In 1953, Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to make it to the summit of Mt. Everest. Since then, there have been 11,996 summits but at a cost of 323 lives. Over 200 bodies still litter the path up the mountain, some must be stepped over. Each body serves as a warning of the real danger that still exists. Those who attempt the climb cannot claim ignorance; they are flirting with disaster in lands where man was not meant to survive.

God warns us about dangers through His word. God warns Cain in Genesis 4:7 that “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” Yet everyday people flirt with disaster, choosing to sin, believing they will come out untouched. God warns us through the Scriptures of the dead who did just that. In 1 Corinthians 10, we are shown the bodies of those who lived before us and went places they were not meant to be. They sinned and faced judgment. Verse 11 says “these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.” If you flirt with sin long enough this will happen to you.

Why do we ignore so many warnings? We are led astray by our own sinful desires. James 1:14-15 says our own desire “lures and entices” us. When we give in to our desire we sin and sin “brings forth death.” What is the remedy? Seek to make God’s desires your own. Verse 22 says “do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Hear the warning and heed the warning. Don’t follow the path of sin where you will be forced to step over the bodies of the dead. Follow God’s word, that is where you belong.