Confessing Sin

 James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Many Bible translations use the word sin in place of fault. The root interpretation of sin is to miss the mark, to come short of God’s perfection. The fall of Adam and Eve changed the nature of humanity. The human body is now subject to failure and shortcomings. We often say, “We are not perfect, we are all still human.” We still deal with human weaknesses. As humans, we still make mistakes and errors from doing everything perfectly, but our hearts can always be faultless before God. Scripture says that Christians cannot sin, (1 John 3:9). Yet, it is possible for a believer to still commit sin. But, if we want to remain in Christ, we will not live a life of sinning.  Satan knows our weaknesses and vulnerabilities and will exploit them, causing us to fall. Temptation to sin would not be temptation if it were not possible to transgress the laws of God. Giving our heart in full surrender in sanctification, letting the Holy Spirit take residence in our heart will give us the ability to resist the temptations of Satan. Confession is made possible by restoring one back to fellowship with God. “And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (1 John 2:1). If we also confess our sins one to another, the prayer of other believers God will hear and heal broken fellowship. It is not God’s will that Christians fall when tempted. He has made a way of escape. It is not His will that Christians live in sin, but His will that they be delivered from sin. Thank God, He has provided grace and mercy to them that seek and ask forgiveness. We need not despair, get up, face your fault or sin, confess, and move forward with God.

Surrender to God

 Jame 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The word surrender is not found in the Bible, it is a word normally used in battle when someone gives up their right to fight, and they become prisons of their captors. “Surrender to” is defined as a complete abandonment of oneself entirely to someone or something. Both definitions describe the word “Submit.” Much has been said about surrendering our heart, our lives to God. The term, “Sanctify yourself” used in the Bible also has implications of surrendering. To be set apart, to be used by God. We surrender all our hopes, ambitions, dreams, and wishes to God, and allow Him to use us in any way He pleases for His kingdom. We surrender our desires, and offer everything we have to God, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,”(Roman 6:13). When we consecrate ourselves to God, we have surrendered the life we have been living and have dedicated ourselves to serve God in whatever capacity He desires. We give up the old life of sin and present ourselves as a living sacrifice. Some would see this as giving up our freedom to do what we want to do. But the way of the transgressor is hard, and all that live in sin are in bondage to the flesh. As Christians, we are told to submit our lives daily to God, pick up our cross and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Satan will tempt our flesh (members) to fulfill the lust of the flesh, but as we submit ourselves to God, and resist the temptation of Satan, he will flee. For the heart totally surrendered to Christ is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live unspotted by the world.

Doers of the Word

 James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
It is dangerous to receive God’s word and not do something with it. It is possible to become comfortable with listening to and agreeing to truth, and even believing it in your mind to be right, but fail to take action to the truth that God has spoken, Many of us have attending church all our lives, gone to revivals, camp meetings, and conventions hearing God’s word preached. For the moment it speaks to our heart and we have good intentions on taking actions. But, we return to our daily routine life and the spoken word starts to fade away. We deceive ourselves in thinking that just attesting to truth is adequate.  Being a doer of the word is to take His word and apply it to our daily walk with Him. “We not just talk the talk, but we walk the talk.” Our lives need to speak louder than what we say. As a matter of fact, speaking the truth and not living it, can become a great stumbling block for those under our influence. James says it in another way when he writes, “Faith without works is dead.” Putting our faith into action (being a doer) is the completion of our religion. Pure religion is not just a profession of our faith, but a living relationship with our God. If our faith is dormant we become ineffective for God. May we step out with our faith, and become doers of the word, believing God that He through the power of the Holy Spirit is able to help us to be doers of His word. 

Steadfast Under Trail

 James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Trials and tribulations are part of life. No one is exempt from facing them. Some people go through severe testing, but we all will face them at some level. Trails are defined as hard times, difficult situations that can cause us to doubt that God is in control, or that God is able to come through on His promises to help us. When we begin to doubt God, we are like the wind tossed here and there, unstable in our ways, unsure of our footing. Our direction is lost and we wander around without real purpose. Temptation is of the devil who’s only desire is to cause us to fail and start doubting what God has said. God does not tempt, but He will test us. He will test our resolve and our determination to stay faithful and steadfast. His testing is designed to make us stronger and to be rooted and grounded in Him. He does not delight in our failures and will use our failures as stepping stones to put our trust in Him when we face our next trial.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Wisdom is knowing God and applying God’s truth with gentleness and mercy. Standing for what is right in a harsh and judgmental spirit is not wisdom from above. Wisdom from above is given without guile or evil intent. It seeks to bring peace to a situation and not division. Wisdom from above is transparent, it does not seek to deceive or manipulate. The danger that faces Christians is that the influence of the world can impair our thinking and attitude toward others and life. The wisdom of the world is to look out for self, depend on human ingenuity, and the arm of flesh. Instead of depending on God to see us through, we try to figure it out ourselves. When we seek first the kingdom of God, we are seeking the wisdom from above. Each day we face situations where we need wisdom in the words we speak and the actions we do. May we pray that God will give us the wisdom from above to do what is right, full of mercy and good fruit.

Pure Religion

 James 1:27
 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…
I often hear, “Being a Christian is not a religion, but a relationship.” Hard to argue this point, because a religion that is founded on keeping rules and following the law is an empty religion,  but being a Christian is also about being religious. Our religion is to love those who are less fortunate, take care to help others when there is a need, consider the needs of others before your own. A religion without charity (love) is a religion without a relationship with Christ. Religion and relationships go hand in hand, much like faith and works. You really need them both to have a pure religion or a true relationship. A relationship with Christ requires that we keep him commandments, “If you love me (If we have a relationship), you will keep my commandments”. A pure religion requires that we remain unspotted by the world. You cannot have a relationship with Christ and not have a pure religion.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Our relationship with people, especially those of the world, who are void of the Spirit of God must exhibit the peace of God. During the time of Covid 19 pandemic, there were many viewpoints that could cause conflict and strife among friends and family. It is given to Christians to make sure that we maintain a peaceable relationship with our neighbors and all those we come in contact with. We all have a right to our opinion, but we must be wise when and how we express it. As Paul states, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” This does not mean that you give up your opinion, or you compromise your Bible beliefs, but it does mean that we should be willing to stand down and allow the love of Christ and the peace of God to rule in our hearts. This is the wisdom from above.