Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)
Where does temptation come from? Some of us find ourselves grappling with a sin so habitual that it seems like we've sinned before we even realized we were being tempted. It can help to identify the true origin of temptation so that, even if we are dealing with it after the fact, we can eventually stop it in its tracks in the future. Or, nip it in the bud, as it were.
We might automatically think that temptation comes from environmental factors--things we see or hear or people we hang around with. But James reveals that the actual active ingredient in temptation is our own desires. Certainly, there may be environmental things that trigger those desires. For that reason, it is appropriate to minimize contact with those triggers (Matt 5:27-30). However, steering clear of certain environmental factors will not mean the sin is dealt with. The desires that actually gave rise to the temptation are still alive and well inside us.
The object of our desires do not have to be inherently sinful in order for the desires themselves to be ungodly. For example, it is godly to desire quality time with a friend or family member. At the same time, it is ungodly to desire that quality time so much that one neglects other God-given responsibilities. When a desire becomes so strong that we are willing to sin to acquire its object, the desire has become inordinate and therefore ungodly.
On the other hand, there are certain objects that are inherently sinful and it is impossible to desire them in a godly way. To desire them at all is ungodly. For example, there is no appropriate way to desire another person's spouse.
Whatever the object, it is our ungodly desires that lure and entice us to sin. According to v15 above, these lusts are on a mission to conceive and give birth to sin. They are not content to lie dormant. Their very heartbeat and purpose is to breed unrighteousness. If we would deal well with temptation, we must nip it in the bud--the bud of our own ungodly desires.
What should we do when we are tempted? As Paul writes, we should flee temptation and pursue righteousness (2 Tim 2:22). But the fleeing mentioned by Paul represents fleeing from the trigger. We can’t flee from the heart and its desires. We take them with us everywhere we go. The only way to deal with ungodly desires is to kill them.
So when we are tempted, we should flee the trigger, but then…
- Ask, “what ungodly desire has lured and enticed me? What am I wanting?” This may take some time and soul searching but it is absolutely crucial. We can’t kill desires we haven’t identified.
- Put a biblical label on the desire. We will tend to downplay our ungodly desires by how we talk about them. To ease our consciences, we use phrases “looking at something inappropriate,” “sharing,” or “cutting corners,” when we should use more biblical language, like “lusting,” “gossiping,” and “stealing.” The more we call things what God calls them the more likely we will feel about them the way He does.
- Take the desire apart for all its ugliness and danger. What does the Scripture say about this desire and where it leads? The Word is full of very helpful passages about the dangers of ungodly desire and sin. Memorize and meditate on these passages. These passage can help us to hate these desires and work for their demise. James 1:15 is a great catch-all: "sin when it is fully grown brings forth death"! However…we can’t stop there. The ungodly desires must be replaced, and we’ll not hate them sufficiently until we’ve found something superior, so…
- Consider the superiority of the riches of Christ. There is nothing so deadly to ungodly desire as a growing affection for Jesus (2 Cor 5:14-15). The world, the flesh, and the devil will work against this, so it is the constant battle of this life to climb to greater knowledge of the heart of Christ in the Gospels, epistles, Psalms, etc. Daily meditation on the gospel (to which Paul refers as "the unsearchable riches of Christ", Eph 3:8) and how Christ is better than the illicit desire is crucial to overcoming its grasp on my heart.
- Investigate the corresponding godly desire and character quality in the life of Christ. If your ungodly desire is a prideful impulse to defend yourself, find every example in the Scriptures of how Jesus humbly responded to personal attacks. If your desire is any kind of ungodly physical gratification, find examples of how Jesus denied Himself to be faithful to the Father and others. Allow the life of Jesus to commend a better desire. Meditate on this facet of the character of Christ. As you grow to love Him more, you’ll love His character and want to be like Him.
- In the event of failure, repent quickly and run to the Lord. Some people allow the shame of sin to keep them from repenting quickly. This only serves to make the sin more habitual. Repent immediately and go to the throne of grace, believing that He is who He says—a forgiving master who wants to help us (Heb 4:15-16).
- Pray without ceasing for the death of that desire and the growth of Christlikeness. There are things we may pray for with a degree of uncertainty regarding God’s will in the matter. We need not wonder whether He wants us to be free from ungodly desires and temptation. Jesus Himself taught us to pray that we would not enter into temptation (Matt 26:41). Let us take Him at His word.
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