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Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away (James 1:14, NLT).
The book of James uses an interesting phrase describing the impact that a strong desire can have upon us . . .
Drag us away!
How often have we determined not to do something, and then we stumble? How many times have we literally (it feels like it ) been dragged into something that we should have avoided?
We can’t help ourselves.
The English word “drag” used in James 1:14 literally means “lured away” in the Greek.
Consider a fish caught by bait and hook to be pulled out of the water. Why do we get caught so often by the same temptation? We are like fish considering the bait in the water, “Well, I tried that bait once before, and I was dragged out of the water. It looks so good — gulp — uh, oh!”
James explains why we get dragged away again and again by the same bait. He uses the word “desires,” which can also be translated as “intense desires.” Every believer that I know has a strong desire — or bait on a hook — that’s difficult to resist.
What is your strongest temptation – food, weird thoughts, anger, control, porn, anxiety, alcohol, power, pride, gambling, drugs, anger, or wealth? If it’s not on this list, then what is it for you?
We don’t have to be dragged away by temptation.
As the Apostle Paul writes . . .
Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22, ESV).
In the Greek, the phrase “put off” means the exact opposite of “dragged away.” In the Spirit, we are to sense our lusts or strongest desires and put them off or throw them away.
We have a choice to “throw away” or get “dragged away.” Whatever is causing our spirit to get pulled from God, let’s confess it and be filled with God’s Spirit.
When Barbara and I recently returned from a three-week trip to the Philippines, I opened the door to our refrigerator, and I instantly knew that something needed to be thrown out.
Jesus uses aggressive language underscoring how intense our “throwing away” should be . . .
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:29, ESV).
When I became a pastor over 50 years ago, I quickly understood that my job would often include being a spiritual sanitation worker. I listened to confessions and helped discern the often-dramatic course needed for them to avoid being dragged away again.
Then I observed that those who paid the price of this “throwing away” continued to grow in Christ, and those who didn’t were caught again and again until their lives began to stink.
Don’t be fooled by the bait this week, as the flesh always has an embedded hook.
Let’s throw it away this week!