Slaying Dragons: Lust — Wednesday
James 1:14
…but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (NIV)
We’ve been talking about lust this week, and it’s probably a good time to make a distinction between lust and temptation. One involves a glance; the other involves a gaze. One is fleeting; the other is fixated. Lust always desires to own or possess something or someone. It’s taking what isn’t yours, in reality or fantasy, regardless of the consequences. It’s David with Bathsheba, or Potiphar’s wife with Joseph.
James 1:13-16 describes a temptation’s four-stage process:
Diversion, or “drawing away,” as something or someone gains our attention.
Desire, or “inner arousal.” The Greek word describes a fish fixated on a baited fishing lure—the desire preexists, but the bait triggers it.
Decision, that moment when diversion and desire wed each other, then birth a course of action. From that point on, it’s difficult to make a U-turn. We peer. We gawk. We lust. We hug. We kiss. We sign our name. We enter the room. We break the vow. In other contexts, we drink the beverage or take the drug. We download the video or view the website.
Death. Something dies… a relationship, dream, reputation, or self-respect. We may die emotionally, spiritually, or even physically (because of stress and guilt). Maybe our potential dies, or our character, or someone else’s trust in us. Just know this: Something dies. The wages of sin is always death. Every kick has a kick-back. Every action, a reaction. There’s so much at stake, my friends; be sure you see the big picture before you make a bad decision. We tend to run faster when we lose our way. “Sin, when it is full-grown, produces death” (James 1:16).
For 45 years, I’ve walked through the aftermath of bad decisions with hundreds of people (I’ve made my share, too), and I can tell you this: The carnage is horrible. The pain is palpable, and all the wounded ask the same question: “Why? Why? WHY?!” Be sure you totally understand the process of temptation. Knowledge is prevention.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Consider a quote from Ben Wilson, Marriage and Family Specialist at Marriages Restored in Longmont, Colorado. “Emotional affairs are pseudo-intimacy, and they’re highly addictive. By walking into a temptation, we now have a human drug to ease our anxiety and lack of fulfillment at home, or with life in general. If we’re worn out or stressed out from the reality and routine of life, we can go talk to our human drug, the one who always listens and understands and makes everything all better.” Check out his website here.
