Mold is something we’re not happy to find on food. It indicates that proper care was not taken by the manufacturer or by the packager or by us, and something bad came along and spoiled things. It’s disgusting.
In the same way, for whatever reason, whether it’s busyness with other aspects of life or a reluctance to face the truth, we sometimes neglect to deal with sin in our lives. The sin grows, and soon things are spoiled. It’s disgusting.
James begins his New Testament letter with a discussion of trials and an encouragement to persevere. In verse 13 of chapter 1 he shifts from trials to temptation and writes, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death”(James 1:13-15).
You know what tempts you. Your temptations probably differ from the temptations of your friend or neighbor or sibling. Often temptation begins, as with Eve in Genesis 3, with questioning God, not trusting the truth of his Word and the paramount importance of obeying it. Sometimes we try to justify allowing the “mold” in our lives by ignoring particular scriptures which clue us in to its destructive power. Ignoring scriptures doesn’t make them go away, however, and viewing sin as unimportant doesn’t change the fact that it’s sin. If you’re tempted to do something you shouldn’t do or ignore something you should be doing, deal with your problem. Don’t let it reach the point where it spoils everything.
If you opened your refrigerator and found mold on the cheese, you’d throw the cheese away. You may even put it in a garbage bag and walk it directly to a dumpster. Take as much diligence to deal with the sin in your heart as you do to deal with the moldy food in your refrigerator; plug your nose and get rid of it.