James 4:7 - How To Deal With Temptation.
James 4:7 (ESV) Submit yourselves therefore
to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
INTRODUCTION
Although God and the devil are at war, we
don't have to wait until the end to see who will
win. God has 'already' defeated Satan (Rev.
12:10-12), and when Christ returns, the devil and all
he stands for will be eliminated forever (Rev.
20:10-15). Satan is here now, however, and he is trying
to win us over to his evil cause. With the Holy
Spirit's power, we can resist the devil, and he will
flee from us. [Life Application SB]
How can you come near to God? James gives
five ways: (1) 'Submit to God' (4:7). Yield to
his authority and will, commit your life to him
and his control, and be willing to follow him.
(2) 'Resist the devil' (4:7). Don't allow Satan
to entice and tempt you. (3) 'Wash your hands.
. . and purify your hearts' (that is, lead a
pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing
your desire to sin with your desire to experience
God's purity. (4) 'Grieve and mourn and wail' in
sincere sorrow for your sins (4:9). Don't be afraid
to express deep heartfelt sorrow for what you
have done. (5) 'Humble yourself before the Lord,'
and he will lift you up (4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).
[Life Application SB]
What do the 10 commands that fill James
4:7-10 have to do with grace?
These verses contain a series of 10
commands that prepare a person to receive saving
grace. These commands delineate a person's response
to God's gracious offer of salvation and reveal
what it means to be humble. Each command uses a
Greek imperative to define the expected action:
1. Submit to God (v. 7) - James used the
word to describe a willing, conscious submission
to God's authority as sovereign ruler of the
universe.
2. Resist the devil (v. 7) - those who
consciously "take [their] stand against" Satan and
transfer their allegiance to God will find that Satan
"will flee from" them; he is a defeated foe.
3. Draw near to God (v. 8) - pursue an
intimate love relationship with God (Phil. 3:10).
4. Cleanse your hands (v. 8) - the added
term "sinners" addresses the unbelievers' need to
recognize and confess their sin (5:20).
5. Purify your hearts (v. 8) - cleansing
the hands symbolizes external behavior; this
phrase refers to the inner thoughts, motives, and
desires of the heart (Ps. 24:3-4).
6. Lament (v. .9) - to be afflicted,
wretched, and miserable. This is the state of those
truly broken over their sin (Matt. 5:4).
7. Mourn (v. 9) - the internal experience
of brokenness over sin (Ps. 51:17; Mat.5:4).
8. Weep (v. 9) - the outward
manifestation of inner sorrow over sin (Mark 14:72).
9. Grieve without laughter or joy (v. 9)
- the signs of denial; the flippant laughter
of those foolishly indulging in worldly
pleasures without regard to God, life, death, sin,
judgment, or holiness.
10. Humble yourself (v. 10) - this final
command sums up the preceding 9. The word "humble"
comes from a word meaning "to make oneself low."
Those conscious of being in the presence of the
majestic, infinitely holy God are humble (Is. 6:5).
[MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Learn How to Meet Temptation
Temptation is not sin. It is yielding to
it that is sin. God never brings temptation to
us. He allows it to test us. It is the work of
the devil. Recognize it as such. One way to meet
temptation is to quote a verse of Scripture. That puts
Satan on the run, for he cannot stand the Word of
God.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness,
His response was the Word of God. He said three
times, "It is written."
Speak God's Word and Satan will flee. Let
Christ through the Holy Spirit do the fighting for
you. Be like the little girl who said, "Every
time I hear the devil knock, I send Jesus to the
door."
Everyone has temptations, but some folks
entertain them. They seem to enjoy being tempted. Get
your eyes off the temptation and onto Christ!
Have you ever called on Christ to send
the devil packing? [Peace for Each Day by Billy
Graham]
COMMENTARY
So we may resist temptation, and force Satan
to depart from us, Jesus gained the victory
through submission and faith in God, and by the
apostle He says to us, "Submit yourselves therefore
to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to
you."[1 JAMES 4:7, 8.] We cannot save ourselves from
the tempter's power; he has conquered humanity,
and when we try to stand in our own strength, we
shall become a prey to his devices; but "the name
of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous
runneth into it, and is safe."[2 PROV. 18:10.] Satan
trembles and flees before the weakest soul who finds
refuge in that mighty name. DA131 Review the
INTRODUCTION regarding how to find refugee in the name of
Jesus.
No Deals with the Devil
A bear hunter was walking through the
forest one day when he finally found what he was
looking for. He got his gun ready, lowered his
sights, exhaled, and began to squeeze the trigger
when the bear suddenly turned around and said,
Excuse me, but isnt it better to talk than to
shoot?
The hunter, trying to recover from the
shock of an animal talking to him, didnt know
what to say.
Cant we negotiate the matter?
the bear continued. What is it that youre
looking for?
Im looking for a fur coat, the
hunter replied.
Ah! said the bear. Well, Im
looking for a full stomach. Lets have a
discussion about it, and perhaps we can reach a
compromise.
All right then, said the hunter,
and the two disappeared into the forest.
A while later, the bear came out of the
forest alone. Apparently, the negotiations were
successful, and everyone got what they wanted. The bear
got a full stomach, and the hunter got a fur
coat.
Its the same way when you try to
strike a deal with the Devil. Youll always be
the loser. Thats why the Bible tells us,
Nor give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27
NKJV). The New International Version puts it this
way: Do not give the devil a foothold.
The Devil is evil, the Devil is wicked,
and the Devil is cunning. Hes been honing his
craft for a long time now. He knows that he cannot
bring a believer down in one fell swoop, so he
tries to dismantle him or her a little at a time.
He does this through his strategic and very
effective tool of compromise.
Show me a Christian whos starting to
compromise, and Ill show you a Christian whos
headed toward ruin.
So be forewarned: dont get into deals
with the Devil, because youll lose every time.
[By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
James 4:7-8: How To Deal With Temptation.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190823-0932.html
James 4:7, 8 - Drawing Near to God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170306-1007.html
James 4:8 - Drawing Near To God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221019-0824.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
