A little exposition on James 4: 15

James 4: 1-5

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come

?they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
.and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
.your lusts
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
.God
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us
?lusteth to envy

These scripture verses explain and point out clearly the nature and character
of the human being as well as the scriptural proof on the causes of many carnal
believers' reactions and attitude and the root cause of many disagreements and
strivings. Though many believers may understand and comprehend these scripture
verses yet their lifestyle and their manner of speech and conduct shows very clearly
that they have not entered into an understanding of this scripture for if they had
understood then they will take heed of the dangers pointed out herein and be aware
of the consequences of being in disobedience to the Word of God.1
The author have heard from other Christians that these scripture verses do not
apply generally to the Body of Christ but they were meant for unbelievers or
Christians who are unequally yoked with unbelievers. These assumptions are false
and totally misunderstood. Though the Christian reader may not understand or
comprehend the fullness of the Word of God, the interpretation of the scriptures
should be and must be under the direct Revelation of Christ in the believer's life and
in accordance to the context of the scriptures, at least with the verses before and/or
after. Therefore, according to the context of the scriptures, the word 'adulterers and
adulteresses' should be read and placed together in the same context with the
previous verses.
This paragraph is meant for those who think to themselves that they are in a 1
position to be a leader in the church and yet ignore the contents of this amazing
scripture. But there are many who do strive to follow the Word of God but may not
know or fully understand the seriousness of these verses thereby they are not to be
.condemned or blamed nor do the previous statements apply to them

The context of the scriptures quoted above should not just be limited to these
five verses but the whole chapter 4 and chapter 3 are in co-relation with one
another. James 3 speaks directly concerning the tongue and as Christ has spoken in
the Four Gospel books, whatsoever things that comes out of the man defiles the
man; not the outward things that enter into the man. For out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks (see Matthew 15: 10 11, 15 20; Mark 7: 14 23;
Matthew 12: 34 37; Luke 6: 44 46) The scriptures declare that 'the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity' (James 3: 6). In order for the believers to understand and
comprehend the truth of the scriptures, it is needful and necessary for the believers
in Christ to understand the chapters or the verses before and after. This is to aid the
believers to understand the meaning of the scripture in its context.
Therefore, before we delve into the subject matter, we will first take a look at
the previous chapter to understand the context of the scripture of which James was
divinely guided to write on. I will choose a verse from the third chapter to expound
and elaborate upon.

JAMES 3: 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in
word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body
Perhaps Tyndale version of the Bible speaks clearer: 'for we all make many
stumbles; if any man in word doth not stumble, this one is a perfect man, able also
to bridle the whole body'.
This is a profound and direct Word of the Lord to those who have ears to hear
and eyes to see. It says 'FOR IN MANY THINGS WE OFFEND ALL'. The Lord is very
bold and clear through the vessel He uses to express and declare the nature of the
human being. Every man and woman in their nature and personalities are very
prone to take offence. Taking offence means to take into heart the things, words and
actions said or done as something offensive. The human heart gets hurt and
wounded very easily. The human nature is thus that it seeks to be praised, loved,
adored and accepted but when something take place which are not in accordance to
the believer's liking or desires or plans, the believer naturally reacts in the flesh, in
the reasoning of their minds and hearts. There are many who gets easily upset or
tense while there are many carnal believers who react in a carnal gentleness.
Though there be a seemingly gentle reaction, if the origin of the actions do not
come from the Spirit of Christ within the believer, then it is in vain, for carnality
cannot please God. Matthew 16: 23 speaks very clearly that whatsoever Satan has
devised and execute, it is displeasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. With this in mind, the
believer ought to understand and learn to discern the origins of their actions and
the thoughts that run in their mind. Satan is able to disguise himself into the angel
of light. He was given the position of the prince of the power of the air therefore he
has a certain power or ability to deceive the inhabitants of the earth. Everyday his
minions are sent and given tasks to trip the believers and thereby to make them to
stumble and fall into carnality. This plan is especially executed to the believers who
seek to enter into the normality of the spirit and the walking in the Spirit in their
everyday life. They that are carnal and fleshly all the time will not be as much a

