16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
20 ....remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
I think it is extremely important to develop a friendship within your Christian circles that will help you grow in your faith. This friendship should be one where the 2 people involved truly share what is going on in their lives: struggles, joys, triumphs, trials, etc. If you continue to hide your sins from others obviously God knows these sins and these sins break the fellowship that God desires from us. I do feel you can only turn someone from their errors if you have developed a trusting relationship with that person. You would be less likely to get any retaliation or fault pointing if you've built up that relationship. This friendship is what I would consider as an "accountability partner." You've got to make sure this relationship doesn't enable both people to continue sinning or it brings both persons away from God.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
James 4
I think the 2 verses that stand out the most to me are verses 7 and 8 respectively.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
First verse 7. I think it is comforting to know that if you resist the devil it says he will flee from you. I had in mind that when you turn away the devil and avoid temptation that his effort to sway you would become stronger. It may, but we are told here that Satan will FLEE! I love that idea.
Verse 8. I taught a lesson on Sunday about "Walking With God." I looked in Genesis at how Noah was the first one in the bible to be called righteous and in Genesis 6 it says Noah walked with God. Noah lived over 600 years so he did a lot of walking. To be close to God it must involve a move on our part first. God is always there so if you feel distant from God, it's YOU and not God hiding from you. God ALWAYS wants our time, attention, talents, tithes, etc. So if you feel that God is distant, find a way to get your self "nearer" to God.
Verse 17 is simply said as well, "17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
First verse 7. I think it is comforting to know that if you resist the devil it says he will flee from you. I had in mind that when you turn away the devil and avoid temptation that his effort to sway you would become stronger. It may, but we are told here that Satan will FLEE! I love that idea.
Verse 8. I taught a lesson on Sunday about "Walking With God." I looked in Genesis at how Noah was the first one in the bible to be called righteous and in Genesis 6 it says Noah walked with God. Noah lived over 600 years so he did a lot of walking. To be close to God it must involve a move on our part first. God is always there so if you feel distant from God, it's YOU and not God hiding from you. God ALWAYS wants our time, attention, talents, tithes, etc. So if you feel that God is distant, find a way to get your self "nearer" to God.
Verse 17 is simply said as well, "17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
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