2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet butyou cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.
You do not have because you do not ask God.
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you askwith wrong motives, that you may spend what you geton your pleasures.
- P46
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the hum-ble."
6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud butgives grace to the humble." - P47
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, andhe will flee from you.
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- P47
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash yourhands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
8 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. - P47
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will liftyou up.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. - P47
Fights and quarrels come from covetous desires. We do not have because wedo not ask God; we do not receive because we ask with the wrong motives.
- P47
Those who want to be friends with the world become enemies of God.
Believers must submit themselves to God, resist the devil, and purify their hearts. - P47
God will lift up those who humble themselves before Him. - P47
Addressing believers who fight and quarrel within the church, James isvery straightforward about the source of this strife. Turmoil in our relationships comes from misplaced desires within our own souls. - P48
At theheart of the problem is pride, which causes us to turn against each otherand away from God because we think our selfish motives will lead usto greener pastures. - P48
We run after the things of the world, and when wefind that they do not satisfy, we dig ourselves deeper into sin and missout on the joy that God freely offers His children. - P48
Aligning ourselveswith the world will only arouse God‘s jealousy, but if we humble ourselves and admit our weakness, then we will receive His grace. - P48
James‘s solution to this destructive cycle of coveting, quarrels, and sin isto submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to God. - P48
These actionsof humbling oneself and choosing to walk in the ways of the Lord mustbe done with focused determination as they go against the desires ofour flesh. - P48
If we passively go about our lives just waiting for the rightcircumstances to give up sinning and return to God, we will more thanlikely enter deeper into the darkness. - P48
The good news is that God hasgiven us the Holy Spirit who enables us to rise above our pride and livein a manner that pleases the Lord. - P48
As we flee from the devil, let us runinto the arms of God. - P48
Dear Father, help me to expose and repent of the sins that lead to strife in myrelationships with others. - P49
Today, I choose to humble myself before You so Imay live to glorify Your name. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P49
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