threat to their power and dominion as those that are seeking continuously for the
Will of God and His Life.
The Lord is saying here that we are very prone to fall and stumble. It is not
difficult for the Christians to fall into the traps of the enemy. This is a FACT and a
TRUTH! The Lord gave the very reason why we so easily fall. The next sentence is
this 'If any man offends not in word'. Words spoken have such an effect upon
people. It moves and sways the hearers according to its directions. A good example
would be the politicians of the world. They are eager to rise higher in their career
and seek for the top spot and make history for themselves. In order to get there,
they have to persuade the people to vote and support them. So, they gave
promises, they gave them mottos or visions of life, encouragements, defend the
people and so on and so forth. All these words are spoken because the politicians
are taught that if they are good orators and speak well in public, they will be able to
persuade and influence the people's mind to stand for them and thereby gaining
their votes, their money to help raise funds for the politicians' campaign and their
labour volunteering to help in their campaigns. We know from the history of the
centuries, how influential people rose to higher heights by their words and
persuasion and for those that spoke the truth in their times were persecuted,
afflicted, denied their rights, put into prisons etc.
The word 'word' in the scripture has a dual meaning according to the Greek.
The word can be meant for 1) the Word of God, Christ Himself who was the Word
(JOHN 1: 1) Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah that he will be the 'rock of offence unto
the house of Israel (Isaiah 8: 14). Christ said in the Gospel of Matthew in the Sermon
on the Mount 'Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me' (Matthew 11: 6;
Luke 7: 23). There are unbelievers who are offended with the Truth of the Gospel of
Christ. They cannot comprehend or understand the logic or the reasoning of the
scriptures that tells its adherents to forsake all that they have and follow an invisible
God and to deny oneself. Yet there are also believers who call themselves Christians
or also known as nominal Christians that do believe the gospel but only follow its
traditions and whatsoever thing that is pleasing to themselves rather than follow
the desires and Will of Christ. According to Matthew 13: 21 and Mark 4: 17, there
are Christians who received the Word of Life and rejoices over the Truth of their
Saviour, Christ Jesus, the Hope of Life but these believers thought that they want to
follow Christ no matter what happens but because they are unprepared for things
that are to come upon the earth that will shake the heavens and the earth (1
Thessalonians 5:13 and 2 Peter 3: 1012), they simply fall into indifference to the
Word for they cannot believe that the God of Love would bring destruction and
judgement upon the nations especially when they themselves or their family are hit
hard by the crisis instigated and divinely set in motion by the Lord. In these grave
matters just mentioned above, Christians are offended by the Truth of Christ, the
Truth of the Word, the Truth of the Gospel message that to deny oneself and to take
up the Cross, walking in holiness and righteousness. These are contrary to the
desires of the flesh and the world. Therefore they fall into the traps of the enemy,

into unbelief, into a state where they are easily pulled away from the bosom of
Christ.
Yet they are a group of believers who sincerely desire to follow Christ and
willingly submit to the Words of Truth but yet still get offended by the Word of God.
These Christians are truly sincere but because of the nature of the human being,
they get easily offended or upset when the Lord deals with them and chastises
them. They stumble and fall for a moment but with the Grace of the Lord, as they
are being dealt with; they rise up on resurrection ground and grow from grace to
grace. This is what James is speaking about that if the sincere searching believer is
not offended by the chastisement and the dealings of Christ but embraces them
with gladness and contentment knowing that the fruits of Christ will bear forth
immeasurable quantity and quality, then they will grow into a perfect man and
woman in Christ Jesus, in the righteousness of Christ not their own or anyone else.
In this context, the word 'offend' means not to 'kick against the pricks' (Acts 9: 5),
not to throw a tantrum like a little child when something is denied from him, not to
get upset and condemn oneself because of the unwillingness that arises within the
believer, not to get hostile against the Lord and His Wisdom, not to fall into unbelief
and the carnality of the flesh but embracing it with grace, gentleness, calmness,
quietness and peace in Christ.
The other meaning to the word 'word' also applies to 2) the words spoken or
the thoughts conceived or playing in the mind. There are many Christians who do
not know the origin of their thought patterns. At least half of the thoughts that enter
into the mind originate from the powers of darkness designed to agitate and irritate
the believers. When Christian believes such agitating and irritating thoughts they
immediately fall into the trap of the enemy because these thoughts will DEFINITELY
lead the believer into criticisms, backbiting, bitterness, hostility and taking offence.
Some of the thoughts are against a particular person or the actions taken by a
particular person that drives up his/her nose but there are also thoughts that are
intentionally place there to irritate the person herself/himself so as to bring in
condemnation and self pity, fear and insecurity. There are also in the experiences of
many believers where a person is out of order and speaks rough, harsh, sarcastic
and sharp words. The harsh words spoken can cause the hearers to be offended and
fall from the Grace of Christ into the carnality of the Spirit. Therefore, James is
warning and admonishing at the same time believers in Christ to learn not to get
easily offended.
With this in mind, we will return to James 4: 1 'From whence come wars and
fightings among you? come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your
members?
Scriptures are interpreted and expounded according to the context of the
Word. 'Wars and fightings' are not just literal words but figurative also. Is it not true
that in reality, when there are real battlefields and war among the nations, there
first must be a certain pressure of hostility and anger against one another? Is it not
true that there must first be a series of events that crosses the limits or the borders

