Pastor Ralph Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we “wash our hands and purify our hearts”? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewells Posted October 6 Report Share Posted October 6 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we "wash our hands and purify our hearts"? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? I think pride makes us God's opponent because we are exalting self and not exalting the Lord. Self is on the throne of our heart with the lusts or selfishness or reckless desires which will cause conflict with everything in our paths. When we come under the mighty hand of God we are in self control and right order with everything in our path and we glorify God. As we come and sit in God's presence and learn of God we are washed by the water of the word. We correct our ways and thoughts and desires and hopefully relationships and eventually God can exalt us or place us in service. He did say the greatest among us with be the servants of all. So to be exalted is not about pomp and circumstance but of service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Joy Posted October 9 Report Share Posted October 9 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we "wash our hands and purify our hearts"? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? I am so thankful for this study... As much as I don't see myself as God's opponent, my actions reflect it at times. The times I elevate myself over God, I have separated myself from Him. Submitting fully to God means I know I am nothing without Him, it is me recognizing my human-ness and knowing I need Him... Washing our hands and purifying our hearts is confessing, turning away from pride/sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape, correct and build me up. It is allowing the Word to wash my heart, and mind so that I am changed. Humbling precedes God because he is the only one worthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Clifford wilson Posted October 10 Report Share Posted October 10 Q17 Pride is the enemy of God. In my walk with Jesus, I've seen the prideful me cease to have its way into my heart. If I am busy doing what the holy spirit suggests to me, I seem to eliminate me and receive him. What a beautiful God that we serve. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I no longer need to address every detail in my walk. I have to leave open the door of my heart and talk to Jesus. He lives in me in my heart. He will never leave me or forsake me. From the time we are converted the old man lost his power over my life. I have a new conversation in the mind and heart. We are washed and purified by the blood of Christ. My spiritual DNA is a match with my Lord. When his blood was shed at calvary my DNA splattered on the earth also. It's a good blessing to love Jesus, to be one in Christ. Submission, what a sweet savior. Submission is the answer and the question only to the unsaved. Once we submit to Christ, everything we were, gets left at the cross. We die to self-daily that he will show us his way. As for humility, we are going to be humble either by the hand of God or by our submission to Jesus. It's beautiful to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. One must choose wisely everlasting life with Christ is just the start of our reward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clelie Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 Pride is considering ourselves better than others or know better than God . God resists the proud and He became our enemy . submission to God is to consider Him above all else and humbly bow before Him and subject to His will.We wash our hands and purify our hearts when we stop doing wrong and confess our sins. we need to repent in accepting our wrong doings before God can lift us up. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanele Tlhakanelo Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 Pride makes God my opponent when I think that whatever I do and achieve is all because of my making. I need to know that it is God who gives us the ability to acquire all that we have. When I think high of myself and do not acknowledge God as the Giver of Life and everything that I am, then I do not give God the honor and praise that are due to Him. When I do my will and not God's Will, then pride takes over and I do not consider God in everything that I do especially when I become successful in the things that I want to achieve. Submission to God says I humble myself before Him and be obedient to doing His Will. I shun the wrong and do the right whether people are watching me or not because I know that God is Omnipresent and He watches over me. It also says that I listen to the directions of the Holy Spirit and though living in flesh, but I am directed, guided, led, advised and helped by the Holy Spirit and in that way, I subject myself under God's Authority. We wash our hands and purify our hearts by repenting. We know that we were born in sin but Christ paid the ransom for us. We must stop crucifying Christ over and over again but stop sinning and acknowledging the Lord as our Only God and no-one else. When we purify our hearts, we do not do our will but the Will of God and we become obedient to the directions that He leads us to. It requires us not to be double-minded but be focused on God. Our decision should be serving the One True God and our will integrated withour faith and love for God. Humbling helps us not to be selfish, proud, arrogant, double-minded and not to sin because these things make us to be far from God. We must have a contrite heart in order for God to lift us up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Eve Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 Q.17 James 4:6-10 In what way does pride make God your opponent? Pride is one of the seven things the Lord detest. He opposes the proud and will send judgment to those who are proud because they choose to act as God's enemies. What does submission to God have to do with humility? Humility is the opposite of pride. Submission is the moral opposite of self-ambition. When we submit to God we listen to Him, obey Him, and follow Him we do this with a humble heart. How do we wash our hands and purify our hearts? Washing our hands is another way of saying we are repenting. Purifying our hearts is turning away from our will to do the will of God. Also, to wash our hands and to purify our hearts means to cleanse ourselves of sin and wrong doing, by repenting, seeking, forgiveness from God, and committing to live a righteous life. What does that require us to do? To Repent! we can do this symbolically by cleansing out hearts through spiritual practice like confession and aligning ourselves with God's will and reading His Word. Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Wolf Posted October 11 Report Share Posted October 11 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we “wash our hands and purify our hearts”? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? The highlighted passage in James 4:6-10 says, "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 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. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." In order to answer the questions posed here, I think we have to look at verses 4 and 5 in this same passage because they give insight into humility, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?" If we adopt worldly culture and attitudes, we want more, we want exalting, we want to be in charge and in this way we become a prideful opponent of God. Knowing that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, He tells us to resist the devil who wants us proud and in-charge and the devil will flee from us. Turning from worldly pride and worldly choices, we 'wash our hands' and 'purify our hearts' when we let the Holy Spirit work in us to know our God as He truly is. Isaiah 66:2 reminds us that, "Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted October 12 Report Share Posted October 12 Q17. (JAMES 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we "wash our hands and purify our hearts"? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? God hates sin, but even more so pride, the sin that sets itself against Him. Other sins are against God’s laws, but pride is against His sovereignty – the sin that turned angels into devils. We humble ourselves before God by submitting to His authority and will, committing our lives to Him and His control. We live a life in obedience to His commands – we put His Word to work in our lives, making it a vital guide for everything we do. Psalms 119:11: “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” We stop sinning and repent when we “wash our hands and purify our hearts.” We need to give Him our all, and come to Him with singleness of heart in true humility. He wants us to love Him first and foremost and not the material things of this world. Worldliness is enmity with the world (James 4:4). He opposes the world which is hellbent on satisfying the **** of the eyes, the **** of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Having humbled ourselves He will exalt, honour us. No need to worry about our position, status, and recognition here on earth. In His good and perfect time – in this life or the next – He will exalt us (1 Pet 5:6). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolaas A.P. Mostert Posted October 12 Report Share Posted October 12 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? GOD opposes the proud. What does submission to God have to do with humility? You acknowledge GODs supremacy. How do we "wash our hands and purify our hearts"? (vs. 8b) Washing one's hands is another way of saying, "repent," stop doing wrong and GOD is the only one who can cleanse us, but we must do our part. What does that require us to do? Continuously focus on GOD. Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? That is a promise, to humble yourselves, so that GOD's mighty hand, may lift you up in due time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George L Posted October 12 Report Share Posted October 12 Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? Any time we chose our thoughts not His we are failing to recognize His perfection and plan. We are therefore in rebellion. What does submission to God have to do with humility? Jesus said lest we come as little children. Children are glad to learn from father, and have no “Self Centered” thoughts of knowing better. They are humble by nature, hungry to learn. How do we "wash our hands and purify our hearts"? We must return to Lord and become washed by the word we are rejecting. (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? The Holy Spirit showed me that I could come back to the cross on Calvary any time I needed to. That the blood to day was still as viable as on the day of the lords crucifiction. Repent is always a trip to the rain locker for washing. Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? Like training for a team sport. We must have more than book learning but have practice and game experience to move from milk to meat to strong meat. We need the Masters teaching and guidance always not once in a while. Game time with its mistakes are an essential pattern for mutual trust and growth. Mistakes recognized are humbling for knowing you did not get ‘it right’ does it’s job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janzie Posted October 19 Report Share Posted October 19 On 8/12/2024 at 8:48 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q17. (James 4:6-10) In what way does pride make God your opponent? (vs. 6)? What does submission to God have to do with humility? How do we “wash our hands and purify our hearts”? (vs. 8b) What does that require us to do? Why does humbling have to precede God lifting us up? Pride makes us God's opponent, because we are choosing our way instead of God's way. When we are submitted to God we call upon Him and humble ourselves and do it His way. We wash our hands by repenting and stop sinning. We purify our hearts by asking God and submitting to His will, not ours. It requires us to repent. Because God cannot lift us up with a hard heart, we need to humble ourselves and then God will lift us up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted November 5 Report Share Posted November 5 1. Pride doesn't make God oppose me, but it does make me oppose the sort of humbling that God requires. In this sense, He's my opponent. My will grates against His. 2. Humility is a frame of mind, an attitude and foundational character trait. Submission is the behavior that emerges or is consequent to having a humble mindset. 3. Washing my hands is a metaphor for repenting ... getting rid of the dirt that adheres to me. Purifying my heart is a similar metaphor ... getting rid of the impurities, the dreadful thoughts, that are in my heart. 4. Washing my hands or repenting means digging into my mind with the help of the Spirit to uncover attitudes and sinful behaviors that have to be eradicated. It's a process. Lifelong process. The idea of humbling myself includes the task of digging into my self, my self-image and sense of who I am and what I should be doing in life. 5. Humbling precedes behavioral changes. The behavioral changes precede God's elevation or lifting me up IN DUE TIME. When we talk about "preceding" we are putting something before something else IN TIME. But God's timing, to my frustration, is not the same as mine. I want instant elevation. He wants me to suffer a bit more, to be humbled ... made desperate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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