Ep. 113 | Who's in Charge? | James

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring James 4:7-10. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

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Welcome to Formed by the Word. Many people have a faith that works well on Sunday but struggles on Monday. The book of James was written to bridge that gap. This letter speaks directly to real life, our struggles, our relationships, our speech, our priorities, and our response to difficult circumstances. Over the next several weeks, we'll be walking through James, a practical and challenging letter often called the Proverbs of the New Testament. James doesn't just teach us what to believe, he shows us how genuine faith works in everyday life. James calls believers to a faith that is visible, active, and genuine. A faith that doesn't merely hear God's word but puts it into practice. As we journey through this powerful book together, my prayer is that God would shape us into people whose faith is seen not only in what we say, but in how we live. After all, faith is more than words. It's a life that is being formed by the truth of God's Word.

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James chapter four, verses seven through ten. 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, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Be miserable and worn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. You know, every spiritual battle begins with one decision, really. Who's going to be in charge? In fact, our spiritual formation itself hinges largely on that decision. Who's going to be in charge? That is, in charge of my life. Submission to the will of others does really not come easy for any of us, does it? Have you ever watched a small child walking through a crowded amusement park or airport or maybe a mall, and mom or dad reaches down and says, take my hand. Sometimes the child gladly takes it, but most of the time they pull away because they don't want you to do it. They want to do it themselves. The parent isn't trying to limit the child's freedom. We're just trying to protect them. James says that's exactly how many of us treat God. Submission isn't about losing freedom. It's about trusting someone who can see dangers that you cannot see. So submitting to God's plan is really no easier than submitting to other people. We often treat God like a consultant rather than as the Lord. Many Christians want to have God as a consultant. Lord, I appreciate your advice. And when I need you, I'll call on you. But James reminds us that God never signed up to be our consultant. He's our king. Yet somehow we have the audacity to think that my plan is safer, better, or even more productive than God's plan for me. In today's portion of James, we see James's prescription for our pride. He gives us a series of rapid fire commands that describe what genuine repentance really looks like. He starts by saying that genuine repentance involves surrender. James writes, submit to God. The idea is to fall into rank. Think of the soldier who yields to the rank of his commanding officer. We are to bow to the authority of our master, our Lord, our creator. The good news is our commanding officer is always right. Next, James says that we must resist the devil and he will flee from you. Now here's a command with a promise. We resist and he will flee. The devil has no power or control over you, only what you give him. Very important to remember that. Don't be blaming the devil for everything that happens against you or happens unplanned or that happens in a bad sense in your idea. No, no, no. Perhaps it's because you haven't resisted him. Also, genuine repentance involves a return to God. James says, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. You see, God draws us to him, but we must take a willing step toward him. The prodigal son gives a good picture of that. You may remember the story that Jesus told of a son who had left his father's house and all his benefits to travel into a far country, really just expressing his independence, really saying, I don't need you to hold my hand, Daddy. I'm on my own. Well, while in that country, Jesus says that he wasted his money on riotous living, wild living. When he found himself in the pig style, he had remorse. Humility began to fill his soul, and he was truly repentant. So he famously returned to his father's house. You may recall that the father gladly received him back home, killed the fatted calf, and the family celebrated his return. James is saying, Come back home. God is ready to receive you. You see, repentance involves a return, getting up and going back to the Father. Next he says, Cleanse your hands, sinner, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In simple terms, wash up. That thought takes me back to when my mother would call us to the dinner table. She would always say, Supper's ready, go wash up. Now, at that point, I didn't need a bath. That's what I was suggesting. What I needed was to wash my hands, to cleanse my hands. Then James says, humble yourself before the Lord. That's a hard word, isn't it? Humble yourself before the Lord. He will exalt you. Grieve over sin, he's saying. As we humble ourselves before the Lord, we are waiting for him to work in our hearts and our lives. It is not about me, it's all about him. So what's at the heart of this passage? Well, first, we need to realize that every spiritual battle begins with a decision. Who's going to be in charge? Second, we must understand that surrender to God isn't defeat, it's alignment with the one who always knows the way. Pastor Craig Grochelle said it well. He said, We want God's direction for our future, but we ignore his direction for how we live today. I think Grochelle is right. Surrender to God is putting our trust in him and giving him our lives. It's saying, You take control. I need to have your hand. I need to hold your hand. I need for you to guide me. I'm going to trust you to know better than I. The writer of Proverbs chapter three, you're familiar with this verse probably, says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not rely on your own understanding. And all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Those are strong words. Trust in the Lord. Rest in him. Don't rely on your own understanding, the things as you see it, but trust him to see things that you can't yet see. And then Paul said it also in the New Testament, Romans chapter 12. He said, Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to what? Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. That is, put yourself on an altar of sacrifice. Die to yourself. Let go of your own desires and hold tight to God's hand. Well, that was my commentary. Actually, it stopped at that point, but you get the point. Therefore, brothers and sisters, Paul said, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. He says, With that God is well pleased. Well, let's make some application. We got a couple of moments here. A couple of thoughts. I think a good question to ask myself is where am I resisting God today? Where am I resisting him? Am I resisting his call to forgiveness? Am I resisting his call to generosity? To purity, to patience? Am I resisting God's call to trust him? Am I resisting God's call to just let go of control and surrender back to him? Second thing I want us to see is I think it's important, submission is intentional. It doesn't just happen. Start each morning with a simple prayer. Maybe something like this, Lord, I submit my plans and priorities to you today. Lord, in my life today, I want your will, not mine. And then maybe identify some pride triggers in your life. That is moments when you feel resistance to authority, interruption of your agenda, or better ideas, pause and ask, is this pride fighting God's rule? Is that what I'm really doing, fighting God's rule and controlling my life? And my friend, when you mess up, and we all do, don't double down in pride, confess that sin and repent. And one final thought practice humble listening or yielding to Christ and even the small things at home, at work, or at school. Well, here's the takeaway for today. Important one. You cannot resist the devil while resisting God. Now that's a pretty good word. You cannot resist the devil while resisting God. Humility allows his grace to flow freely into our lives. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we bow ourselves humbly before you today, asking that you will forgive us for wanting to take charge of our lives and to be in control. Lord, we yield today to your will and to your authority, and we declare our trust in your sovereignty and in your grace as we live out this day. Amen and amen.

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Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the Scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.