23 Bible Verses about Evil Desires

Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.

At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.
I saw among the inexperienced,
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
read more.
at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.
A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,
having a hidden agenda.
She is loud and defiant;
her feet do not stay at home.
Now in the street, now in the squares,
she lurks at every corner.
She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him,
“I’ve made fellowship offerings;
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.
So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
I’ve spread coverings on my bed—
richly colored linen from Egypt.
I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering talk.
He follows her impulsively
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding toward a trap
until an arrow pierces its liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
he doesn’t know it will cost him his life. Now, my sons, listen to me,
and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;
don’t stray onto her paths.
For she has brought many down to death;
her victims are countless.
Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

A wicked person desires evil;
he has no consideration for his neighbor.

though he cherishes it and will not let it go
but keeps it in his mouth,

“Therefore, I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your provisions. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the Philistine women, who were embarrassed by your indecent behavior.

Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.

but the worries of this age, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires;

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.

instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,

Do not let them say in their hearts,
“Aha! Just what we wanted.”
Do not let them say,
“We have swallowed him up!”

You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions operated through the law in every part of us and bore fruit for death.

For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error.

“But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”