Why do bad ideas seems so attractive to us? Why do sinful choices seem so attractive in the moment of temptation?
The answer: You are a sinner. Therefore, you personal character is warped in a sinful direction. The external temptation to sin strikes a resonant chord with your soul. It gives you a chance to do something you want to do already.
All of this is taught in James 1:14-15. Verse 14 says, “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” Verse 15 says that sin is a process but, one the process starts, it has an inevitability about it.
Sin is like pregnancy, according to verse 15. It only takes a moment and just a little bit of sperm to start the process. But once sperm & egg unite, a chain of events unfolds that takes unusual invention to stop.
One aspect of growing in Christ is reducing the sin in your life. The Bible talks about putting sin to death (Rom 8:13, Col 3:5). But in James 1, it also talks about not letting sin deceive you and conceive in you in the first place.
The deceptive power of sin is a lie. The resonates with you because you are a sinner but, as a lie, it promises pleasure, or power without telling you the cost. James 1:16 says, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.” The next few verses tell us that God is the source of good promises that pay off well, not sin.
To grow in your faith and to become holy like God is, you must believe God’s promises in the moment of temptation. You have to choose against your sin nature and its urging within you to believe the lies of temptation.
In other words, you have to put your faith in the promises of God’s word instead of the deceptive promises of sin.