James 4:7-11a Laying Yourself Bare Before The Lord (11.15.12)

So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure.  Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close o you.  Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God is on one side and selfish pursuits on the other.

Now is the time to lament, to grieve, and cry. Dissolve your laughter into sobbing and exchange your joy for depression.  Lay yourself bare, facedown to the ground, in humility before the Lord; and He will lift your head so that you can stand tall. My brothers and sisters, do not assault each other with criticism.

Observation

We can suppress our emotions and put off struggles that need to be dealt with today.  Paul is saying "Stop!, Do it NOW!". It is arrogance to think we have tomorrow to confess, to lay ourselves bare before God, when the sickness inside us is growing and festering. The truth is we don't want to lay ourselves bare before God, because we don't want Him to take away the sin just yet, we want to keep it and enjoy it a little longer. Moreover, when we are sick and we are not laying ourselves bare before the Lord, we tend to criticize and stand in judgement of others; this behavior spreads sin.

But if we lay ourselves bare before God, willingly submitting ourselves to heart surgery, God is good to pour out His immeasurable grace upon our lives, and replace what was once lost.

Application

I am dealing with this example in my own life right now.  People I love have hidden sin.  These people are accountable to me.  Because of all the work that needs to be done along with my flesh (anger & hurt), I want to respond to this sin by sinning. My hands are deep into the infection of others and I can easily get sick myself.  So I need to lay myself bare before God, lament and grieve, submitting to Him and drawing deep into His word so that I can resist the devil and his schemes.

Prayer

Lord I need You.  I humble myself before You.  I ask that You cleanse me of this anger and hurt, please forgive me for my desire to be critical of those who have hurt me.  Remind me of the grace you have shown me, so that I can show others.  I ask that You make me a conduit of Your love, mercy, and grace for others.