Friendship with the world, enmity with God.

1 There are fights and quarrels between you. Do you know where these things come from? It comes from the selfish desires that fight inside you.
James 4: 1

2 You desire things, but you do not receive them. That is why you kill and are jealous of other people. But you still don’t get what you want. That is why you fight and quarrel. You don’t get what you want because you don’t ask God.
James 4: 2

3 But when you ask, you do not receive. Because what you are asking for is wrong. You ask for these things so that you can use them only for your own pleasure.
James 4: 3

4 So you people are not faithful to God. You must know that to love the world is to hate God. So anyone who wants to be a friend of this world makes himself an enemy of God.
James 4: 4

5 Do you think that the Scriptures are meaningless? The Scriptures say, “The Spirit that God made to dwell in us wants us only for himself.”
James 4: 5

6 But grace is greater than all grace. As the Scriptures say, “God is against the haughty, but he is gracious to the humble.”
James 4: 6

7 So dedicate yourself to God. Resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you.
James 4: 7

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. You are guilty So cleanse your hearts from your evil deeds. You are trying to walk in the way of the world and of God at the same time. Purify your thoughts.
James 4: 8

9 Be sad, be sorry, and cry. Turn your laughter into tears, turn your happiness into sadness.
James 4: 9

10 Humble yourselves before God, and he will make you great.
James 4:10

Paul’s vision and thorn

1 I am proud, though not good for me, but now I have come to discuss the Lord’s visions and the words of revelation.

2 I know a man in Christ who was suddenly taken up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I do not know if he was taken away, but God knows.

3 And I know a man, whether he be with the body, or separate from the flesh: for God knoweth;

4 And suddenly he was taken up into heaven, and heard a word which was not spoken, and which is not good for a man.

5 I will be proud of him, but I will not be proud of my weaknesses.

6 For if I should boast, I will not be a fool, for I will speak the truth. But I restrain myself so that no one understands me better than the one who sees me or hears me.

7 And because I am not exceedingly exceeded by the abundance of the words of light, a thorn in my flesh, the devil’s messenger, hath struck me so that I may not be exceedingly exceeded.

8 For this cause I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is great unto thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. So I will be very proud of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will remain with me.

10 For this cause I rejoice in Christ in weaknesses, and in months, and in tribulations, and in distresses: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Die and live with Christ

1 Do you think that we should continue to sin so that God may show us more and more grace? Certainly not.
Romans 6: 1

2 We have died for our old sinful life. How, then, can we continue to live in sin?
Romans 6: 2

3 Have you forgotten that we have all become partakers of him who was baptized into Christ Jesus? We have shared his death through his baptism which we received.
Romans 6: 3

4 Wherefore when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ, and shared in his death. We are buried with Christ so that we can be raised and live a new life. All this happened just as Christ was raised from the dead by the great power of the Father.
Romans 6: 4

5 Christ died, and because we have shared with him in death, we will rejoice with him in his resurrection.
Romans 6: 5

6 We know that our former sinful nature was crucified with Jesus. This happened so that our sinful nature would not have any control over us. Let us no longer be slaves to sin.
Romans 6: 6

7 Anyone who has died is free from the power of sin.
Romans 6: 7

8 If we die with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Romans 6: 8

9 For we know that Christ, being raised from the dead, cannot die again. Now death has no power over him.
Romans 6: 9

10 For Christ died for our sins once and for all. And the life he is living now is for God.
Romans 6:10

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. But live for God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11

12 But do not let sin control your life here on earth. You must not succumb to the evil desires of your sinful mind.
Romans 6:12

13 Do not offer your body parts as instruments of sin, but offer yourselves to God, knowing that you were dead and now you are alive. Offer your body parts to God as tools for healing.
Romans 6:13

14 Sin will not be your master. For ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14