“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body.” Ephesians 2:1-3a
As Christians, we are in a constant battle with the three enemies, the world, the Devil, and the flesh. So, how do we deal with the onslaught of temptation, which can cripple the walk of even the most faithful disciple and earnest follower of Jesus? Often these temptations come from sinful inclinations flowing from wicked and deceptive hearts. James writes the following to address our unkept desires, which burn within us, igniting the fires of sin. “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). James rightly attests that we face a significant enemy in our self-destructive patterns as we wrestle with the passions and sin that reside within every man. Yet, there are other forces at work within the world in which we live.
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