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James 4:7-10 part 1, James 4:7a
This passage begins with a word that instructs us to review the previous passage because what we are about to learn is a result of what we have gleaned from the previous passage; and that word is “Therefore” (James 4:7). We have broken down the previous passage into two lessons which we studied as James 4:1-3 and James 4:4-6, in which James has chastised those who have come to profess Jesus their Lord and Savior but have not shown true repentance from the sinful nature to actively seeking a new life in Christ Jesus. James has referred to these people as “Adulterers and adulteresses” (James 4:4) as they have not been faithful to the Lord in their relationship with Him. This brings up a good point in which we all need to be aware of, and that is our relationship with Jesus – it is a relationship – and requires an obedience and submission to that relationship for the relationship to thrive. James has been speaking of those who have not been faithful in their relationship with Jesus. He has taught us that our God is a jealous God and desires our full attention always (James 4:4-5).
But we must also be aware that anywhere in the Bible that we find ourselves being chastised for disobedience, we also will find the way out of that disobedience to a renewed life in Christ Jesus. This is repentance – turning away from the things of the sinful nature to living as God directs us in Christ. In James 4:7-10 we are given that way of turning/correcting our relationship with God through our salvation in Christ Jesus. But we must also follow the directions that we are given by God’s grace through the instruction of James. We are going to break down James 4:7-10 into several individual lessons as each part of each verse has a valuable lesson that we need to bring into our lives in having a proper relationship with Jesus. We will keep the same Scripture passage of James 4:7-10 all together over the next few days as this passage, being read together, will give us direction and guidance to the whole of the lesson as we look at the individual parts of the passage to have a proper relationship with God through our Savior Jesus Christ over the next few days.
The first thing we need to do to rid ourselves of the sinful nature that is keeping us away from the relationship that God desires to have with us is to, “submit to God” (James 4:7a, NKJV). NUMBER #1; SUBMIT TO GOD. We must submit to God before our relationship with Him begins to move in His blessings.
This is a command to submit your “self” to God.
There is a difference between believing in God and submitting to God. This single thing cost me 30 years of ministry because I did not understand what it meant to submit my “self” to God. I have dreamed of becoming a pastor ever since I opened my heart to Jesus as a young teen. The problem is that I just did not understand what that meant. I knew that I would need Jesus to help me throughout my life, I just thought that I still called all the shots. For the next 30 years God allowed me to call all the shots to let me see how well that would work out. The ironic part is that after my pastor had begun teaching me the ropes, and I had preached my first two sermons, I prayed that God would teach me the things that people have to deal with in life so that I could relate to the congregation better. My idea was that He would teach me by allowing me to view these things in the lives of others, not that He would teach me personally through my own hard-headedness of just how wrong I was in seeking to do things my way instead of seeking His way for my life. I would not wish what would follow in that 30 years on anyone, but it has molded me into the person – In Christ – that I am today. The turning point in my life came when God put on my heart a task that I knew I could not accomplish: a degree in Biblical and theological studies. After much frustration and about 3 weeks of giving God every excuse I could think of in why this was not the right path for me, I threw my hands up and said, “Okay, God; If this is what You want from me, then fine, I’ll do it; but YOU HAVE TO HELP ME because I know that I cannot do this by myself!” And then a great calmness came over me as I could almost see God standing up from His throne and looking down from heaven into my eyes as He said, “That’s all I’ve been trying to get you to realize for the past 30 years! God has shown me that His plans for me do not usually work out as I would have them, but I have come to learn that His way is the best way. He has given me a passion for research and writing, and with that is a daily devotional Bible study that started as an email ministry and has now become a website; inchristministries.info. I also have my own YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgja45J4oNmQqgC3m-FFgGg. In this ministry I am teaching the Bible book by book, verse by verse to help people gain an understanding of the Bible and how we can apply the lessons in it into our lives. I also hope to lead people to begin a new life in Christ Jesus. I’m sharing this with you because if I had never submitted my life to God and began seeking His will for my life, then this ministry would not exist. If we want God to be visible in our lives – to hear and answer our prayers – to give us guidance and direction in our lives – to transform us into the person He would have us to be, then we must first submit our “self” to Him.
Dear LORD,
We believe in You and accept the salvation You offer to us through Your one and only Son Jesus, whom You sent to save the world from sin and give us eternal life (John 3:16-17). Please give us understanding of the need to submit our lives – our “self” to You completely so that Your will for our lives may take precedence over our will for our lives and open the door for us to truly be a blessing to You that we may glorify You through our lives. In Jesus name I pray, amen.