By David J. Stewart |
March 2014
James 4:8-10, “Draw
nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
God Promises To Draw Near To Those
Who Draw Near To Him
The context of this passage of
Scripture is walking with God, not salvation. So I speak to Christians.
If you are not saved, then
it is free to be born-again. God wants to be close to every
believer, and God desires for all mankind to repent and come to Christ
by faith to be saved (2nd Peter 3:9). It is a humbling thought that the
omnipotent God Who spoke the universe into existence desires to
fellowship with me. God created man for God, not for things. God desires
our worship, love and obedience.
We have a PROMISE from God
that He WILL draw nigh (near) unto us if we will draw nigh unto Him.
Albeit, we must initiate the fellowship, because God has already sent
the invitation to every man to be saved and to draw near unto God in
personal fellowship. Titus 2:11-13, “For the
grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ.”
What a beautiful truth to know
that God almighty desires to fellowship with little ole me (and you too).
God Is Looking For A Few WEAK MEN!
Contrary to the military's
search for “A Few Strong Men,” God is looking for a few “Weak Men.”
2nd Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.” Are you weak enough to be
used of God? The Lord doesn't need our talents, nor our money, nor our
abilities; He wants our heart's obedience and worship. God, literally,
wants us to abase ourselves and lift up His name instead, bragging on
God and giving Him ALL THE CREDIT AND GLORY. God wants to work through
as many Christians as possible, but He can't, because most believers are
filled with themselves, trusting upon their own abilities instead of
prayer, and relying upon their money instead of God's grace.
Here is an excellent quote
from Pastor Jack Hyles...
“If
you want a carnal church program which appeals to the flesh, you will
have no problem finding that. Of course, the dangerous thing here is
that the decisions that affect us for life and eternity are often made
because our appetites are carnal. For example, we choose a church
because it is friendly, because we like the choir, because the preacher
has a good vocabulary, with little or no thought about the power of the
Holy Spirit in the services or the zeal for souls or the standards of
separation, In other words, we choose an institution that is going to
affect our entire lives and, yes, our eternity, on the basis of
satisfying our carnal appetites.”
SOURCE:
Great Hindrances To Salvation,
Chapter 10 from Dr. Jack Hyles' excellent book,
Salvation Is More Than Being Saved.
The biggest missing factor in
many of today's churches is God Himself. I'd rather hear an old country
preacher who butchers the English language, but he still knows that
we're saved by the liquid blood of Jesus, and he relies 100% upon the
power of the Holy Spirit to change people's lives; than to listen to
some deeper-life intellectual who relies upon his own eloquent words to
help people and hasn't led anybody to the Lord Jesus Christ his entire
life. Today's radio preachers are a total disgrace to the cause of
Christ. My friend, walking with God cannot happen until you and I empty
ourselves of self, and realize 24/7 that we are nothing without God's
Spirit working behind the scenes to change people's lives. I am nothing
without God. If I want God's power working upon and through my life,
then I need to become weak! This is what we are doing in James 4:8-10
when we afflict ourselves, mourn, weep and humble ourselves. We are
becoming WEAK that Christ's power may become STRONG in us.
Requirements And Hindrances To Walk
With God
James 4:8-10 lists some
requirements and hindrances to walking with the Lord. They all fall
under humbling our self before the Lord.
Pride is a major hindrance to
fellowshipping with God, and all sin comes by pride. Notice that the
words “sin” and “pride” both have the letter “i” in the middle. If we
have blood upon our hands, then God will not draw near to us in sweet
fellowship. Many people unknowingly have innocent blood upon their
hands. If you work as an accountant at an abortion clinic, your hands
are bloody. If you drive a beer truck or as a bartender, your hands are
dirty, stained with the blood of broken lives and ruined families. If
you are a greedy lawyer, your hands are dirty. If you work for the
crooked IRS, your hands are stained with the blood of the innocent. The
IRS is so crooked that they'll have to be screwed in the ground when
they are buried.
