James 4:4 “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”
I really want you to think about this verse, James repeats it a second time because we can so easily get caught up in our pleasure and this world. It doesn't say if you are in this world, we are all in this world but if what it offers always has us choosing it, God will become a relief pitcher we try to use in a bind. Look at what verse 5 says, “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him.” When we accept Jesus as Lord we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and as we grow we can tell what He is showing us. And He will always guide us to glorify the Father. Even when we think what is happening in the world seems perfect for us the Spirit will show us the way that will glorify Him. Verse 6 says, “And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
God is not trying to make our lives terrible He give grace generously, He has given us so many things so that we can learn and grow, we have to choose to embrace that and be fully devoted followers of Jesus. As I continue in James chapter 4 I love what it says in verses 7 and 8, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
Resist the devil and he will flee. He truly has no control over us, he wants us to believe we are too bad so we stay stuck. It says come close to God and He will come close to you. Keep the word on your mind and let it take root in your heart and the Spirit will be loud and clear and the pleasures of this world will seem small. We must remember that God loves us and wants us home for eternity so as we continue to grow we need to continue to surrender and let the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) move us to complete transformation. Amen
I really want you to think about this verse, James repeats it a second time because we can so easily get caught up in our pleasure and this world. It doesn't say if you are in this world, we are all in this world but if what it offers always has us choosing it, God will become a relief pitcher we try to use in a bind. Look at what verse 5 says, “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him.” When we accept Jesus as Lord we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and as we grow we can tell what He is showing us. And He will always guide us to glorify the Father. Even when we think what is happening in the world seems perfect for us the Spirit will show us the way that will glorify Him. Verse 6 says, “And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
God is not trying to make our lives terrible He give grace generously, He has given us so many things so that we can learn and grow, we have to choose to embrace that and be fully devoted followers of Jesus. As I continue in James chapter 4 I love what it says in verses 7 and 8, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
Resist the devil and he will flee. He truly has no control over us, he wants us to believe we are too bad so we stay stuck. It says come close to God and He will come close to you. Keep the word on your mind and let it take root in your heart and the Spirit will be loud and clear and the pleasures of this world will seem small. We must remember that God loves us and wants us home for eternity so as we continue to grow we need to continue to surrender and let the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) move us to complete transformation. Amen
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