set by the nations in land, in principals, in policies? Take Russia for example,
recently on the 18th of March 2014, Russia signed a treaty that claims Crimea as
part of Russia despite protests, sanctions, and hostilities from the nations and
especially Ukraine. It started with major protests within Ukraine concerning Crimea
which prompted Russia to take advantage of the situation by sending troops to aide
Crimea.
As it is in reality, so it is with the human being. The word 'wars and fightings'
came because of the hostility and taking offence with one another. This passage is
in reference to Christian believers and at the time of James, Jewish believers. There
exists a certain form of contention and disagreement that lead to squabbling and
strife among the parties involved. These are definite signs of discontentment with
one another, complaints or grievances, perhaps even criticisms against one another.
Why? The latter verse says clearly that these discontentments, complains,
dissatisfaction, ungratefulness comes from the lusts of the human being.
I remember watching a movie entitled 'Masada'. It is a depiction from a true
story that took place in AD 73 in Masada, Israel when the Roman Empire sent the
10th legion to quell and suppress the Jewish rebellion that begun in AD 66. The
leader of the Jewish rebellion at that time was Eliezer ben Yair and the Roman
General in command was Lucius Flavius Silva. In the movie 'Masada', both leaders
had a face to face encounter negotiating for peace. Eliezer said in the script 'Leave
the Jews alone and soon they will fight one another but if they have a common
enemy, they will fight together.' Thus it is true in the lives of believers and their
human nature. A true, sincere believer in Christ Jesus will face constant attack daily
from the enemy and from their own carnality. As long as there is an outward issue
that concerns a group of believers, they come together in humility and in
supplication seeking for the Lord's Face they dealt with the matter together but
when the concern is dealt with, quite quickly, the believer is disturbed with either
their own personal struggles or the faults in another believer in Christ, therefore
resuming the struggle or the 'war' (used in v.1) that exist within themselves. Take
for example, self-condemnation: - When all is quiet around the believer, the enemy
resumes his work to ruffle the believer into agitation and frustration. Thereby
causing the believer to stumble and fall into the carnal mind, warring against his
own self. But if the believer resisted the enemy's advances to war against his own
self, then the powers of darkness uses other believers' carnality to agitate him by
inserting certain fleshly thoughts into his mind. This tactic is used frequently to
bring the believers into a state of war against one another. This in turn will cause
the believer to have a certain mindset towards the individual and take offence with
what the individual is doing or saying and thereby bitterness, self-condemnation,
backbiting, jealousy, discontentment and holding a grudge etc. rises up. Therefore,
whatever the situation may be, the powers of darkness are intent upon causing the
believers to take offence and stumble in their way. But the powers of darkness can
do no great harm without the co-operation of the Old Man. Indeed, this is always the
reason why the believers stumble upon the ground because of their lusts: - the

desire to be in a position, to be loved, accepted, appreciated and respected. Here is

