You weren't designed to run on battery power. Discover why humanity feels drained, disconnected, and powerless—and how to restore the link to the original power source.
Jeremy Haroldson launches a new series called "Ground Work" with a critical question: "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3).
We often try to fix our lives by adjusting the "roof" (behavior, habits, circumstances), while the foundation is cracking. This message goes back to the absolute beginning—Genesis—to identify the "Missing Link." Jeremy explains why humanity feels a chronic sense of disconnection and powerlessness, using the powerful analogy of an unplugged appliance. If you feel like you are working hard but getting nowhere, you might be running on fading batteries instead of the Source.
To understand the problem, you have to understand the prototype. Jeremy takes us back to Eden. "Man was created to govern the earth." We weren't created to be victims of our environment; we were created to have dominion over it.
Adam and Eve operated in a state of perfect connection. They had no fear, no shame, and no lack. This is your "factory setting." The reason you feel frustrated by limitations is because you have a deep, cellular memory of a time when you were limitless.
What happened? Jeremy defines "sin" not just as bad behavior, but as structural disconnection. He uses the metaphor of a lamp.
"If you unplug a lamp, it still looks like a lamp. It has a bulb, a shade, and a cord. But it has no light."
When humanity chose independence [sin], we unplugged ourselves from the Source [God]. We still look like humans—we have bodies, minds, and emotions—but the "light" (spiritual life/power) went out. We have been trying to light ourselves up with artificial power ever since, and it's exhausting.
Why did God give the Law (Ten Commandments)? Jeremy clarifies: "The law was given to show us our need for a Savior."
Think of the Law like an MRI machine. An MRI can diagnose cancer, but it cannot cure it. The Law showed us how broken (unplugged) we were, but it had no power to plug us back in. Religion tries to use the MRI machine to cure the patient, which leads to legalism and frustration.
This is the crux of the Christian faith. Jesus is called the "Second Adam." Why? Because He came to succeed where the first Adam failed.
The first Adam unplugged the cord. The Second Adam (Jesus) plugged it back in. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He restored the connection. "He didn't come to make bad people good; He came to make dead people alive." He restored the flow of power so that the lamp could turn on again.
Batteries run out. The Grid does not.
Jeremy's challenge is to stop trying to generate your own power, righteousness, or peace. You were designed to be a conduit, not a generator. The "Missing Link" has been restored. Your job now is to acknowledge the connection and flip the switch.
Perfect for:
Because the primary consequence of sin wasn't just "guilt," it was "death." In biblical terms, death means separation from the Source of life. Just as a branch dies when separated from the tree, the human spirit "died" (lost its power) when separated from God.
Dominion means responsible authority. It means humans were designed to steward the earth, create culture, and bring order to chaos. It is not about domination or exploitation, but about cultivating potential and governing wisely.
Because the issue was legal and structural, not just emotional. A price had to be paid to satisfy justice (the "wages of sin is death"). Jesus paid that price legally, allowing God to be both "just and the justifier." It was the only way to re-establish the connection without violating justice.
Key Scripture Reference: Psalm 11:3; Romans 5:19
"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?... For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."