James 4:7, 8 - How To Deal With Temptation.
James 4:7, 8 (ESV) Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near
to you.
PEARL
SUBMIT RESIST DRAW NEAR " All 3
Needed For Victory
These three sentences are typical James:
he offered practical instructions as he
exhorted believers to live a righteous life. Look at
these points one at a time.
SUBMIT TO GOD The word submit
means "to subordinate to, obey, or become subject
to another person." When done voluntarily out
of love, submission to others is an act of
humility and service. It is also recognized as an act
of obedience to Christ.
RESIST THE DEVIL Christians are
not commanded to bind Satan, but rather to
resist him. Only God can conquer Satan, but every
believer can resist him. We can follow Jesus' example
in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13) and respond to
Satan's temptation with truth from Scripture.
DRAW NEAR TO GOD How encouraging
to know that when we draw near to God, He
immediately comes closer to us! So how do we draw near
to God? We repent of our sin, and we purge our
lives of unrighteousness.
Like many of God's commands, these are
simple to understand but not easy to do. Rely on
God's Spirit to help you, one practical step at a
time. [Being Still With God Every Day by Henry
Blackaby]
COMMENTARY
You may be surprised to know that testing
and temptation can have a positive effect in the
life of a believer. Its been said that
Christians are a lot like teabags: you dont know
what theyre made of until you put them in hot
water.
Sometimes when things are going well, we
become more vulnerable to temptation. When we
cant always make ends meet or were sick or
were having challenges, we are dependent on God.
But when things are going well and we have a
little extra money in the bank or our health is
good, we can become complacent, lazy, and
ultimately susceptible. That is when temptation will
hit.
Thats when it hit David. There are two
names that actually sum up the life of David:
Goliath, who reminds us of Davids greatest
victory, and Bathsheba, who reminds us of Davids
worst defeat. David fell into sin with Bathsheba
after he had been successful and ruled for many
years. He was kind of kicking back and taking a
spiritual vacation. And in his moment of idleness,
temptation came.
As the old adage says, You cant
stop a bird from flying over your head. But you
can stop him from building a nest in your
hair.
The Bible says, Therefore submit to
God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you (James 4:7 NKJV). Notice this doesnt say
to have extended conversations with the devil.
Nor does it say to check out what he is
offering, just so you know. It says to resist him.
Temptation isnt a sin; its a call
to battle. And there is a blessing waiting for
the man or the woman who resists temptation. [By
Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Sometimes we fight and struggle and push
against our addictions and ongoing temptations when
we need to surrender - not to their power over
us but to God's power over them. We wouldn't
keep falling and slipping if it were possible to
overcome these chronic battles on our own. But when
we quit giving our issues power over us, and
instead focus on our relationship with God, then we
give him room to work in us.
If you want to be a man or woman of
integrity, then maybe it's time to submit to God like
never before. Maybe that's where your fight
begins. Then with Christ's power, you'll be able to
resist the devil and his temptations. Tragically,
so many people do the opposite. They resist the
promptings of God and give in to the temptations of the
Evil One. But that will not be you. And it won't
be me.
Instead, we will live with integrity.
Because our lives are not about us. We will not
gratify the self-centered lusts of our flesh because
we are born of the Spirit. We will not allow
God's loving truth to slide into the quicksand of
popular opinion and allow ourselves to sink into
lower standards. We will guard our peace and not
allow others to rob us of our purpose, passion,
and power.
Submit to God.
Resist the devil.
He will flee.
You will overcome. [Daily Power by Craig
Groeschel]
"Come near to God," James writes, "and he
will come near to you." What a sweet, simple
thought! If we deliberately crowd in close to God, He
will crowd in close to us. One woman used to
describe such closeness as cuddling up in the Lord's
lap, snuggling in tight, embracing Him, and
feeling His nearness. But then, after a prolonged
period of terrible suffering in her life, that
picture changed. From then on, closeness to God
meant collapsing, absolutely fainting, and falling
back into God's arms - and then feeling Him carry
her.
This may be a time in your life when you
face emotional or physical pain. Take a minute to
memorize James 4:8. Draw as close to God as you know
how, and you will find He is also drawing close
to you. As He does, you will sense His power
and have the courage to keep going, carried
along in His arms.
Lord, this sense of being close to You
isn't something syrupy or sentimental. It is life
itself! It's the reason for drawing breath each day.
Please keep me from drifting from You because of
unconfessed sin, neglect, or a hundred other lesser
preoccupations. I need to sense You are carrying me today.
Thank You for being so close. [A Spectacle of
Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We often make plans without even
consulting God. Then we pray and ask God to bless our
plans, even though we didnt ask him to take part
in them. We just assume that our plans are his
will. Then, when our plans dont happen on the
timetable we want or they dont happen at all, we
get angry with God. Thats called pride, and
God hates pride.
There are probably a lot of people you
wouldnt want to oppose, but you really dont want
to be opposed by God. Theres no way youre
going to win that one. When youre prideful, the
Bible says youre in opposition to God at that
very moment. In fact, youre operating as an
enemy of God anytime you get full of pride.
Thats how serious it is. So, what does it mean to
surrender yourself and your plans to God?
Romans 6:13 says, Give yourselves to
God, as those who have been brought from death to
life, and surrender your whole being to him to be
used for righteous purposes (GNT).
Surrendering means saying, God, Im going with your
plans for my life, not my own. Ive got plans,
Ive got dreams, Ive got goals, Ive got
ambitions, but I know that you put me on this earth for
a purpose, and Im going to intentionally
choose your plan for my life instead of my own.
Surrendering to God is the best path to
success because instead of him becoming part of your
plan, he will make you a part of his plan. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/ re James 4:6-7]
Long ago, whenever my daddy set up his
easel and oil paints, I pulled out my cowboy
coloring book and sat on the floor next to him,
working with my crayons. Every once and a while,
he'd glance down at my picture, smile, and say,
"Nice job." But for the most part, hardly a word
was spoken between us. An hour or two would pass
- Daddy painting and me scribbling - yet I
felt we were in perfect fellowship, both quietly
delighting in each other's company. So it is between a
contented Christian and the Lord Jesus.
A believer in fellowship with the Savior
can move through a busy day, simply conscious
that everything he or she does is blessed by
favor and grace, as well as by a sense of God's
pleasure and approval. Today, find delight in the
company of Jesus. Cultivate that sense of His
nearness. Remember that He takes great joy and
pleasure in you.
As the psalmist wrote, "As for me, it is
good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign
Lord my refuge." Yes, Lord, it is good, sweet,
satisfying, and peaceful to be near You. To crowd in as
close as I can to You. To be quietly in Your
presence as You go about Your work and I go about
mine. [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada
and Larry Libby re Psa. 73:28]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170306-1007.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
