James 4:7-10 – Rejoice Now – Cry Later or Cry Now – Rejoice Later
(Seven Rules for Personal Revival)
James 4:7-10 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
YOUR PART
GOD’S PART
Submit to God – Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
He will direct your paths.
Resist the devil – James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you
The devil must go in the name of Jesus.
Draw near to God – James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands – James 4:8 – Cleanse your hands
He will bless the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 28:12
Purify your hearts – Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
He will cleanse and restore – Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.
Lament, mourn, weep – James 4:9 – Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 1 Corinthians 4:17
Humble yourself – 1 Peter 5:6 – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
He will exalt you – in His time.
THEREFORE…
James 1:21-22 – Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
THEN…
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
My wife loves this one because you can see the rain coming down from the clouds. She loves to hear it rain and when she cannot hear it – she looks at this painting and imagines it is raining.
Presque Isle County is in the lower peninsular in Michigan. Its name was given by the early French settlers. The word “presque” means almost. That word describes the peninsula that is surrounded by Lake Huron on the east, Grand Lake on the west with very narrow strips of land that connect it to the mainland at both north and south ends. In other words, it is “almost an island.”
There are two lighthouses on this peninsula – Old Presque Isle lighthouse built in 1840 and New Presque Isle lighthouse built in 1870. The 1870 Lighthouse is the tallest light on the Great Lakes that the public may climb.
A beautiful spot where you can watch both sunrise and sunset over Lake Huron.
This beautiful place inspired this painting of the “new” lighthouse of 1870.
Hebrews 4:11-16 – Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
What a privilege to enter into the very presence of God. To bring our petitions, our cares, worries, concerns to him. What a comfort to know that he understands our weaknesses because he experienced them also, but without giving in to them. We enter that rest via the veil – the flesh/body of Christ.
Sin is the greatest hindrance to prayer. Sin separates us from Christ. Sin is defeated through the blood of Jesus. Being set free from sin through his blood allows us to enter into his presence.
The throne of grace is that special place where we can become one with our Lord. After confession of sins – sins of omission (things we should have done but did not) and commission (things we should not have done but did) we can enjoy fulness of joy, peace of mind. We can have satisfaction knowing that our relationship with the Lord is one that cannot be compared to any other relationship we might have experienced.
His grace is enough to satisfy your soul, to make you whole and complete. His grace is the soothing ointment from above that will meet all your cares and needs.
James 5:13-18 – Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Be specific in your request.
Cheerful – sing songs and praise to the Lord.
Sick – call for the elders of the church to pray.
Anoint with oil in the name of the Lord.
Confess your trespasses, sins, faults to one another.
The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a great story of God’s power. It is amazing. Yet James tells us that Elijah was just like us with the same faults and weaknesses. But as the story shows us, Elijah had a relationship with God that gave him the faith he needed to call down fire from heaven. The story is told in 1 Kings 18.
The story of Ellijah (1 Kings 19) after this great victory illustrates to us that he truly was like us. After this great victory, he ran in fear of the queen, Jezebel. God had to once again assure him that he was with him and that he would be victorious.
During my career in the United States Air Force, I was stationed in Texas several times.
Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas
Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas
Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, Texas
There’s nothing more beautiful than a Texas sky. Watching the sun set over the wide open spaces was alway a great way to end the day.
Memories of those sunsets inspired my painting.
While I now live in Michigan I have several family members who call Texas their home. One of my granddaughters there now has this painting. She said she displays it in the hallway leading to her main bedroom where she sees it as she begins and ends her day.
James 3:1-12 — My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear” is repeated several times in the Bible, especially in chapters two and three of Revelations. Perhaps since we have two ears and only one tongue, we would be better off if we listened more than we speak. When tempted to speak, let us remember that our ears cannot cause anger, disagreement and chaos. A good rule to possibly follow when tempted to speak before thinking is “Shut up.”
Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
James speaks about stumbling in word – we are all guilty of that. If we do not stumble in our words, James says we would be perfect and able to bridle the whole body. He uses the example of how we put bridles in horses’ mouth so that we can control them and how a small rudder can be used by the pilot to direct a large boat. This is clearly an area where many of us do not succeed – controlling our tongue. Perhaps we could use a roll of duct tape. Walmart sells it for about $3.50 a roll. Many of us may need the extra wide and super strength version.
Luke 6:43-45 – For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
How many times have you heard someone say something and then follow it up with “I didn’t mean to say that”? According to the Bible, you did.
A song our children used to sing says “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” The tongue is unruly, evil and full of deadly poison according to James. How often do we praise and worship God and then turn around gossip, lie, curse, call others names.
While no one tames the tongue on their own, thanks be to God who gives us the Holy Spirit who can empower us to get victory over our words.
If the church will work at cleaning up our tongue – what a difference it could make in our world. Instead of a fire of bad words creating a fire, let’s create an atmosphere of love with a spark of God’s love.
What is true of biology is also true of faith: If it is not growing, it’s probably dead. If someone tells you, “I believe there is a God in heaven,” you can be sure that person is one of the following:
a Christian
a user of some devotional guide
an individual who attends church, or
none of the above.
