BIBLE STUDY

READING THE BOOK OF JAMES CHAPTER 4

If I was able to thoroughly study James for one reason and nothing else it was for me to correct my thinking and my views. James in his wisdom taught me throughout this week how much my selfish thinking and impurity within me causes arguments and fights. Our desires can sometimes get the best of us because we pay attentions to others.

The shows we watch and the people we focus on can drastically change what our heart desires. I realized that for many months I lived without network television and that took alot of my focus from material desires. The need for shopping and keeping up with others has changed so much when I changed my view. It removed jealousy, because the things others have has not been a thought in your mind.

Although, some my desires did not fall in line with what God wants I still would pray and never get answers. There came a point when I began blaming God for not getting answers to my prayers but now being free from the bondage of the enemy I can see from a clear lens that the things I wanted were not of God and may have caused more harm than good for my life. It is so strange how deep our hearts are, with desires of the flesh. But instead God uses the same desires as teachable moments for us to grow in Him and to humble ourselves to His plans; we should be crying, sad and posture that is submissive.

My spiritual mom has written about submission and even for me the first time I saw the title I cringed a little, the thought of submitting seems opposing to what we have been taught. We are learning to live for ourselves to gratify our flesh constantly; if our bellies want a sandwich in the middle of the night we serve it. We are slave to our flesh although we know what harm it does to us. We eat too much we get fat, we don't pray we become spiritually separated from God, we have unprotected sex we can get a disease but we continue to make decisions that bring destruction.

In addition, I know I am definitely not perfect but over and over again I judge my fellow family in Christ. I find myself asking why he/she couldn't do it like this or that but I am not nor is anyone else on this earth the judge. Worry never brought back a day or night for me but I still do it although it brings no peace, nor does it bring answers. James in his wisdom with a few topics covered so much information, so much aspects of our lives to teach, challenge and remove what keeps us from getting closer to God. Teaching us to continuously renew and restore a right heart with God. This entire book has been life for me, how was it for you what was one take away from this chapter for you? Tell me in the comments and head over to YouTube to watch the video for this.