Lost In Our Own Lust

May 13, 2024

JAMES 1:14-15 NKJV – (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

There is no doubt that the temptation to despair exists. Especially in the midst of hard times, we feel the pull to disobey God, to be unfaithful, to move away from Him. 

Where does that temptation come from? Here James reveals the answer: The call is coming from inside our own house! In other words, we are lured away from God in the midst of trials by our own desires. On one level, we simply want to sin. Christians have been freed from slavery to sin, but we haven't completely lost the taste for sin. The desire remains.

James tells us to own up to that desire to sin. We need to hold ourselves responsible. He wants to warn us that, on this side of eternity, our "old self" (Ephesians 4:22) is looking for an excuse to move back into sinfulness. Sometimes, we will use trials as that excuse to disobey God instead of to trust Him at a deeper level.

Verse 15 will reveal the consequences of taking our own bait to sin.

SCRIPTURE READING

1 PETER 2:11

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Curiosity is the lust of the mind.