At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

As Christ-followers, we must have an understanding as to the depths from which we came! This world is ruled by the Prince of Darkness and the Father of Lies. He feeds on selfishness, lust, and evil of every kind. And the people of this world, who are not Christ followers, are both his slaves and his pawns.

Before we surrendered our lives to Jesus, we were foolish, thinking that we could, on merit alone, be good enough to please God. We then, failing at conquering sin on our own, embraced our disobedience, and were deceived by Satan and his demons to believe it was not that bad. We were tricked into living life by comparison to others. This created envy, lust, anger, and malice. It was everyone for themselves. Take what you want because you deserve it. Hate and be hated.

In this state, Ephesians tells us we were “dead in our trespasses and sin.” We lived a life of impulse, in some ways like animals, not knowing why we craved pleasure and lusted for power.

And this is the fallen state from which we came. If we were ships in the ocean, we were headed into a whirlpool to sink to the deepest abyss.

But thanks be to Jesus, as we will find out more about tomorrow!

Lord, knowing and owning my past sin is important because it helps me to recognize the depths from which you saved me. I was sinking fast. Thank you for rescuing me!