When the Bible speaks of
cleansing our hands as believers, it speaks of present sins and not past
sins. God is eagerly willing to forgive even the worst sinner's sins, if
we will seek that forgiveness on the basis of Christ's blood sacrifice
for our sins. From the moment that we are saved, our sins are all
forgiven as far as eternal life is concerned. It's just like being
justified in a criminal court of law. There is no risk of ever being
tried again for that same crime. Likewise, no believer will ever be at
risk of being punished in the Lake of Fire. Albeit, we can still be
judged in civil court, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where we will be
at risk of losing our rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:15).
The Bible teaches that we are
MADE NIGH to God by THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. This speaks about salvation,
that is, sonship (John 1:12). Ephesians 2:13, “But now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ.” And then after we are
saved, we DRAW NIGH in sweet fellowship with our God by obeying James
4:8-10. This speaks of discipleship, not sonship. The following is not a
plan of salvation; but rather, a recipe for walking with God...
James 4:8-10, “Draw
nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
A believer who only desires to
have fun, watch television, play video games, send text messages, listen
to the radio, surf the internet, and do whatever, cannot walk with God.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. If entertainment becomes god, then
God must become entertaining to be worshipped. Most people are so
engrossed with electronic gadgets these days that they don't have any
time for God. I challenge you as a believer to turn off the gadgets and
DO NOTHING. Sit still and get to know the Lord. Psalms 46:10 teaches for
us to BE STILL, so that we may KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. Thus, we now
understand why the Bible tells us to let our laughter be turned into
mourning, and our joy into heaviness of heart, and to HUMBLE OURSELVES
in the Lord's eyes.
Pride is the biggest hindrance to walking with
God. When the Bible speaks about drawing nigh unto God, we are talking
literally about our WALK WITH GOD as a friend and companion. Isn't that
precious? The Bible tells us to HUMBLE OURSELVES, by realizing our own
inability, sinfulness and lack of wisdom; and therefore, God can lift us
up because we are trusting in HIS STRENGTH and not ours. God can use a
one-legged believer more than a two-legged believer, because God only
works through WEAKNESS! 2nd Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto
me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength
is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me.”
What you just read is the key to living the
Christian life, that is, Christ's STRENGTH is made perfect by our
WEAKNESS. Don't forget this. If you want God to work strong in your
life, then you must continually humble yourself, admit your inadequacy
and inability to change lives, and BRAG ON THE LORD!!! God doesn't
need our money, sacrifice, talents and services. God desires our
WORSHIP. God wants us to glorify His name (Jesus) instead of ours
(Philippians 2:9-10). God desires our OBEDIENCE. God owns the cattle on
a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10). God has millions of angels to serve
Him.
To walk with God, we must be in agreement with
God. Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
The answer is no. If two people have nothing in common, there is no
communion. This is why we read in 2nd Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness?” Jesus wept over the unbelief of the people when
Lazarus died. Philippians 2:4 teaches us that Jesus thought about the
things (needs, burdens, afflictions) of OTHERS, and then verse 5 tells
us to “LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS.” Jesus
lived for OTHERS!
We ought to mourn with God concerning the
wickedness of this generation. We ought to weep with the Lord over lost
souls. Jacob felt unworthy (Genesis 32:10). Paul felt like the chief of
sinners (1st Timothy 1:15). Peter didn't feel worthy of the Lord's
presence. Luke 5:8, “When Simon Peter saw it,
he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me;
for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It really sounds like
these great men of God were depressed!
The truth is that these were godly men who realized their own misery
concerning sin and were thoughtful about it. The closer that you draw to
God, Who is holy, the worse of a sinner that you're going to feel like,
and that's normal. Isaiah saw the Lord and exclaimed in Isaiah
6:5, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of
unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the
King, the LORD of hosts.”
Life Isn't All About Having Fun
We have been foolishly taught in American society that life is all about
having fun, but it's not. Life is about DUTY, and Ecclesiastes
12:13 says concerning duty, “Let us hear the conclusion of
the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.”
We are living in a SELFISH generation,
characterless, who won't partake of anything spiritually beneficial to them
unless it is FUN. Truly our independent FUNDAMENTAL Baptist churches these
days are having too much FUN and not enough DA MENTAL!!!
