But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up — James 4:6-10 (emphases mine)
In our previous article, we began to look at how can we respond to God’s call in a practical manner. It was and still is based onJames 4:6-10. Key points so far included grace and submission to God. In this, the 7th article of the ‘Call of God Series,’ we continue learning the practical steps to responding to the Lord’s call in an honourable and effective manner.
After we have humbled ourselves, which does not mean to put ourselves down. It means to acknowledge our need and desire for God. Once manifested, God will give us more grace. Thanks to this abundance of grace, we are now in an optimal position to do the following needful things:
1. Resist the Devil (4:7): Of interest, as we submit to God, facing Him fully, we concurrently turn our backs on the devil. The original Greek word for ‘resist’ is ‘anthistēmi’ ἀνθίστημιwhich means ‘to oppose, withstand, stand against, and/or resist.’ Though the devil is strong, we do have the power to stand against his lies and actions. The remarkable thing is if we say ‘No,’ and refuse to cooperate, the devil does not merely walk away from us … he flees! Just as Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness, so He sets an example of Word-based steadfastness — It is written … Confession of the promises of Scripture is a powerful and practical way to resist the devil. Speak these verses aloud, either from memory or with a Bible in front of you. You’ll be amazed at the results.
2. Draw nigh unto God (4:8): Humility and faith, working together, results in the submitted individual coming closer to God. What a wise thing to do! When one draws closer to God, they have the promise that God will draw closer to them. When God is with you, near you, and for you, nothing and no one can be against you.
3. Cleanse and purify(4:8) : The submitted person responding to God’s call has to do some ‘spring housecleaning.’ If their body has been used for sin, it need to be cleansed. If a person’s hands are outwardly clean, but they nurse a bad attitude, nagging personal issues, and sins in the heart, they need to purify themselves. How do we do it? Repentance (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5), the cross of Christ (Galatians 2:20; 6:14), God’s Word hidden in our heart (Psalm 119:11), the cleansing of Christ’s blood (Revelation 1:5), and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-14), are the means of purifying the heart.
Next time, we will learn a few more steps to honouring God by saying ‘Yes’ to His call.