Desire
James 1:13-15 (NKJV) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 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.
In three verses, James helps us understand the spiritual battle all of us face. It is a battle not to become something we are not, but to lay claim to what we already possess: Our new life in Christ.
The trial of temptation is an opportunity for us. It is a chance to identify those areas in our lives where our desires are being infected by lies, distorted by agreement with the Enemy.
James tells us that no temptation comes from the Lord. Temptation that leads to sin always springs from a desire that has agreed with satanic messaging. While Jesus has redeemed us, given us a new spirit-man seated in heaven with him, our souls and bodies are still in process. Our mind, will and emotions are the battlefield where the fight for victorious living will play out.
Temptation reveals the places within our thinking that have not yet been reclaimed by the Holy Spirit. They are the places where our true, heavenly identity does not yet operate with authority.
James is encouraging us here. When we understand the true source of temptation, we can do something about it. When we understand how false, sin-birthing desires are formed in the first place, we can short circuit them before they can negatively impact us.
The weapon for exerting our heavenly authority is the Word of God. The Word—not just words on a page, but revelation in our hearts—brings our soul into alignment with Spirit. The battle we all face is this: Will we wield that powerful weapon?
When we don’t, we exist in defeat. We’re settling for inactive, dead faith.
When we do, we experience victory. Our faith is living and active, sharper than any sword.
It really is that simple.
I love the practical wisdom of James. In his book about the difference between living and dead faith, he holds up basic, everyday examples. It’s as if he’s saying, “Okay, do you want to know what dead faith looks like? Here you go. Do you want to see what living faith can produce? Look at this!”
In these three verses, James is warning us about the danger of dead faith in the face of temptation. Dead faith will simply fall for the enemy’s lies. Dead faith is content to repeat false patterns of thinking, which ultimately lead us into sin.
Living faith will fight the battle. Living faith knows that our desire is not the enemy. It’s only when desires are infected by the virus of falsehood that they lead us into death.
The goal, for James, is to show us what it looks like to live in greater freedom. To live from the heart. To live with redeemed desires. Simply put, we have to place our trust in Real Truth. Whenever we’re yielding to temptation, we know we have some growing to do.
POINT TO PONDER: Think about an area of your life where the Holy Spirit has truly changed your desires, where you truly no longer desire sin. Give thanks for that area and invite the Holy Spirit to expand that into a new place this week.