If you watch the popular WALK THRU THE
BIBLE advertisement video on YouTube, they keep mentioning
the key word “FUN.” In the 3:33 minute video, they advertise their product
for churches by mentioning the word “fun” at least seven times...
“...in a
fun way,
fun,
enjoyable, it's actually fun,
connect the dots, makes a lot of sense, it's
fun,
it's the funnest
way, not a long bring day of lecture, this experience, it is
fun,
you get to be around fun
people...”
SOURCE: words and phrases from
http://www.youtube.com/user/WalkThrutheBibleUSA
God have mercy on this spiritually sick generation
of fun-seekers! God have pity on this shallow, spineless, TV
generation. Unless something is “FUN,” people won't get involved and have no
interest, and this especially includes spiritual areas. This is today's
apostate church scene in America—using Rock 'N' Roll, worldliness, things
that are “FUN” to sell a product that supposedly will reignite a dead church
and draw everyone to God. Yeah right! And I'm the tooth-fairy! God never
intended for church to be “FUN” or entertaining. If your entertainment is
God, then God must become entertaining to be worshipped.
The Bible Teaches That Sorrow Is BETTER
Than Laughter
When you are sad and down emotionally, it is ok
and don't ever allow anyone to convince you that something is wrong with
you.
Ecclesiastes 7:3,
“Sorrow is better than laughter:
for by the sadness of the
countenance the heart is made better.”
A
“countenance” is a person's face. Grieving is a natural part of the
human healing process. The Bible teaches that SORROW makes our heart
BETTER. Grieving is a natural healing process. If you don't ALLOW room
for grief and sorrow in your life, then your heart cannot be made
better. In other words, you cannot experience great joy until you've
experienced great sorrow. The farther the pendulum swings one way, the
farther it swings the other way also. The world wants to have fun, party
and be happy all the time, but that's not realistic. Being sad is a
normal part of life. All these idiot psychiatrists running around
drugging everyone, even children and infants,
clearly don't know what
they're doing. The
Disgusting Truth How Doctors And Big Pharma Get Teens On Harmful
Psychotropic Drugs! What all of those children need is a loving
family, a structured life and the teaching of the Word of God.
Proverbs
14:13, “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that
mirth is heaviness.”
Proverbs 15:13, “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by
sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”
We ought to sorrow with others who are sorrowing. We ought to sorrow and
mourn over the evils of abortion. We ought to feel depressed as
Christians over same-sex perversion. There is something wrong with the
testimony of any Christian who doesn't feel uncomfortable, vexed and
frustrated living in this crooked and perverse nation in America. lease
don't misunderstand what the Bible is teaching. God doesn't want
Christians to walk around looking miserable and being down on life nor
ourselves; but rather, God wants us to live with a broken heart over sin
and lost sinners, and He wants us to sow the seed of the gospel as a
result.
The purpose of realizing our own misery, and of mourning, and of
weeping, and of cleansing our hands from sin, and of purifying our heart
from living a double-life, and of humbling ourselves is so that God will
LIFT US UP (James 4:8-10). The world walks tall in their sinful pride
and the Bible warns that God will one day cut them down; but as
believers we are commanded to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He will lift us up in His own way and time. Psalms 18:27, “For
thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.”
God hates a PROUD LOOK (Proverbs 6:16-19). God hates ARROGANCE.
Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and
arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do
I hate.” How's your hate life? Do you hate sin like
God does? Do you hate a proud face like God does? Do you hate falsehood
and arrogance like God does? We should!
Some of the greatest preachers in history,
like Baptist minister Charles H. Spurgeon, experienced frequent
depression. I get depressed every day because of the constant physical
pain that I feel in my neck, down my arms and legs and throughout my
body because of an old neck injury. Who wouldn't feel depressed? But
this type of depression is acceptable and not a sin. My pain medications
also affect my body and soul, causing some depression at times. I get
depressed over the wickedness in society, and that is also acceptable in
the Lord's eyes. If you allow them to do so, some people will try to
make you feel bad for being depressed because of your bodily pain (or
they may mistake it for an inferiority complex). I heard a preacher once
say that people in physical pain ought to still smile. That preacher has
evidently never had to suffer in constant pain. No one knows YOUR PAIN
(except you). No one knows my pain except me (and God).
