Category: James
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Resist!
James 4:7 “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” One of the things that we need to understand about the Bible is that the enemy of our souls knows what it says better than we do. From the very beginning, Satan began his temptation of people by drawing attention to the Word of…
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The Proud
James 4:6 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So, as you read the verse above, which side of the word “but” would you rather be on? The Scriptures give us many examples of those who were on the wrong side. Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest king of his day. At least that’s how…
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Spiritual Adultery
James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” You’ve heard the expression, “If the shoe fits . . . “ It’s an idiom that means that if something is suggested about…
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Difficult People
James 4:1 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” It’s so important that we realize that the Bible is to be taken personally. This is particularly true when we see the word “you” used. One such place is the verse above. …
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Words and their Meanings
James 2:14-17 “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic . . . But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full…
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A Test of Spiritual Condition
James 3:10-12 “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” Perhaps…
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What’s Wrong with the World?
James 3:6 “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” I heard an interesting sermon the other day around the topic of what I might rephrase “What is wrong with the world?” This pastor had a perspective on this issue that I…
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The Power of the Tongue
James 3:5 “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” There’s a three-word phrase that you’ve probably heard that describes what it is that many people are seeking in one way or another: “power, fame, and fortune.” So often these things are looked at as things that are “out there,” for they’re…
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Glorious Friendship
James 2:23 “Abraham believed God . . . and he was called a friend of God.” Abraham was called a friend of God. It’s hard to determine which is the more magnificent aspect of this statement: the condescension of God or the elevation of Abraham. Think for a moment about your best friend. Why is that…
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Do You Believe What God Has Said?
James 2:23 “Abraham believed God” The Bible tells us that Abraham believed God. Of course, like many people, Abraham believed there WAS a God. He also, again like many people, believed certain things ABOUT God. But what set Abraham apart from the crowd, even the so-called “believing” crowd, was that he actually believed what God…
To Encourage You 