Evil desires- we all have them. But, what are they? What makes them evil? How do we deal with them?

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

That darn tree! The tree of the knowledge of good and evil unlocked our ability to know both. We humans know what good is, but we also know how to take that good and misuse it, twist it, indulge in it, and pervert it. For those who are in Christ, the Holy Spirit is in us. He directs us in how to live, showing us what is bad and destructive and what is good and beneficial. We must choose to put off the old self and put on the new self, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

James further tells us to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you (James 1:21). What are evil desires?

1. They are anything that is out of the bounds of God’s goodness, provision, and protection.
2. They are driven by our chemistry and our perspective, our “truth,” our worldview.
3. They are where we go without the influence of the Holy Spirit.

We have heard that “all’s well that ends well,” and “the end justifies the means.” They may be true from a human perspective, but God is much more interested in our motive, the “why” behind what we do. We are now back to my “broken record,” which is, “We were never designed to function alone; we need God in our lives.” Of course, we are talking about the Holy Spirit. We need the Lord to help us guard our hearts against our wayward feelings and passions and to recognize outward influences when they come our way.

Here is what He does:

¹² It [He] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:12

Here is His great promise:

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20

We don’t have to worry about God finding out our darkest secrets. He knows them already–and died for them. Our guilt has been taken away and nailed to Christ’s cross! Let’s celebrate our freedom in Christ to know and do the right thing every time, all the time.

Abba, thank You for Your forgiveness. I know that I don’t get to skip the consequences, but as we deal with them together, I feel Your love, I experience Your peace, which gives me great joy. My hope is in Your grace, O Lord. May I share Your goodness with everyone! Amen.