James, chapter 4

For the LORD is good and His mercy endures forever. Let us enter into His courts with thanksgiving and praise, for this far that the LORD God has personally carried us especially all through the year leading to this month of September. Thank you LORD God for Jesus, our living hope, our eternal and everlasting life. Because of Jesus, we call you Father and are now the blessed, favored and anointed children of God. Glory glory to God in the Highest. You deemed man worthy to share in Your glory, what love. We thank you for the each testimony of Your goodness LORD God and most especially for answering the prayers that we never prayed, the needs we never knew we had in the name of Jesus. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever, Amen. A blessed new month family, may Father God amaze you with His loving kindness in the name of Jesus, Amen.

We are looking at James chapter 4 today. In this chapter, the Holy Spirit reveals to us one of His grievances which is to see His children lusting for the things in the world. In James 4:4 (NKJV), the Spirit of the LORD through Apostle James says, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." God is not pleased to see His children in the world making friendship with the world to the point that He refers to this as adultery. 1 Corinthians 6:17 reminds us that he who is joined to the Lord is one with the LORD and James 4:5 (NKJV) says, "...The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? This is the reason that God refers to friendship with the world as adultery. Now, the world here is not a geographical location but in this case it refers to a system, a way of living and doing things.

James 4:2-3 (NKJV) says, "You lust and you do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and you do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

In a way, we see the reliance of a child of God shifting from relying on God to relying on people or their own knowledge. We see a shift from the child of God seeking approval and validation from man and the world instead of walking in the reality of the truth that they are already accepted and approved as God's beloved (Ephesians 1:6).

This self reliant behaviour that may manifest as pride is the cause of strife and the solution to pride is surrender and submission to God's way of doing of things with the help of the Holy Spirit.  It is for this reason the Spirit of the LORD through Apostle James reminds us in James 4:6-7 (NKJV), "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  

Sometimes, what God may require of you in one season may look different in another season and you can only find out as you abide in the Lord. James 4:15 (NKJV) shows an example of God's child who is abiding in the LORD's will and says in James 4:10 (NKJV), "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

I'll end with this Word found in 1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV)

1. "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

2. that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

3. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles - when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries."

   
   

Amen, thank you LORD.

Invitation to salvation: If you would like to receive Jesus and be born again into God's Kingdom, that is saved and have a personal relationship with God as Your Father and you as His child by receiving His Son, Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, I invite you to say this confession:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

GLORY TO GOD, You are now a new creation in Christ Jesus! In case you have not already, please prayerfully consider becoming a member of a church and get WATER BAPTIZED!