a clear statement from the Word.
1 Peter 2: 11 says 'Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul'
War is the word used by the Lord to describe the struggles that continually
besets a Christian. World War I and II, the biggest and profound war that was ever
waged upon the earth killing millions of lives were instigated by the ambitions and
the evil of mankind. Is this not another meaning to the lusting of the flesh? Were not
Hitler and the German Kaiser Men of lusts, lusting for power and for position? If this
be so in the lives of wicked men and women, is not the Old Man too of the same
nature and character as the unbelieving wicked men and women? Is not the Old
Nature in the lives of believing, sincere Christians corrupt and reprobate too? The
Old Man is part of the substance of the kingdom of Darkness for it cannot please
God. If it cannot please God then it wars and fights against the Spirit of the Living
Lord dwelling within us! So here is the struggle: Ye lusts and have not; ye kill and
desire to have and cannot obtain; ye fight and war yet ye have not! (first half of
James 4: 2) it is not the physical fighting and the action of killing that makes a man
a sinner but it is the substance of a man that is a sinner and a very guilty one!
Christ said 'it is not the things that enters into the mouth that defiles him but what
comes out of the abundance of the heart'. He said if any man thinks in an uncomely
way toward a woman has already committed adultery. John said 'whosoever that
hateth his brother is a murderer' (First half of 1 John 3:15). The Lord sees not the
outward appearances but the inward heart. So, James continues to say 'because ye
ask not'. How so? Why would James bring this statement up knowing that lustful
requests made to the Lord will not and shall not be answered? This I personally
believe is yet another way Christ expresses the nature of the human being. When a
man or a woman lusteth after things that are unsavoury unto God, they do not ask
the Lord for permission or His Mind in the matter neither do they ask anyone. The
Old Man just takes or correctly worded, snatches. Lusts will not think twice to seek
others for approval; lusts will not wait quietly and patiently; lusts WILL NOT be
denied its desires and pleasures therefore 'ye ask not' (Latter half of James 4: 2).
The Lord then says 'Ye ask' (First half of James 4: 3). How come the previous
line said ye ask not and then now it says ye ask? Is this one of the Lord's irony or is
there something else to it? The truth is that there are many Christian believers who
do not seek for the Will of the Lord in solemnity and seriousness. There are
thousands that say they want to do the Lord's Will but their actions and words speak
so differently from what they profess. The third verse of James chapter 4 refers to
the group of believers who are neither hot nor cold, neither seriously surrendering
their lives in totality nor complacent to the knowledge of the requirements of the
Work of the Cross. These group of believers are definitely sincere Christians but, as
there were in the time of Christ upon the earth, men who kept the whole
Commandment and tried to walk a righteous life pleasing unto the Lord and in
accordance to the Pharisees and Sadducees, yet when Christ said to one 'sell all

that you have and come follow me', he went away sadden by such a demand and
with another 'Lord I will follow you but let me say farewell to my parents' and the
Lord said 'Let the dead bury their dead'. These are in no doubt sincere believing
born-again believers in Christ Jesus but as the parable says the seed fell on a good
ground and some brought forth thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some a hundredfold. It
is not the quality of the seed of the Gospel that makes them vary neither the
amount of rain or water given that gives such a difference nor the hands of the
labourers in the field that perhaps disturbs the growth of the plants but it is the
willingness and the effort of the plant to allow its roots to grow deeper and absorb
as much water and nutrients that it can find. That makes the difference!
These Christians ask for many things though sincerely believing that their will
is the Lord's Will, they do not comprehend or understand that it must FIRST be that
the Lord's Will BE their will. Therefore they ask the Lord for something that they
actually want though they might think and contemplate within themselves that it
could be part of the Lord's Will. So here, the Lord says ye 'receive not because ye
ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts (Latter half of James 4: 3). In
accordance to the context of these scriptures, James might be stating that because
there is war and fightings among you, you might have ask for something of the Lord
which He has no pleasure of answering and no desire to hear such prayers. The
word 'amiss' in the Greek has an evil tone to it. Several words for 'amiss' that can be
used to translate the Greek word is badly, grievously, sorely speak ill of or revile.
Therefore, the Lord is here saying to any Christians especially those that I have
described above, that if you pray any prayer or ask anything of me with an ungodly
motive behind the requests though it may sound spiritually right, it will not be
answered or heard. Take for example, there is a member of the Body of Christ that
has a loud mouth and tends to speak everything and anything that comes to his/her
mind whether it is appropriately said in the right spirit or not. You, as a friend and a
fellow member of the Body of Christ is concern and upset with the situation in which
this particular loud mouth person is inflicting upon the whole company of believers
so you pray to the Lord that this particular loud mouth believer be dealt with
concerning her/his tongue or specifically ask the Lord to humble him/her with a rod
if necessary and yet deep within your heart it is because you are constantly irritated
and agitated with the person's foolish and untoward speech, the Lord may possibly
not answer your prayers until you yourself is dealt with concerning your frustrations
and shortcomings toward this loud mouth friend. Then when you have learnt to look
and treat this loud mouth person in grace, mercy and compassion, the Lord will do
His part in that person's life. The Lord looks at the inward appearances and state of
the heart and not the outward appearances. Lusting is something that one desires
and gives pleasure. With the example given from above, it may be that the request
you presented to the Lord is a form of lust, lusting for the loud mouth believer to be
chastise and to be smitten by the Hand of God and thereby you are pleased and
satisfied with the action taken by the Lord in favour of your prayers. This is only a
little example given.