What is sinful is when we stop taking our
burdens and problems to the Lord in prayer (1st Peter 5:7; Philippians
4:6), and instead we try to bear those burdens our self and are
overwhelmed by them. There are afflictions that our beyond our control.
James 5:13, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any
merry? let him sing psalms.” The affliction that God wants us to
have is self-inflicted misery, mourning over sin and walking with the
Lord in prayer and abiding in the Scriptures.
Most people in America have been brainwashed by idiotic
psychiatrists to think there's something wrong with being humble,
reserved, a feeling of wretchedness, a feeling that others are better
than our self, and being sorrowful in the Lord. I guarantee you that
100% of psychiatrists would prescribe psychotropic drugs to any
Christian who obeys James 4:9 to be afflicted, mourn and weep, and if
you say that everyone else is better than you are (as Philippians 2:3
teaches). Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves.” Clearly, God thinks
vastly different than the world, and vise versa.
Believers Should Grieve With God Over
Sin
God is greatly grieved over the wickedness of
this generation, and if we desire to walk with God in sweet fellowship,
then we must also have a burden and express grief over the sinful
condition of the world. 1st John 1:6-7, “If we
say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and
do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Amos 3:3, “Can two walk
together, except they be agreed?” James 4:8 invites us as
believers (you must be born-again of course), to walk with God, but
first we must turn off the electronic gadgets and
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. We must flee a double-life of
church on Sunday and the tavern throughout the week.
Walking with God requires getting into the
yoke with Christ, sharing His heart's burden over reaching lost sinners
with the gospel. Psalms 126:5-6, “They that sow
in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.” When's the last time you cried
from a brokenheart over lost sinners? The Bible tells us to GO FORTH
weeping and sowing the precious seed of the gospel. Here clearly is
The Great Commission in the Old Testament. We read this truth in
Matthew 28:19-20 in the New Testament. Every believer has a duty to sow
the seed of the gospel in people's hearts.
The Bible teaches that we ought
to regularly pray that the opportunity (freedom and wherewithal) to
preach the Word of God.
2nd Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brethren, pray for
us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be
glorified, even as it is with you.”
It is illegal in North Korea,
China and Israel to preach the gospel today. There are many subversive
attempts underway in the United States to ban free-speech concerning
guns, abortion, same-sex couples and criticizing the government. It's
just a matter of time until we lose our liberties and free course to
preach THE TRUTH as we have known for so long in America!
The so-called “Queen of Contemporary Christian
Music,” Amy Grant is infamous for making the shameful statement as a
professed Christian that she is not interested in winning anyone to
Christ...
“I'm a singer, not a preacher,
I'm not looking to convert anybody” says Christian rock diva Amy Grant.
(Los Angeles Times, 5/4/84, pg. 2-c) [emphasis added]
I don't condemn anyone, nor do I judge Miss
Grant for her personal life. I am the biggest sinner that I know (and so
are you if you're right with God — Psalms 106:6; James 2:10).
Psalms 106:6, “We have sinned with our
fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.”
Albeit, Grant's public influence over tens-of-millions of fans also
brings the tremendous responsibility of sowing the seed of the gospel to
them. By shirking off her duty (if she's even a genuine believer) of
sowing the gospel to others, their blood will be required at her hand in
eternity on judgment day when they go to Hell forever.
The Bible Teaches For Us To Consider
Our Self As Lower Than Everyone Else
Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves.” This is a revolutionary Scripture
that will change your way of thinking, the way you talk, the way you
behave and your life permanently if you'll heed the Scriptures. If I am
to obey the Bible in Philippians 2:3, then I have to think of myself as
being LOWER than everyone else around me. WOW! Have you ever read or
heard about this Scripture before? God literally commands us to think
HIGHER of others than our self, which is only possible if we think LOWER
about our self.
Yes, my dear brother, I am down on myself, as
the Bible commands me to be. Jacob felt unworthy (Genesis 32:10). Paul
felt like the chief of sinners (1st Timothy 1:15). Peter didn't feel
worthy of the Lord's presence. Luke 5:8, “When Simon Peter saw it,
he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me;
for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter was saved when
he made this statement. King David was a faithful Christian in the years
leading up to his evils of hubris, adultery, conspiracy and murder; but
then he repented when confronted almost a year later by Nathan the
prophet. David had to be confronted to get right with God.
