Run to God the very instant your evil desires start to entice you – he will deliver you from your own evil.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it’s funny – no, actually, it’s very sad – the way we do not take responsibility for our sin. We’re so good at shifting the blame, saying that our circumstances made us do it or even the devil made us do it, or our boss made us do it. But James 1 says that when we are tempted to sin, we are actually enticed by our own desires. And if we fail to ask for God’s help, then those desires give birth to sin. It’s why every day – and I mean every day – it is a good idea to pray the Lord’s Prayer, for in it, we ask God to “deliver us from evil.” Yep, some desires are evil and powerful, but God and his grace are stronger by far. We just need to train ourselves to run to him the very instant those desires start enticing us. Quick, run to God right then, at that instant, and he will deliver you from evil. From your own evil.
© Joni and Friends