Prayer of Faith
James 5
Building a Community centered on Love
This blog is where I do a Bible Reading. I read a passage from the Bible and then I write down my own thoughts on what I read. I would love to know your thoughts as well!
Showing posts with label James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 June 2016
Bible Reading #185 - Prayer of Faith
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #147
Temptation
James 1
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 13-15) "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted why, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
My Thoughts
When you are tempted, have you ever said that God is tempting you? Have you ever said that God is testing you? I do believe that God does test us, but I do not believe that God puts us into those situations. The situations, whatever they may be, do come and God allows them to happen, but He does not cause them to happen.
As James says here, temptation is caused by desire. The desire to have or to do something that you know shouldn't arises, and out of that we are tempted. When we desire strongly for something that we shouldn't have or are denied having, that is when temptation arises If we can't let go of that desire, we give in to temptation, which then leads to sin.
Temptation itself is not a sin. The kind of temptation that James is talking about indeed leads to sin, but we use the word for other things that do not necessarily lead to sin. For example, when you are craving chips or chocolate or you are really wanting to do something specifically special again. You have a strong desire for whatever it is, to which we can be tempted as well. Giving in to the 'temptation' of chocolate is not a sin, but it can become so if you let it.
With that chocolate, if you are craving it or are 'tempted' by it, then just have it. Just don't go nuts with it and eat three or four bars. With chips, just don't eat the whole bag. You can cause yourself harm if you give in to that kind of thing. Now when it comes to being tempted by alcohol or sex or some kind of addiction, do not give yourself a taste because pretty well every single time, it ends up being 'one thing led to another...' kind of story. Just don't do it.
If you do end up giving in to the temptation, and you have that drink or take that pill or look at that picture/video, don't condemn yourself. Especially for an addiction. If you feel guilty, then that's yourpunishment discipline. Don't think of it as a failure, but rather a fall. This is the reason why:
Failure- The opposite of success. To fail means you cannot succeed. It takes the possibility of success away.
Fall- A temporary setback. To fall means only that your progress is slowed. You can still get back up and keep going.
If you think of these temporary setbacks as failures, then you will never succeed because you are not allowing yourself to succeed. on the other hand, if you'd only fallen down, then get back up and keep moving on. It may take you longer because you fell, but you are not out yet.
As James says here, temptation is caused by desire. The desire to have or to do something that you know shouldn't arises, and out of that we are tempted. When we desire strongly for something that we shouldn't have or are denied having, that is when temptation arises If we can't let go of that desire, we give in to temptation, which then leads to sin.
Temptation itself is not a sin. The kind of temptation that James is talking about indeed leads to sin, but we use the word for other things that do not necessarily lead to sin. For example, when you are craving chips or chocolate or you are really wanting to do something specifically special again. You have a strong desire for whatever it is, to which we can be tempted as well. Giving in to the 'temptation' of chocolate is not a sin, but it can become so if you let it.
With that chocolate, if you are craving it or are 'tempted' by it, then just have it. Just don't go nuts with it and eat three or four bars. With chips, just don't eat the whole bag. You can cause yourself harm if you give in to that kind of thing. Now when it comes to being tempted by alcohol or sex or some kind of addiction, do not give yourself a taste because pretty well every single time, it ends up being 'one thing led to another...' kind of story. Just don't do it.
If you do end up giving in to the temptation, and you have that drink or take that pill or look at that picture/video, don't condemn yourself. Especially for an addiction. If you feel guilty, then that's your
Failure- The opposite of success. To fail means you cannot succeed. It takes the possibility of success away.
Fall- A temporary setback. To fall means only that your progress is slowed. You can still get back up and keep going.
If you think of these temporary setbacks as failures, then you will never succeed because you are not allowing yourself to succeed. on the other hand, if you'd only fallen down, then get back up and keep moving on. It may take you longer because you fell, but you are not out yet.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Friday, 30 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #40
Prayer and Perseverance
James 5
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 8) "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (v. 11-12) "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned." (v. 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."
My Thoughts
James reminds us to be patient in the face of suffering. Take Job's example: Job literally lost everything. His children, his possessions, everything. God did not leave Job alone, He was with him the whole time and God restored Job in the end. Job's possessions were restored and he was blessed with even more children. Job very well could have cursed God, as his wife had suggested, but he did not. He persevered and stayed faithful to God and God stayed faithful to Job.
We should follow Job's example, as well as the other prophets of God who persevered in the face of their suffering for God. Do not let your circumstances overpower you. God is bigger than anything, and that includes bad situation you may be facing. Stay faithful to God and He will be faithful to you. He will restore you in the end and all will be well. Staying faithful to God means to trust in Him and not become angry with Him.
Speaking of not cursing God, that points me to something else that James says here: to not swear by anything. James says to let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. That means you don't say "I swear on my ______." Just be honest and say either "Yes," or "No." If you are honest and trustworthy, that is all you need, you don't need to swear on anything; you don't need to 'sweeten the deal.' You shouldn't anyway because that can be as binding as an oath. If you fail to keep it, you are not only jeopardizing whatever you swear on, but you are opening yourself up for a lot of spiritual and mental, and even physical stress.
We are also told to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. I believe that James wants us to be willing to forgive each other and willing to accept forgiveness. As long as you have confessed your sins to God and you have forgiven yourself, I believe that God is happy with that. Also to pray for each other so that we may be healed. We should always be praying for each other, not just when bad things are happening, but even in joyful times and happiness. Prayer is such an amazing thing because it allows us to communicate with God and opens a way for Him to act.
So, remember to pray for each other always, not to swear on anything and to persevere through everything, staying faithful to God. Any time you are felling down or going through any kind of a hard time, persevere through it, trust and know that God will restore you in the end.
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We should follow Job's example, as well as the other prophets of God who persevered in the face of their suffering for God. Do not let your circumstances overpower you. God is bigger than anything, and that includes bad situation you may be facing. Stay faithful to God and He will be faithful to you. He will restore you in the end and all will be well. Staying faithful to God means to trust in Him and not become angry with Him.
Speaking of not cursing God, that points me to something else that James says here: to not swear by anything. James says to let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no. That means you don't say "I swear on my ______." Just be honest and say either "Yes," or "No." If you are honest and trustworthy, that is all you need, you don't need to swear on anything; you don't need to 'sweeten the deal.' You shouldn't anyway because that can be as binding as an oath. If you fail to keep it, you are not only jeopardizing whatever you swear on, but you are opening yourself up for a lot of spiritual and mental, and even physical stress.
We are also told to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other so that we can be healed. I believe that James wants us to be willing to forgive each other and willing to accept forgiveness. As long as you have confessed your sins to God and you have forgiven yourself, I believe that God is happy with that. Also to pray for each other so that we may be healed. We should always be praying for each other, not just when bad things are happening, but even in joyful times and happiness. Prayer is such an amazing thing because it allows us to communicate with God and opens a way for Him to act.
So, remember to pray for each other always, not to swear on anything and to persevere through everything, staying faithful to God. Any time you are felling down or going through any kind of a hard time, persevere through it, trust and know that God will restore you in the end.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
