But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death. James 1:14–15 (AMPC)
Did you know that at this very moment, you’re choosing your own future? Our thoughts and feelings set the direction of our lives, and we need to take advantage of this incredible power God has given us!
The truth is, often your emotions lie to you. For example, you might feel unlovable, but the truth from God’s Word says you’re His child and He loves you (1 John 3:1). We’re all tempted to believe the negative thoughts and feelings that rise up to discourage us. When we do, that’s where sin is conceived.
You see, temptations come out of our own evil desires, as today’s verse says. If we allow them to consume our thoughts and shape our beliefs, we set a direction for our lives that is not God’s best for us.
It doesn’t happen instantly. After all, when a woman conceives a child, it takes nine months before that baby is born. The same is often true for us. In times of strong, negative emotion, we may begin to believe a lie, which may set us on a course to eventually walk out unhealthy behaviour. We need to interrupt those thoughts and replace those lies with the truth of God’s Word!
The good news is you don’t have to worry about trying to analyze yourself to root out every lie. Just keep growing in His Word, and these lies will be rooted out by the truth. God has given you this power—the power to walk right out of habitual sin and harness your emotions!