13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15 CSB)
When James wrote the scripture above he was trying to impart, in a way people could well understand, the maturing process of sin and where it comes from. People attribute sin to just about everything except for themselves. But the reality is that we really do not need outside influences to feed our sin and watch it grow. In some cases, like with anger, it can take very little to spark a great fire within us.
Silence and solitude can be a great weapon toward stemming sin, when used correctly. It also can be a fertile ground for sin to germinate within and grow quickly. When we desire to use silence and solitude to isolate ourselves from the world to stem the growth of sin we must fill that space with the things of God. Prayer, scripture reading and meditation to listen for God’s still small voice can be a great source of building the power of faith in our lives to combat the worlds clamoring voice.
As I write this morning and move into my morning quiet time I find, after so many years, I crave the silence. For I know all too soon my day will become filled with the clamor of the world and my business life. But right now is my time to begin my day fully focused upon God so that I might face my day more prepared for the battle against my own sinful nature ahead.
What I hope to foster is not the maturing of my sinful nature but the maturing of my faith nature by what I feed.
