James 4:13 KJV [13] “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:”      When you read this verse, think about the plan being considered. Think with me about a couple planning a trip and deciding to take a journey to a certain city. They have already mapped out the route and made accommodations to live there for a year.      This journey is not a vacation but a business venture to buy and sell. I can imagine the …

James 4:12 KJV [12] “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”     We have no right to judge people by our standards because our standards are good for nothing. The standard of man could never measure up to the standard of God. Therefore, we must remember that He is the author and judge of the Bible. God is the lawgiver, and He is the judge of this earth. When we stand before Him, the question that will make the difference is, “Do you know the Judge?” Do you have …

James 4:11 KJV [11] “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”      James has a lot to say in this epistle about the tongue. He condemns the sins of backbiting, gossiping, and a judgmental attitude. It is shocking that God’s children would even need such a rebuke. You would expect the world to bite and devour each other but never the bride of …

James 4:10 KJV [10] “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”      We cannot say enough about the subject of humility. It is something that we all must be mindful of daily. God expects us to practice humility in every aspect of life. He wants us to be careful that we don’t think highly of ourselves. That is a great temptation in the world we live in today because it is so easy to build a platform for yourself. Many get caught up in self-promotion, and it is acceptable in society. There will …

James 4:9 KJV [9] “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.”      The Lord wants our lives to be full of joy and laughter. However, there is a time to mourn and a time to weep. We must weep over sin. There should always be an affliction of the soul when we stray from God. That is what James is telling us in this verse. To experience the joy of the Lord, we must repent of our sins.      When I read this verse, it reminds me of the …

James 4:8 KJV [8] “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”      The devil wants us to think that we cannot be close to God. He wants us to believe that it is difficult to have fellowship with Him. The devil is a liar, and we must not listen to his lies. We must trust what God says rather than what Satan tries to put in our minds.      Here we have a clear invitation to draw closer to God. It is such a …

James 4:7 KJV [7] “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”      It is never appropriate to brag on the devil. I have heard people testify in church about how the devil had been on their back, yet they said very little about God. God never gets glory when we magnify Satan. However, we must be aware of two things about the enemy. First, we have to remember that he is a defeated foe! God kicked him out of heaven, cursed him in the garden, and then crushed his head at Calvary! One …

James 4:6 KJV  [6] “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”      Our verse today contains three truths about the grace of God. The first truth we see is grace promised. God has not only promised to give us grace but to give us more grace. That means that no matter what we face in this life, God has promised to provide the grace to see us through. As believers, we can rest in the knowledge that this grace will be there to help us in times of need, …

James 4:5 KJV [5] “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”      In the last verse, James places emphasis on the world. In this verse, he emphasizes the flesh. The flesh cannot be tamed, trusted, or tolerated. The Bible teaches us about the depravity of the flesh. James asks a profound question when he says, Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,…? The answer is, No, never!      The Bible paints a clear picture of the flesh. That does not mean the actual body itself. There is …

James 4:4 KJV [4] “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”      The Devil is the number one enemy of God. The world is the number two enemy of God. Believers should feel the same way about making friends with the world as they would making friends with the Devil. It’s strange how many believers today will take a firm stand against Satan while flirting with the world.      God calls this friendship spiritual adultery. We …