Even the best Christians are still sinners,
because every Christian is still a human being. Behind every Christian
testimony is a human being. We are all sinners by birth. Every
born-again believer is a sinner mercifully saved by God's grace! No one
is worthy of God's forgiveness. Thank God for the GIFT of Jesus Christ
(Romans 6:23) and the precious blood that He sacrificed for our many
sins (1st Peter 1:18-19)!
I feel like the worst Christian all the time,
which is a sign that I am a better Christian than I think I am so long
as I think this way (that is, in humility, always thinking that I can do
a lot better in my life for Christ). When you're at the bottom, the only
way is UP! Amen! I never plan on arriving, to where I can ease up, slack
off and exert less effort to be on guard against the Devil as 1st Peter
5:8 commands me to be. We always need to pray that we enter not into
temptation (Luke 22:40). We always need to hear the Word of God to boost
our faith (Romans 10:17). We always need to memorize Scriptures that we
might not sin against the Lord (Psalms 119:11). We always need to OBEY
that we do not STRAY. Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
We always need to listen to preaching to stay right with God (Romans
16:25; Titus 1:3).
The Bible Commands Every Believer To
Be Afflicted To Draw Near To God
Whereas God COMMANDS us as Christian believers to
weep, afflict ourselves and have a heavy heart; the wicked world tells
us the exact opposite, telling us that we're supposed to be
continually happy and cheerful all the time, or else there's something wrong with
us. The world is insane and wrong! There's something wrong with the
world!!!
The word “afflicted” in James 4:9
is the Greek word talaipōreō and means “to be wretched, that
is, realize one’s own misery.” The dictionary defines “wretched” as
“very unhappy, full of misery!” Dr. Jack Hyles of the First Baptist
Church of Hammond, Indiana used to say, “I know I'm inferior, but I
don't have an inferiority complex.”
That's the difference between godly affliction
verses unhealthy depression. Unhealthy depression is when we condemn
ourselves over past sins which have already been confessed and forsaken
(Hebrews 10:22). Satan tries to discourage believers by continually
accusing them day-and-night the Bible says before the throne of God
(Revelation 12:10). The Devil's crowd behave just like their father the
Devil, continually accusing Christians day-and-night. We must realize as
king David that God is the ONLY one that we have to answer to.
Psalms 51:4, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
Any believer can have perfect peace and
complete joy IN THE LORD, if we realize the Scriptural truth that God is
THE ONLY PERSON that we will ever have to give account to in eternity.
Amen! It doesn't matter what anyone else has to say. The Bible strictly
warns all mankind against condemning anyone else, because WE ARE ALL
SINNERS (Romans 2:1). James 5:9, “Grudge not one against another,
brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the
door.” So we are Biblically commanded to realize our own
wretchedness, which is what the song AMAZING GRACE is all about...
Amazing Grace, how
sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
LISTEN TO SONG AND SEE ALL LYRICS
Godly affliction (depression) is continually
realizing that I am a sinner by birth and nature, and saying along with
the Apostle Paul, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me
from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh
the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25). Godly affliction is thinking
about the awful sinful condition of American society, and praying about
it.
The Bible is telling us in James 4:8-10 that
we need to have the mindset of God if we plan to draw close to Him. The
Bible is taking care of some obvious things first, like living a
double-life, wanting to have fun all the time and cleansing our hands of
wrongdoing. If you want to walk close to the Lord in sweet fellowship,
then it all begins by making things right with mankind. You cannot be
right with God and wrong with man if you've hurt someone(s). So the
Bible says to cleanse your hands of any evil which you may be doing, and
to purify your mind from serving God with an imperfect heart.
Christ Lives The Christian Life
Through Us
Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.”
