This next section of the next chapter is about drawing closer to God. I pray that as you read James’ words that the Lord draws you closer to Him!
James 4:1-3 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it the whole army of the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong- you want only what will give you pleasure.
Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful. This response comes only from evil desires. God knows what we really need. We need to ask God to get rid of our selfish desires and ask Him what does he want for you.
In the beginning this hit me hard: The most common problem in prayer is not asking, asking the wrong thing, or asking for the wrong reasons. if you want your prayer life to become powerful you must allow God to change your desire so it corresponds with His will for your life.
James 4:4-6 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. What do you think the scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, who. god has placed within us, jealousy longs for us to be faithful? He gives us more and more strength against such evil desires. As the scripture say, “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.”
You might read this and I think God doesn’t want you to do anything fun. That is a lie. He gave us gifts that He wants us to use. What James says here is friendship with the world is seeking pleasure at others expense or at the expense of obeying God.
The cure to these evil desires is humility. I like this, when the Holy Spirit fills us, we see that this worlds seductive attractions are only cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.
This is all due to our sinful nature. This is why we have a hard time battling this such thing.
James 4:7-10 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.
Bow in before the Lord shows that we recognize that our worth comes from God alone. Humble is leaning on His power and His guidance, not going our independent way.
10 things here that I will just kind of skim over for today…
1. Submit to God: to place or rank under, obey. 2. Resist the devil: to set against, withstand, resist, oppose. 3. Draw close to God: approach, to make near. 4. Cleanse yourself: make clean. 5. Purify your hearts: to cleanse, from defilement. 6. Don’t be double-minded: two minds, wavering. 7. Show grief: to suffer hardships or distress. 8. Laughter to mourning: feel guilt. 9. Joy to gloom: mourn, weep for. 10. Humble yourselves: to make low, pass, make or bring low.
Some powerful points that will bring us closer and closer to God. I don’t know about you but this is all I want. Closer to Him 💜 Warning about judging others….ouch. Another hard one we must obey to be followers of Christ, but with the Holy Spirit this is doable!
Warrior for Christ 