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By Rob Des Cotes
 Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
James. 1:14
To appreciate how this passage applies to spiritual direction and to the purification of our desires we need to first redeem the word evil from its usual associations with morality. The Greek word that James uses here is kakos. This word for evil does not necessarily describe the moral quality of something as much as the negative effect it has.
What makes something 'evil' is that it is injurious in its effect, making something worthless than it could be. In this sense, an evil desire is one that takes away from the spiritual potential of our better desires. Its association with sin, then, is also in the sense that it causes us to miss the mark or fall short of the prize.
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The apostle James exhorts us to take stock of the inordinate desires that lure us away from the God-given goals that our purer desires are otherwise calling us to. Jesus' temptation in the desert, for example, was an attempt to lure Him away from the better focus of His life, ie to entice Him to miss the mark and fall short of the prize.
Some desires are more worthwhile than others. If we follow every one of our desires indiscriminately we will make a rabbit trail of our lives. Our lesser desires will entice us towards lesser goals, and cause us to lose sight of the noble vision we once had for ourselves. But, if we endeavour to fan the flame of our God-given desires, it will lead us to a deeper experience of relationship with the Divine object of our longings.
Rob Des Cotes is a spiritual director and pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He teaches Contemplative Traditions at Trinity Western University, as well as courses on spirituality and the arts at Carey Theological College and Columbia Bible College. Rob also directs Imago Dei (www.imagodeicommunity.ca) a network of faith communities that encourages the practice of prayer and a transforming relationship with God. Rob is a regular contributor to canadianchristianity.com
To obtain 'Higher than I' go to: www.clementspublishing.com
May 22/2008
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