Humility Cures Worldliness

Topic: Victory
Passage: James 4:7–10

November 14, 2022

Commentary

It is easy to find ourselves telling God what we want Him to do and then get angry at Him if He doesn’t do it. James now gives seven  steps for victory in this warfare.

  1. Submit to God (v. 7)
  2. Resist the devil (v. 7)
  3. Draw near to God (v. 8)
  4. Clean your hands (actions v. 8)
  5. Purify your hearts (motives v. 8)
  6. Repent (v. 9)
  7. Humble yourselves (v. 10)

If we follow these instructions we will not be at war with God, ourselves or others. The key to this victory is submission to God (v. 7a). This submission involves purity of mind and purity of heart  (v.8b). However, anyone who wants to be submissive to God must of necessity resist the devil (v. 7b). The promise is that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us (v. 7b).

Application

Dr. A.W. Tozer wrote: “The more I am like God the nearer I will be to God. Suppose I am sitting in my living room with a Siamese cat on my lap and my wife is several feet away in the kitchen; yet I am nearer to my wife than the cat because the cat is not like me.” Am I more like God now than I was six months ago?

James 4:7– 10 (NET)

7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.