Pick an answer and then let us look at a scripture in chapter 2.
James 2:19 – You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
Do you tremble at the awesome power and presence of God when you are out of line according to the Scriptures? Do you fall under conviction at the reading of certain verses of the Bible when you know you don’t measure up?
James speaks out strongly against a “faith of God” that merely professes with the lips without practicing with the life. You might summarize his book this way: “If you believe as you should, why do you behave as you shouldn’t?” We might say, “Your actions speak louder than words”, or “put your money where your mouth is.” True faith is more than words or even profession. It is a vital walk that shows God has truly invaded your life. If you have truly been changed, your life will demonstrate that change and it will show that change as it “breathes” in unmistakable ways. And that raises a timely question….
Since you trusted Christ as your Savior, how has your lifestyle changed in the troublesome areas of some of the following categories?
prejudice
profanity
gossip
argumentative
giving to God in time, talent and finances
planning for the future
accepting unpleasant circumstances
What is that one area that, with God’s help, you will move from being a hearer to a doer of God’s Word?
James 1:22 – But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves
Taking both of these scriptures into account, what is James trying to tell us? I believe that he is trying to say “If you call yourself a Christian or a child of God, then you ought to act like it. You ought to speak like it. You ought to think like it. You ought to dress like it.”
Does the Bible not say?
Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Question: James 2:19 states that demons tremble in the presence of Jesus. They did when He walked the face of this earth and they do when you invoke His mighty Name in prayer. Did you know that when you are living an overcoming, consistent Christian life, you have the power to use the Name of Jesus in prayer and temptation must go? Many who call themselves Christian, live shallow, inconsistent lives of continually falling into sins they seemingly have no control over. The truth and answer to this dilemma is simply that they fail to obtain victory because they do not know the privilege of using the King of Glory’s Holy Name when they go to prayer. Prayer is answered when you go to the Father in the Name of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit within you begins to His work.
Just as a human body that fails to breathe is labeled a “dead body,” so too a faith that fails to “breathe” is labeled a “dead faith.” And the breath of faith in the Christian life is good works: demonstrating concern for the poor, controlling the tongue, exhibiting a spirit of humility, building up others. If you think you have faith but there is no living demonstration of that faith in your life, James has news for you: Your faith is worthless. True faith and good works cannot be divorced, for your life is the laboratory in which your faith is shown to be real.
There may come a time in your life when you wonder why you are not growing in your faith. Or you might wonder why you do not ever have the opportunity to lead others to Christ. When you ask yourself these kinds of questions, you may be able to answer them with another question: “Have I asked God to help me in this area?”
Understand that this passage does not advocate that you “demand” things from God as though He were some “cosmic butler” prepared to answer your every beck and call. Yet it is equally wrong to fail to ask Him to help meet your needs. God wants to bless your life and spiritually strengthen you. God wants to bless you because you are His child. Unfortunately, many of us fail to receive all of what God has for us because we do not pray.
Take a moment to look at your own spiritual progress. Do you want to have a better understanding of the Bible? Are you looking for some Christian friends? Do you want the Lord to show you what your spiritual gifts and talents are? God wants to bless you, but He may be just waiting for your invitation to do so.
While you do not need to change your lifestyle before you come to Christ, once you do come to Christ, your lifestyle should show tangible changes. If it does not, then one could doubt whether Christ has really come into your life. The way you live, act, think, should reflect what you believe.
Luke 3:8 – Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…
James brings out another important reason for backing up our faith with our actions in the following passage.
James 3:13-17 – Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
When people see that we genuinely care about them as individuals, then they will be much more open to hearing about what motivates us. Can people see Jesus in the way you live? If not, it is time to move Jesus into the “driver’s seat” of your life.
When I was young and in the United States Air Force, I began painting.
However, as my family grew and so did my responsibilities, I gave up painting thinking I would return to it when I retired from the United States Air Force. Upon retirement, I went to college and became a missionary/pastor. That left me little time for painting.
Upon my second retirement, I began painting again. My wife had never seen my paintings from earlier in my life so when I started my first painting, she was watching carefully to see just how good I was. 🙂
This is my first attempt after many years to paint a landscape. She loved it and for many years we kept it displayed in our home.
Recently I gave it to my son. As I approach my 85th birthday, I have begun giving some of my paintings to children, grandchildren and friends. There are a few my wife says I cannot give away as she loves them. But, I got her approval to pass this one.
Hope you enjoy it! I call it “The Edge of the Stream.”
James 1:12-14 – Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
Endure temptation – You will be blessed
Do not give into Satan – You will be blessed
Do not give into temptation – You will be blessed
Live a holy, Godly life – You will be blessed
Temptations are like a Lay’s potato chip bag…you can’t eat just one! Temptations are like a snowball rolling down a hill…it grows and grows and grows more and more when we let it have its way! Temptations are like a bag of chocolates when you skipped lunch because you have just gone on a diet! Temptations are near impossible to resists…but we are able to resist through the strength which God has given us.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Biblical Truths 