Resist the Devil Submit yourselves then to God

Resist the Devil Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Draw Near to God

Reformation James writes, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded. ”

I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; 6 only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. 7 Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. 8 “ ‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here (or because you go to church). It’s a lie! 9 Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, 10 and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? (NLT)

It is not enough to simply refrain from adultery; we should seek to be free of sinful lusts. It is not enough to give God a tithe of what we have; we should strive to view everything we have as belonging to the Lord. It is not enough to be civil to other people; we are to strive to truly love them. It is not enough to show up in church on Sunday; we are to try to serve Him in every area of our lives.

Reformation Submission James writes, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded. ” Contrition

The misery James calls for is not the typical kind of depression people feel when they are dissatisfied with their lot in life. It has nothing to do with the despondency of self -pity or the lack of contentment felt by those who think life has been unfair to them. It is a misery that stems from a true sense of one’s own guilt and a recognition that, because we are sinners, we don’t deserve divine blessing. It is the cry of the heart that knows it has offended the righteousness of God and has no hope apart from God’s mercy.

Humility “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ” “The true way to be humble, is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature. ”

Submission Contrition Humility Reformation