And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Ephesians 2:1-5

Often we forget the state we were in before Christ changed everything. We were as the living dead, having the appearance of life on the outside, but dead inside. We were tombs walking around, trying to satisfy ourselves with wanton pleasure, gratifying the desires of our flesh, hopelessly unaware of the stench of sin invading our lives. Paul describes our state in this way, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh…For to set the mind on the flesh is death…For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8).

You were hostile to God. You could do nothing to please him; instead you continued to incur his wrath. You were following Satan, counted among the sons of disobedience. You were dead.

But God.

These are some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture. But God. He loved you greatly and lavished his rich mercy upon you, even when you were dead in sin. When you did not deserve it. He made you alive. His Spirit was at work within you, raising you up to be set apart for his mission.

As you serve and do his work, spreading his gospel among the nations and to your neighbors, you must remember your former state. Those you seek to serve are dead in their sin. They are dead men walking and you do not have the power to transform them. No amount of eloquent words or selfless acts can regenerate a heart. Only God can make one alive. He has called you to go to them and share the message of his salvation, but then you must throw them at the foot of the cross and plead for God’s mercy on their behalf. Beg the Spirit to renew their heart and set them free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

• Pray that they would find redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin.
• Pray that he would lavish his grace upon them and make known to them the mystery of his will.
• Pray that they would be made alive.