James 4:8 - Prayer Tents

James 4

Drawing Close to God

4What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you?G4159G4171G2532G3163G1722G5213G3756G1782G1537G5216G2237G4754G1722G5216G31962You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.G1937G2532G2192G3756G5407G2532G2206G2532G3756G1410G2013G3164G2532G4170G1161G2192G3756G1223G5209G154G33613And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.G154G2532G2983G3756G1360G154G2560G2443G1159G1722G5216G22374You adulterers!

Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.G3432G2532G3428G1492G3756G3754G5373G2889G2076G2189G2316G3739G302G3767G1511G1014G5384G2889G2525G2190G23165What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?

G2228G1380G3754G1124G3004G2761G4151G3739G2730G1722G2254G1971G4314G53556But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble."

G1161G1325G3187G5485G1352G3004G2316G498G5244G1161G1325G5485G50117So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.G5293G3767G2316G436G1228G2532G5343G575G52168Come 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.G1448G2316G2532G1448G5213G2511G5495G268G2532G48G2588G13749Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.G5003G2532G3996G2532G2799G5216G1071G3344G1519G3997G2532G5479G1519G272610Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.G5013G1799G2962G2532G5312G5209G5312

Warning against Judging Others

11Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters

. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.G2635G3361G2635G240G80G2635G80G2532G2919G846G80G2635G3551G2532G2919G3551G1161G1487G2919G3551G1488G3756G4163G3551G235G292312God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?G2076G1520G3550G3588G1410G4982G2532G622G5101G1488G4771G3739G2919G2087

Warning about Self-Confidence

13Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit."G33G3568G3004G4594G2532G839G4198G1519G3592G4172G2532G4160G4160G1563G1520G1763G2532G1710G1710G2532G2770G277014How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone.G3748G1987G3756G3588G839G1063G4169G5216G2222G2076G1063G822G4314G5316G3641G1161G1899G85315What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."G473G5209G3004G1437G2962G2309G2532G2198G2198G2532G4160G4160G5124G2228G156516Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.G1161G3568G2744G1722G5216G212G3956G5108G2746G2076G419017Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.G3767G1492G4160G2570G2532G4160G3361G846G2076G266