My friend, if you desire to draw near to God
as a Believer, then cease from hurting others, stop working at a job
that exploits people, forsake a double-life that dishonors God, and then
God will draw near to you in sweet fellowship. James 4:4 warns us this
to befriend the world is ENMITY (hostility) with God. You absolutely
cannot be friends with the wicked world's entertainment, philosophies,
sinfulness, same-sex unions, murderous abortion, et cetera, and honesty
expect for God to fellowship with you. Sin either
keeps us from he Bible, or the Bible keeps us from sin!
God is a holy God and if it weren't for
Christ's blood sacrifice on the Mercy Seat in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12,24),
no one would ever have any right to fellowship with God. That's why you
must get saved first before God will draw near to you. Hebrews 4:15-16
teaches that Christ is our heavenly High Priest, Who intercedes for us
on our behalf before God the Father (Romans 8:26-34). The blood of Jesus
gives us every right from God to confidently approach God's throne of
grace, to obtain mercy, to find grace, to help in time
of need (Hebrews 4:16).
If we yield our will to God's Holy Spirit in
obedience to the teachings of the Scriptures (which we ought to be
SEARCHING as Jesus commanded in John 5:39), then Christ will live
THROUGH US!!! Amen! God doesn't leave the impossible burden upon us as
frail human beings to clean up our own life. When God tells us to
cleanse our hands and purify our heart, He tells us how in James 4:10 by
saying... HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE
LORD, AND HE SHALL LIFT YOU UP!!! Walking with God is a
matter of getting down to business with God, with a sincere and broken
heart over our own sins, and a concern for others and their sins that
are destroying them. This passage of Scripture is quite plain and
simple, and a blessing to know exactly what God expects of us to please
Him. Remember, without faith is is IMPOSSIBLE to please God (Hebrews
11:6). So everything that James 4:8-10 speaks about is done BY FAITH in
the Lord.
Also, notice that Jesus didn't say “deliver us from
sin” in Luke 11:4 in His example of how to pray; but rather, “deliver us FROM EVIL.”
Evil is planned, premeditated, sin. No Christian can live above committing sin, but we
can all abstain from committing premeditated evil. We are
commanded to ask God to deliver us from evil, that is, deliberate
sinning.
God Knows What Is
Best
The Bible teaches that God wants us depressed,
that is, (as defined in the dictionary), “to lower someone's spirits;
make downhearted.” Why in the world would God want us to be depressed?
We read one of the answers earlier in the Old Testament . . .
Ecclesiastes 7:3,
“Sorrow is better than laughter:
for by the sadness of the
countenance the heart is made better.”
We grow from pain in our soul, if we trust
upon the Lord and don't commit suicide or turn to sin to cope). This is
why it is often said that adversity makes men, but prosperity destroys
them. UNSHAKABLE FAITH COMES FROM HAVING YOUR FAITH SHAKEN!!! This
doesn't mean that Christians should walk around looking miserable, God
forbid. It simply means that we should continually HAVE THE MIND OF
CHRIST IN US as Philippians 2:4-5 teaches, thinking upon the needs,
burdens and things of OTHERS instead of ourselves. Philippians
2:4-5, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus.”
Every Christian ought to be sorrowful
concerning the gross wickedness of this evil generation. I am saddened
daily over abortion, same-sex marriage, public nudity, “sin city” Las
Vegas, booze, blatant government crimes, counterfeit Bibles, apostate
Christians who support evil (like the Pastor of the First Baptist Church
of Dallas, Texas advising 300 area pastors at a meeting in San Antonio
in 2012 to
vote for sex-perverted Mormon leader, Mitt Romney as U.S.
President). Shame on him!!!
My friend, being frustrated and angry over sin as
a Christian is evidence that you are walking with God, and that His
character is rubbing off on you, because no One is more frustrated than God
over the condition of the wicked world today (James 4:4), and no One hates
iniquity as much as the Lord (Hebrews 1:9; Psalms 7:11; John 3:36). There is
something wrong with a professed Christian who merely goes through the
motions, filling 18 inches of pew every Sunday, but never doing anything for
God to get souls saved, help the poor and needy, lift up the fallen,
strengthen the weak, or contend for the Christian faith. Jesus lived FOR
OTHERS as Philippians 2:4-5 teaches, and so ought we to LET THIS MIND BE
IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS!!! (Philippians 2:5).
