At War with God (James 4:4-10)-Part 2 of 2

Submit to God (v. 7). This word is used in the military to tell someone to "get into your proper rank." If a private acts like a general, it will lead to trouble. The only way to win completely is to give up without conditions. Any part of life that does not belong to God will inevitably lead to battles. This is why Christians who aren't committed can't stand to be around themselves or other people.

Paul warned in Ephesians 4:27, "Don't give the devil a place." Satan needs a way into our lives to fight against God, and we provide him that access. To fight the devil, you must give in to God.

King David had an affair with Bathsheba and killed her husband. He kept his sins a secret for almost a year. David had started a war between himself and God. To find out how much David had to pay to be at war with God, read Psalms 32 and 51. When David finally gave in to God, he felt peace and joy. He also wrote his feelings down in Psalms 32 and 51. Submission is a choice; it means saying, "Not my will but yours."

Draw close to God (v. 8). How do we go about this? We begin by confessing our transgressions to Him and pleading with Him to purify us. "Wash your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts clean, you double-minded." The Greek word that is translated as "purify" means "make chaste." This verse is similar to the idea of "spiritual adultery" in James 4:4.

In one of his books, Dr. A. W. Tozer wrote a deep essay called "Nearness Is Likeness." In his writing, he noted that the closer we are to God, the more like him we are. I could be in my living room with my Siamese cat on my lap, and my wife could be in the kitchen. But I'm closer to my wife than to the cat because the cat is not like me. We don't have much in common.

When we deal with the sin in our lives that keeps God away, He graciously comes closer to us. He won't let anyone else have us; He has to be in charge of everything. A Christian who is double-minded can never be close to God. Once more, I think of Abraham and Lot. Abraham "drew near" and spoke with God regarding Sodom (Gen. 18:23ff.), whereas Lot relocated to Sodom and forfeited God's blessing.

Be humble in front of God (vv. 9–10). You can act like you're submitting, but that doesn't mean you're humbled on the inside. God hates pride (Prov. 6:16–17), and He will punish the proud believer until they are humbled. We often don't take sin seriously enough, and we even laugh about it. Sin is serious, and true humility is being honest about how we disobey God. Thou wilt not despise a broken and contrite heart, O God (Ps. 51:17).

When a believer prays, "O Lord, humble me!" it can be dangerous. It is much better to humble ourselves before God, admit our wrongdoings, cry over them, and stop doing them. "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word" (Isa. 66:2). “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves those who have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

If we follow these three steps, God will come closer, clean us up, and forgive us. The wars will stop! We won't fight God, so we won't fight ourselves. This means we won't fight with other people. Isaiah 32:17 says, "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."
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Let Him take care of your life and make Him the Prince of Peace in your life (Isa. 9:6).