"His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin." (Proverbs 5:22) That verse of Scripture is a word picture. We typically think of this situation in terms of an unbeliever, but it could just as easily be applied to a Christian who deliberately chooses to disobey his Lord. And, instead of seeing the error of his ways, he stays in a state of carnality, which grieves the Holy Spirit living within him. Carnality occurs when a believer deliberately operates in the strength of his or her own will . . . stubbornly refusing to acknowledge wrong and choosing to walk contrary to the teaching of Scripture. The promptings of God's Spirit are ignored as disobedience becomes a lifestyle. Choosing to live like that is like getting caught in a whirlpool. The wickedness intensifies. It gets more treacherous as he goes deeper into it and like the prodigal son, he winds up in misery and filth!