire and enticed.
From the very beginning, way back in the garden, humans have had an insatiable desire: to know more than what we know and to be more than what we are. Now don’t get me wrong, having ambition is great. Contentment in any circumstance is key (Philippians 4:12) and complacency and stagnation are surefire ways to stifle growth. God certainly didn’t create His children to be the same people they were yesterday. We aren’t living the abundant lives that He died for if we aren’t growing. So wanting to improve upon the position you’re in is awesome. God created us in His own image, we are the work of His hands, so we inherently have a proclivity to greatness.
But when your desires to improve and get ahead overshadow your desire for God and cloud your ability to submit to, listen to, and revere God, that’s where the problems come in. That’s when our inherent qualities (that should be connecting us to and always leading us back to God) drive a wedge between us and Him. We’ve essentially decided to take what we should be giving to Him and placing it in our own hands. And you know what happens when finite creatures try to control? Disaster!
Humans are given free will. We choose whether or not we turn away. We choose whether or not we will submit to God. No one forces us to do anything. But when we choose to give in to our desire, what first appears to be us living out our lives in complete freedom quickly becomes a trap. We become slaves to our desires, consumed by the very things we’ve chased after. Our enslavement is all of our own doing. And how can we expect to be free from the things we’ve gotten ourselves into? Slaves can’t free themselves. If they could, they wouldn’t be enslaved.
Only God grants freedom; only He has that power. That is why it is so imperative to have Jesus as the head of your life (John 8:31-36). He frees us so we don’t have to suffer in those shackles of sin any longer. Choose Him while you still can!