Get your running shoes on!

James 4:5-10

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

The girls’ retreat was this past weekend and it was a lot of fun! The main focus was on how tricky satan can be... how he can fill our lives with lies that we believe, that are totally opposite of the truths God clearly says in scripture.

Some examples of the lies we can get trapped in are:

-I’m not good enough

-People don’t like me

-I can handle everything on my own

-I don’t have to change to be a Christian

-My past determines my worth

-The things I do now are not important

There are literally SO many lies we can believe. The longer we believe them, the more they start showing in our lives.

These verses tell us to...RESIST the devil. This means we need to FLEE and GET THE HECK AWAY FROM HIM! Read verse 7-8 again:

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

It seems simple... humble yourself (realize you have a problem) then resist the devil and he will flee from you. God’s got your back... whenever you are ready to flee from the lies satan has instilled in you, God will help you. It won’t be easy – it will take daily effort, but the result will be liberating!

The closer we get to God, the closer He will feel to you. When the lies creep back: read your Bible, pray, memorize scripture, etc... Get away from satan and closer to God.

People typically don’t root for two sports teams simultaneously... they have a favorite. We need to be careful not to divide our loyalty between God and the things of this world (vs. 8). We need God because this world is a scary place without Him. When you feel like your life is out of control with lies, draw near to Him.

Psalm 56:3: When I am afraid, I put my trust in you

Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand..

Questions:

1. What are 3 things that you have believed about yourself that you know are lies?

2. What can you do to remind yourself that these things are not from God but actually from Satan and not true about you?

3. How can you encourage others that are believing lies about themselves?

4. Take a minute to journal about this topic.

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Written by Melissa

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Take 5 minutes to pray to God. Ask Him to open our minds and hearts to what He has to say through His Word.

James 4:5-10

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

In the world of sports, a huge event that just occurred was a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio. Even though the fight was disappointing (nothing really happened), Mayweather won the fight and remains undefeated. Not only did he won the fight, but he won $100 million to go with the championship belt. And he was already the highest paid athlete before this big payday. Like he really needed that money!

Let's get one thing straight... I don't like Floyd Mayweather. He is a criminal, he's violent, and he's proud. He has the mindset that he can do whatever he wants. But life seems to be going well for him right?

Here's a scary thought! "God opposes the proud." When we are proud we try to make ourselves feel like we're better than everyone else. We might think we can do anything we want, that no one can tell us what we can't do. Pride is a big deal, God opposes the proud. When we are proud we are forgetting that the most powerful being ever is bigger than is by a lot.

James then tells us how to not be opposed by God. How to not be prideful. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you." That's our answer to pride. To submit ourselves to the real heavyweight champion, God.

Keep in mind the song by Chris Tomlin, "Our God." In the bridge he sings "and if our God is for us then who could ever stop us." Do you really want that God that cannot be stopped opposing you? Think about what we're doing when we are proud..

Questions:

1. How are you proud?

2. What do you need to do to submit to God?

3. Put that into practice, strive to submit to God this week. 

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Written by Max Davis

get low, low, low, low

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

 I played a couple years of football in high school. I wasn't good at all but luckily enough for me the entire team was terrible so I was able to get into a few games and play JV. I got called up to dress for a Thanksgiving day Varsity game. There was pretty much no change I was getting into this game but it was nice that I got to dress for the game. However, the circumstances happened that I got the nod and I actually got into the game. Not only would I now have the chance to tackle someone and show the Varsity coach that I could play, but this was against H-a-d-d-o-n-f-i-e-l-d (I stretched it out so you would read the name with a voice of disdain…  remember how your mom taught you not to hate people and stuff like that…  well your mom didn’t grow up next to Haddonfield.

