Craig Clouston

Deep- Seeded Desires

Each one is tempted, when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
James 1:14

Taylor was beautiful. Gary had tried—unsuccessfully—to land a date with her for almost two years. So when she stopped by his office on Tuesday and said with a smile, “I’m free Friday night if you don’t have any plans,” Gary immediately secured the date. The problem was he actually did have plans. And his plan’s name was Wendy. Gary and Wendy had been dating for about a month.
Gary, realizing his dilemma, called Wendy and told her something had come up, and he wouldn't be able to keep their date on Friday. Wendy had assured him it was okay and that she would take a rain check.
All day Friday, Gary played out his perfect scenario of how the evening would go: a quiet dinner over on the east side at Carrillo’s, a ride in a Handsome Cab through the Old Town, followed by a romantic walk down by the pier. He couldn't believe his luck; he had finally gotten a date with Taylor!
They arrived at Carrillo’s around 7:00. Upon entering the restaurant, Gary walked straight into his worst nightmare. There stood Wendy and her father, waiting to be seated. When their eyes met, Wendy’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of horror and humiliation. Suddenly, Gary realized in his desire to date Taylor he had made a self-centered decision. His regret was profound, immediate, and too late.

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Our value systems become compromised when we cloak selfish, indulgent behavior in lies and choose to give in to deep-seeded desires that are morally or ethically wrong. When temptation rears its ugly head, we must look for a way of escape instead of allowing the thought room to breed and grow.
Temptation in itself is not sin. But, as James describes, we get carried away when we don’t immediately reject its offer. When we entertain the temptation, we are taking steps to consummate the agreement brought by the enemy. Instead, we should be running in the opposite direction. Remember, no temptation has taken us that we cannot overcome if we choose (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Prayer

“Lord, help me live a righteous life. Cause me to be aware of the danger in entertaining evil desires, even momentarily. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”