How did that happen?

 How Did That Happen?

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

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.

ROMANS 6:12

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

GALATIANS 5:17

Have you ever gotten lost and tried to retrace your steps to figure out exactly where you took a wrong turn? Sometimes we end up where we don’t want to be because of sin. And the Bible helps us retrace our steps by showing us exactly how sin happens, step by step.

Sin starts with temptation, or a strong desire for something we shouldn’t have. We want this thing, so we try to rationalise and make excuses for why we are right to want what we want. At this point, we are deceived into believing that getting what we want will satisfy us and meet our need. The next step is when we make plans for getting what we want. Sin happens when we act on that plan.

It is not a sin to be tempted or to have a strong desire for something. Everyone experiences temptation — including Jesus, while he was on earth. When we’re tempted, we have a choice to make about what we’ll do with that desire. When we find ourselves taking the next step — rationalising and making excuses for why we are right to want what we want — we have the chance to avoid going the wrong direction toward sin. But we can avoid sin only if we squash our excuses with the truth about how empty and unsatisfying sin is and how good and satisfying God is. A Christian is not a person who never has bad desires. A Christian is a person who says no to those bad desires and says yes to desires for God.