It is a heavy judgment when God leaves a man to his own lusts and withdraws the restraining guidance of His Holy Spirit. Many think judgment is only when God strikes, but Scripture shows something even more terrifying. God may give a man over to what he insists on loving.
Romans 1 says this with fearful clarity. “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity” (Romans 1:24). That is not freedom. That is judgment. When God lets the sinner have the sin he refuses to forsake, the soul is not being liberated. It is being handed over to its own ruin.
This is why David cried with trembling, “Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). He knew that the most frightening thing was not losing comfort, reputation, position, or earthly blessing. It was to be left without the nearness, conviction, correction, and mercy of God.
A man abandoned to himself will not rise. He will sink. His desires will rule him, his conscience will grow dull, his sin will feel normal, and his heart will become harder. “My people did not listen to My voice… so I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices” (Psalm 81:11-12).
So we must pray for mercy. Lord, do not leave us to ourselves. Do not give us what our sinful hearts demand. Restrain us, convict us, wound our pride, guide us by Your Spirit, and keep us near to Christ. Better to be corrected by God than abandoned to our own lusts.
My goal in life is to always remain young at heart. To find the fun. To laugh a lot. To be in awe often. To craft things. To retain my innocence. To love creation. To not let anything make me give up hope. These are things about myself that I hold sacred and will fiercely guard.