Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…evil desire...

Colossians 3:5

Put Off
Evil Desire

Where does evil desire come from? Why would we want to desire something that is evil? Why do we even think about and consider evil? My answer is: It’s because of the darkness that surrounds us daily.

How can we live in this world and stay pure in thought and action and never succumb to sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions or greed? The answer is to leave no opening (however tiny) for darkness to enter.

Recently, a famous pastor publicly confessed to his wife that he had committed adultery. How could this pastor have avoided failing in this way? How can we all avoid failing our Lord?

Besides the Scriptures, we have the Holy Spirit who tells us when we are falling into temptation. But instead of paying attention to this inner voice, we ignore it. As our evil desire grows and we are tempted to sin, we don’t put it off; instead, we repress the evil desire and try to hide it. We don’t recognize evil for what it is. Instead of trying to fight against evil thoughts and desires alone, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us put off evil desire.

Jesus faced temptations, he knew they were real. He also knew that he could choose to put them off with the help of his father.

How many of us indulge in sin in what we think, what we watch, what we say or in how we interact with others? Brothers and sisters, let us therefore put to death the evil desire which is within us and abstain from all appearance of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:22)

Prayer:   Precious God, let us keep our focus on you. Let no evil spirit penetrate our souls. Allow only your light, the light of Jesus Christ who walked on this earth and suffered temptations as we also do, to penetrate our hearts. Thus, let your will be done in our lives. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.