In James 4, James is rebuking those who have wrong passions and desires and wanting to be friends with the world, whom he clearly defines as adulterers and adulteresses. It continues in verse 4 saying whosoever wants to be a friend of the world (or makes himself a friend of the world) is the enemy of God. That is a strong statement, and there is no gray matter in that statement, is there?
He continues on in verse 6 and 7 saying that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble and to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. That is humility. In Micah 6:8 it states, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Humility, I believe simply put, is submitting to the will of God. It is doing His will from the heart – Eph. 6:6. It is submitting to truth – the truth of God’s Word over the lies of the enemy.
James 4:8 continues saying, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.”
We know in James 1:7-8 that it says that a double minded (wavering, uncertain) man will receive nothing of the Lord because he is unstable (restless, unsettled) in all his ways. When you are rooted and grounded in the Word of God, you are fixed and settled. Why? Because you are trusting in what God Word says over what the world says. It’s a sure foundation for your life with a sure and certain outcome — which is Victory! Micah 2:7 tells us that God’s Words do good to him that walks uprightly.
When we are caught up in the world and the ways of the world, we really are walking in pride. But if we will come close to God and humble ourselves in His sight, He will lift us up (exalt us).
Everything in this life is a choice. We can decide the course of our life by the decisions we make. And know for sure that any wrong decisions we’ve made, any wrong paths we’ve taken, we serve a God who is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. All we need to do is repent and turn from those paths and decisions we’ve made and receive God’s forgiveness and mercy and move forward in truth.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Are the decisions we are making according to the world’s ways (which is law, deception and bondage) or are they according to God’s ways (which is grace, truth and freedom)?” We can’t have it both ways. God says in Revelation He would that we were hot or cold, but because we are lukewarm (straddling both sides of the fence), He will spew us out (Rev. 3:16).
It is the mercy of God to give us warning about things in our lives and the choices we make because as Paul says to Timothy in I Tim. 2:4 and Peter states in 2 Peter 3:9 that it isn’t His will that any perish but that all come to a knowledge of the truth. In 2 Tim. 3, Paul goes on talking about perilous times coming in the last days (of which we are in). He tells how men (and women) will behave and one of those is lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. It continues in verse 5 stating they have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof and from such turn away. They are ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
God is telling us to turn from the ways of the world. Yes, we are in the world, but we are not of the world. Big difference! The world’s ways will lead to destruction, but God’s ways will bring us closer and closer to Him and will always bring forth victory and peace and joy! So today, draw near to God, and the promise is – He will draw near to you!!