…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Inside each of us is a monster. In this passage, James gives the monster a name. He calls it, Desire. This particular monster has a twin, whose name is Desire, too. This other desire is good. The Good Desire longs to be with Jesus and do his will. The Bad Desire… Well, Bad Desire is one that leads us away from God’s will.
The monster named Desire is hard to recognize because it is so adept at changing size and shape. Look around inside your head and your heart. Are you burning with desire? Is there something you want more than anything else? Is it a good desire or a bad desire? When we are content, Desire shrinks down into the shadows. Desire hides, but it never leaves.
James warns us that Desire can grow to such proportions that it can drag us away! To complicate things, Desire entices us with The Lie. It tells us contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, and success are all just around the corner. Sometimes we are not so much dragged away by desire as we are running to keep up.
The danger is, that Evil Desire leads to sin, and sin leads to death. Death may or may not include the physical kind, but Evil Desire always leads to spiritual death; separation from God.
Application: Be aware that there are two kinds of desire. Remember that Desire is always there, even when you are not aware of its presence. Run from Evil Desire. Do not even dare to look at what it offers you.
Food for Thought: What are the warning signs that Evil Desire is enticing you?
I think we all know too well when we want something or crave something that is clearly out of God’s will or revealed as such in Scripture. The Holy Spirit will also convict us of an evil desire. But as you aptly put it, we will never be completely free from it on this side of heaven. Indeed, the monster is inside of me competing for my allegiance. I need to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than the enticement of my evil desire. While I want victory, the ultimate answer is always the same (Romans 7: 24-25).
Similar to what Rich said. You will always have choices you just have to pick the one that glorifies God. Just when you do give the glory for the one who helps you.