James 4:5-8 -- On Submitting to God

"Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."
James 4:5-8


I like how these verses help us to know not only that we have to submit to God, but also why. The first verse mentions the spirits within us, reminding us of the idea of the "natural man" and that we have to overcome some aspect of our own natures before we can unite with God. I always thought of that part as the physical part, and that the struggle was spirit vs body. These verses describe it in a different way, but it is the same idea of needing to overcome the natural man and to learn from God instead.

I like the ideas here that Satan will flee if we resist him, and also that God will draw close to us if we draw close to him.

Today, let's work on overcoming the resistant, rebellious, and lustful part of ourselves. Let's cleanse our hands and purify our hearts and do all we can to put God's will before our own and learn the kind of self-mastery we need to ensure that our souls are not smothered by our pride.