Perfect combination…  Thanksgiving day game…  one of the biggest rivalry games in the state, everyone is watching… the down and yardage makes us know that it’s be a run up the middle and its either gonna come to my side or the other guy next to me, but the chances are one of us will get to make this tackle.  Haddonfield was known for speedy little guards…  so this play would probably be a “counter”, which means the gap I was supposed to fill would seem empty so I’d step in just in time to get killed by a “pulling” guard from the other side… then the full back would come through that gap. If by chance I got past the guard then this fullback was tough and mean, and he could get really low…  all I had to do was get lower then him and get my shoulderpad down below his shoulderpads…  then even if I couldn't bring him down by myself the linebackers were gonna be there in a second to help me out… I could do this, I got this… 

HIKE!!! (actually it was Haddonfield I think they snapped the ball by saying “We are better then you”) … the play starts… the tackle in front of me gets low and goes the other way… I know its a run and I know its coming my way and I know there is a guard about to kill me..  I see him coming, I did a “swim technique" to get past him, I am face to face with this full back…  he is dipping down and I am standing up… standing up - whyyyyyyyyy????   yeah, he hit me so hard, the impact lifted me a little and knocked me right on my back… the full back stepped forward right onto my chest, planted his stupid Haddonfield foot and made a cut past the guy trying to tackle him (from my chest!) and he got the first down.  I didn’t play another play.

Coach knew that would happen… that’s why he told us about getting low.. I heard him too, I knew all about the right thing to do… but I was a “hearer of his words” and not “a doer of his words”. I heard him, but I didn’t do what he said.

So many people will hear about Jesus but not do what he said… and it will work out for them about as well as my football career worked out for me.

 Answer This:

1. When have you been a hearer and not a doer of something that someone said?

2. When have you been a hearer and not a does of something God said?  How did that work out for you?

3. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”

Take a minute and journal about this.

this is not a drill

James 1:9-15

9-11: Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

Depending on how God blesses us, we need to remember how to react. If we are from humble backgrounds (vs. 9) and trials/troubles come our way, we can take pride in our position through Christ. I grew up with a single mom in an apartment. Of course I wished we had more money and a bigger house. But looking back on it, those things wouldn’t have changed anything. I became a Christian in high school after attending church programs and youth group for a couple years. Perhaps if I did live in a bigger house or had more money, I wouldn’t have had the same mindset to want to become a Christian.

Those that are blessed with more money and bigger houses, etc need to take vs. 10 into consideration. Their material things really don’t matter to Christ. Those that are rich need to practice humility. Synonyms of humility are modesty and meekness. Humble yourselves before Christ and others. We do these things so that our focus is on the everlasting not the present. There are many Bible verses that focus on this...

1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

12-15: Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

You might read that and think... wait a minute... God tempted me to ______________. God doesn’t tempt. He tests.

Here is something I found googling the differences that is helpful in remembering:

Trials are difficult events that inevitably come to every life. Trials are unpleasant circumstances that occur as a result of living in a fallen world. There are viruses in the air, disappointments in friends, and accidents on the road.  Peter wrote, Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Pet 4:12-13)

A test is a difficulty sent deliberately by God to reveal the depth of our character and ultimately bring out the best in us. Gen 22:1 reads, “God tested Abraham” when He commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar.  A school principal may order a fire drill as a test. The purpose of the fire drill is not to burn the school down but to test the students’ ability to vacate the building in an emergency and to prepare them for potential disaster. The principal knows it’s a test but the students do not. God sometimes sends tests to mature us and enhance our witness. God’s purpose is that we pass the test and thereby gain confidence and provide a positive testimony of faithfulness to others.

A temptation is sent by Satan to bring out our worst. The word tempt means “to entice to do wrong by a promise of pleasure or gain” and is a deliberate enticement to sin. The devil’s goal is that you disobey God and are spiritually weakened. His desire is to eventually entrap you in sin so that you will suffer defeat and ultimately death.

While God temporarily permits Satan to tempt us, God is never the author of temptation and he always provides the means for us to be victorious over Satan’s crafty seductions. God permitted Jesus to be tempted so that He would identify with our experience and demonstrate victory. The Bible assures us, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

(http://www.bobrussell.org/2011/11/14/trial-test-temptation/)

So remember, we all may go through trials, tests and temptations. One thing remains the same in all of those situations... God’s love and plan for our life. 

Answer This:

1. Name a time that God was testing you. How did you do on that test? 

2. What does Melissa say here is the difference between a test and a trial? Do you agree?

3. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under _______ because, having stood the _______, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him”

Take a moment and journal about this. 

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Written by Melissa McKechnie