The story is told of the great Italian painter, Leonardo da Vinci.

Many years ago, he was wandering the streets of Milan, Italy, staring intently at one passerby, then another.

He had been painting “The Last Supper” on the walls of a convent church and had sketched the outline.

Now he was seeking the right men to pose for Christ and the different disciples.

Seeing a strong young man who had a benign expression on his face, he thought he would be good for posing for the apostle John.

The man consented to his request for this posing.

A few years passed. Leonardo da Vinci found men to pose for each of the disciples, but he needed someone for Judas.

Then, one night, he saw a man who seemed appropriate as a model for Judas.

The man had strong facial features, a beard, and a dark, grim expression.

Da Vinci asked the man if he would pose as “one of the disciples” for his painting and the man agreed. After that, the painting was finally completed.

The man who had posed for Judas looked at the painting, his dark face turning pale.

He said, “You painted me before. Don’t you remember me?”

“No,” da Vinci replied.

“When I first came to Milan, I was your model for John. Since then, I have lived in sin, with a constant weight of guilt and shame upon my shoulders.”

It had changed him so much that Leonardo didn’t recognize him!

It never ceases to amaze me how sin can affect a person’s life so drastically… some to the point of doing things they wouldn’t normally do.

We have seen on the news lately the many atrocities committed against civilian who are being terrorized by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan since the U.S. pulled its troops out of the area.

As I watched these stories unfold on my television screen, I thought about the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”

No matter who makes the choice– sin always brings heartache and death wherever it goes.

That’s why we need to pray for the people in Afghanistan and around the world.

Because it’s also a prayer of safety for America so the terrorists will be stopped before they plan another attack!

Many years ago, there was a popular radio program called “The Shadow.”

Each program would begin with the same opening line — “Who knows what darkness lies within the heart of man? The Shadow knows!”

The Shadow was a fictional character created from someone’s imagination.

But there is One who can see into the dark recesses of a person’s soul and know his/her inner most secrets.

The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Although it is true we live in a sinful, wicked world… it is also true that God will bring judgment upon those who have sinned. He will deal with the Taliban and those committing such atrocities around the world.

God is looking into your heart today.

What does He see?

You may not be a terrorist, but if there is sin in your heart then it must be dealt with before Judgment Day.

The rest of Romans 6:23 tells us: “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

If you will trust and obey Him, He can forgive you of all sin and save you from judgment.

That’s the Good News that Jesus brings to all who believe on Him!

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia.