God’s Lovingkindness

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:14, NKJV). We all are enticed by our lusts, every one of us, with no exceptions.

James then adds, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15). He is speaking here of the birth process. In each of our hearts is a womb of lust, and every sin we commit is born from that womb. Just as no two babies are alike, no two sins are alike. Each person produces his own kind of sin. Over the years, many Christians grow comfortable with their secret sin, and they become blind to it and begin to take it lightly.

I think of many such examples within the body of Christ. We wink at the sin of seeking the praise of others or lusting for position. We wink at the sin of pride over our spiritual roots, our biblical knowledge and our consistent prayer life. We may see ourselves as humble, kind, and teachable, but we are not.

Beloved, God does not take any of our sins lightly. I learned this the hard way. Today, as I look back over nearly fifty years of ministry, I cringe at the times when pride deceived me.

I remember being the featured speaker at a particular ministers conference. I thought, “The Lord has blessed me with such great revelation. I am not impressed by any of the big-name people here. God set me apart from birth as an anointed preacher.”

Not long after that, I was under the Holy Ghost’s searchlight, which shone directly on my pride. I would have fallen into despair if I had not clung to Paul’s exhortation to put the former things behind me. However, God showed mercy to me, and I thank him for his grace and long-suffering toward me. My heart cried, “Lord, I know I’m not the humble, unassuming minister I have always thought myself to be. Now I realize any anointing I have is because of your lovingkindness.”

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:16-17).