Think for just a moment about all the problems mankind is facing in this world. It is not a pleasant subject to think about, but it is reality. Now think about the ways mankind has tried to solve these problems. Oftentimes, the “solutions” actually create more problems.

Take, for example, the current global health pandemic. Have the proposed solutions solved anything?

Everywhere we look, we see a growing number of difficulties. Why? Why can’t we solve problems of disease, war, famine, lying, etc? Why can’t most people solve the problems in their personal lives?

To solve a problem, we first have to get to the cause of the problem. We have to understand what needs to change. Notice this profound passage in Jeremiah and see if you really believe it.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

This passage describes human nature—the way people are normally. Mankind is being influenced by Satan, who is described as a master broadcaster in Ephesians 2:2. But people don’t know they are influenced by the prince of the power of the air. Most think they are just doing what comes naturally.

God’s view of human nature is what we read in Jeremiah 17:9. God sees hearts that are “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”!

Without God’s Spirit, every human goes the way of Jeremiah 17:9. They follow along with a mindset that is deceitful and wicked and causes problems.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes in Lesson 36 of our free Bible correspondence course, “If you let a desperately wicked heart run free, it will do great damage!”

The world around us, with all of its terrible problems, is the result of selfish minds clashing with other selfish minds! Jeremiah 17:9 hearts are running wild, and the result is multiplying problems!

The solution to all the problems of this world is the keeping of God’s law. Too simplistic? Try keeping God’s law and see what it produces. But keeping the law is easier said than done.

Mr. Flurry writes in Lesson 36, “It is very difficult to keep God’s law. But the problem isn’t with the law, it is with us. We need to change and conform ourselves to that law. We need to replace the wickedness of our hearts with the righteousness of God by writing God’s law in our hearts!”

This is true on a global level as well as on an individual level. If you want to solve the problems in your life, you have to turn away from your Jeremiah 17:9 heart and begin to obey the laws of God. A change of heart is needed.

1 Peter 2:23 shows us that we are to follow Christ’s perfect example. What made Christ perfect? He always followed God’s will. Christ perfectly kept the law of God. Christ was free from this Jeremiah 17:9 heart because He always followed the lead of God’s Spirit to obey God’s law.

What incredible freedom! Christ was totally free of human nature. Philippians 2:5 tells us to have the mind of Christ in us. God wants us to be free of human nature and the problems that it causes. This requires using God’s Spirit to submit to God and resist the broadcasts of Satan (James 4:7).

To really solve our problems, we need a change of heart. In Hebrews 8:10, Paul shows that eventually all people will have God’s law written in their hearts. This will take place after the return of Christ. But God is calling a few to change their hearts today (Romans 8:23).

If you would like a deeper understanding of God’s wonderful law and the blessings it provides, request our free booklet The Ten Commandments.