Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
A good parent disciplines their child, but lazy parents do nothing when they see their child misbehaving. While it is easier to do nothing when one's child is misbehaving, a good parent disciplines their child because they know that addressing misbehavior is in their child's best interest. As our perfect Heavenly Father, the same is true in our relationship with God. Like a good parent takes the misbehavior of his or her child seriously, He takes sin very seriously.
James understood the severity of sin when he wrote James 1. In verse 13, James wrote that sin is born out of our "own evil desires." This sin will eventually lead to death if it is not dealt with. Ultimately, sin will destroy us. Because of the tragic consequences of sin, this message from James is a reminder for us to take sin seriously.
When you consider your life, are you taking your sin seriously? Are you tempted to let some sin in your life continue because it is going unnoticed, or it does not seem like a "big" sin? It does not matter if your sin appears to be really large or really small. All sin has the same consequence: it separates us from God. Because of this, we must take action against it. Taking action against our sin involves confession and repentance. Confession means acknowledging our sin to God and to others, especially anyone whom our sin has negatively affected. Confession to God means admitting your sin to Him. Confession to others means acknowledging to other believers the area of sin in your life so that they can hold you accountable as you fight against that sin. Repentance means turning away from sin. It involves a change of behavior. It means living differently after confessing sin in your life.
As we are challenged this week to draw near to God, one way we can do that is to take our sin seriously and repent from it. Will you consider your life and ask God if any sin in your life is keeping you from drawing close to Him? As sin is revealed, will you confess it and repent from it and seek to have a deeper relationship with Him?
Spend time in prayer, asking God to reveal any sin in your life. In your journal or a notebook, write down any sin in your life that He reveals to you. Draw near to God and confess that sin to God and other trusted Christian friends. Repent from your sin, asking your trusted Christian friends to help hold you accountable.
Read James 1:13-18 (NLT)
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
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