"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

It is plain to me that though it is with difficulty that a sinner is saved, it is difficult also for him to travel the road to hell. God has placed many obstacles in the sinner’s way. The sinner is constantly reminded that he is in need.

While holding outdoor crusades in Africa I noticed that those who had never heard of Jesus or the gospel felt a sense of need. Whether they knew of God or not they all felt stained by the world - they has a sense that they were unclean

. Whether they understood that they had fallen short of the glory of God or not, they all knew that they had not lived up to the demands of their own consciences. All have lied - all have acted selfishly - all have failed to seek God and His will - and all know it. Paul told the Romans that all are without excuse because they have chosen to practice things which result in death in hell.

The discovery and knowledge of sin should make us turn to God, but it usually invokes the opposite reaction. Adam and Eve hid themselves from God after they sinned. The devil will entice you to sin and then condemn you for it. He will try to give you a sense of hopelessness and try to cause you to believe that God will not forgive you - but it is all a lie. God promises to forgive every sinner who admits his sins and turns from them. Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins.

In America it is very difficult for a sinner to stay in their comfort zone. You cannot go anywhere without seeing a Church with a gospel message on their sign. Virtually every hotel room has a Bible in it and you can’t watch TV without being reminded of God. Go shopping and you will see people wearing crosses or Christian t-shirts, and even in the parking lot you often see Christian messages or symbols on vehicles.

Perhaps a sinner can resist the pulls of their conscience and muster up the strength to continually push God away in those constant reminders, but the last obstacle is the crucified Christ Himself. To go to hell one must crawl over the torn, bloody and dying Body of Jesus - feel His love, and yet trample under foot the blood of His sacrifice. "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the spirit of grace.?" (Heb.10:29) Even the wide road to destruction is not without obstacles.