Sin is first a process before it is an act. This much is laced in the verse before us for meditation. James painted this image in the verse above, comparing the mystery of sin to that of a newborn child. The birth of a child spans a gestation period of nine months. It begins at conception, a product of the seed of a man and a woman. In this imagery, we understand that desire (or better-called lust) is the seed, and sin is the child. Just as in the natural order, there is a gestation period between the time that lust takes a hold of someone and when the act of sin is committed. If the seed is not nurtured, it dies prematurely without becoming a full-fledged sin.

“The only way to avoid sin from taking over our lives is to stop feeding the lust that pops up now and then in the heart. When lust shows up, take a proactive step by praying and speaking out loud the word of God.”

In what ways are lust nurtured? Principally it is through meditation. Meditation is like a two-edged tool. You can either focus it on positive things like God’s word, or base things that can easily corrupt morals and entangle the soul. Either way, whatever you meditate on grows bigger. Those who meditate in God’s word will soon discover that they are growing spiritual muscles that can wrest control from Satan and all temptations. On the other hand, those who delight to put their energies on non-edifying stuff end up feeding the carnal man. Their spirit gets weaker and weaker, and soon enough they become mincemeat to the tempter. From our text, we understand that no sin is committed until it is full-grown. Growth is a function of care and nurture. The only way to avoid sin from taking over our lives is to stop feeding the lust that pops up now and then in the heart. When lust shows up, take a proactive step by praying and speaking out loud the word of God.