We ought to be careful whenever lusts rises up for 'when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin' (James 1: 15) but in the verse before, the Lord says the man or
the woman must first be drawn away. When they are enticed, their will is taken
captive by their own lusts and thereby giving the powers of darkness an open door
to bring in darkness and sin into their lives. The next verse is very important
because the Lord describes such Christians as being adulterers and adulteresses.
Note: the Lord specifically mentions both genders therefore this must be of such an
importance for any believer reading the Bible to stop and ponder on this passage of
Scripture. We know that the word 'lust' has a clear connection to adultery but the
question remains what is adultery? Does adultery mean when a man or a woman
enter into a sexual relation with another partner that is not their spouse? Yes but
these are the natural physical explanation or reasoning. Again, the Lord looks into
the inward heart not the outward appearances. The next part of the verse says 'the
friendship of the world is enmity with God'. This we understand clearly that the
friendship with and of the world is part of adultery against the Lord Jesus Christ. But
what is the inward heart that the Lord sees which he describe as adultery or
friendship?
The Word of God gives us the interpretation and the understanding of the
heart of God. As scripture interprets itself, we are reminded of the kingdoms of
Israel and Judah. The Lord of Hosts calls them whores because they went after other
men. In the books of the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel), the Lord God
gave forth His Word through the Prophets warning, reproving, rebuking and
reprimanding His People, the Israelites for committing whoredoms and establishing
an alliance or friendship with the heathen countries. Ezekiel prophesied and
condemned the nation of Israel and Judah for their whorish ways. They were known
as Aholah and Aholibah who played around and showed their nakedness to the
princes of Assyria and the Chaldeans. Note Ezekiel 23: 7 'with all their idols she
defiled herself', verse 30 'because they art polluted with their idols', and verse 35
'because thou hast forgotten me and cast me behind thy back'. If the reader would
read the whole of chapter 23, the reader will find that the Lord is judging the nations
of Israel and Judah because they followed after other nations and kingdoms by
taking on the idolatrous worship of those kingdoms and sacrificed their firstborn
unto the heathen gods; they were in league and friendship with the heathen
nations, they did not obey the first and the second Commandment for they built
unto themselves images and did not serve the Lord God of Israel wholeheartedly
but went into polytheism as the other kingdoms and nations. They defiled the holy
sanctuary the Lord has sanctified and profaned the Sabbath of the Lord, they have
shown their nakedness.
Another example would be the book of Hosea. The Lord compared Israel with
a prostitute that is never satisfied with her husband but seeks for another not
knowing or understanding that it is the Lord that provides for their needs and not
the other seemingly powerful neighbouring countries. These illustrations that the
Lord revealed from His Word, it should be understood that committing adultery is

not just the physical aspect but also the spiritual bond that binds the servants of the
Lord.
As I proceed further, expounding on the fourth verse and the most important
and GRAVE verse of this portion of the scripture; I must first remind the readers that
the Word of the Lord is a two-edged sword, cutting asunder even the bones from the
marrow. Not all His Words are Comforting and Loving but He is the Righteous Judge
who holds the balances in His Hands. He is Loving and yet the Lord of Hosts (the
Lord of Hosts means the Lord of Armies, the Lord of the Battle Array); He is Merciful
and yet a Jealous God who breathes fire of anger and wrath; He is the Lord I AM, the
Great I AM and yet He came upon the earth lowly and meek, led dumb to the
slaughter; He came upon the earth to die on the Cross, made a sacrifice that we
may be reconciled in Him and through Him, Christ Jesus and yet He saith I come not
to send peace on earth but He came upon the earth to send a sword (Matthew
10:34). The Lord is a Just LORD and He holds all things in His Hands therefore His
Word is Just and True for LO! He saith 'Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended
in Me' (Matthew 11: 6; Luke 7: 23). Therefore, beware, dear readers, of what I am
going to write. This is truly a grave and solemn matter. Do not quickly ignore the
following paragraphs but prayerfully ponder them and seek the Lord for His
Righteousness and Holiness that you, dear readers, may not be found ignorant of
His Truths any longer.
The Lord Yeshua said 'ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God'. The Scripture is True and the scripture interprets
itself. From the Word of God, it is WRITTEN 'because the carnal mind is enmity
against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be' (Romans 8:
7). The question arises: What is the "carnal mind"? A good example would be Peter
or Cephas, he was a fervent follower and disciple of Christ. He was chosen by the
Lord Himself with the other two disciples James and John to witness firsthand certain
miracles, wonders and mysteries of Christ. He was outspoken, fervent, faithful,
loving and desirous of the Lord to be with him and to reign with him in the kingdom
to come but there was one thing in the way: Peter's Will. He was not all sold out to
Christ even though he thought he has left all for Christ. Physically he has left all and
everything that he possesses for Christ but his heart was not totally, fully
surrendered unto Christ for therein we can still see certain elements of himself, his
will, his desire, his opinion, his mindset that are not of the Lord. Simply put, Peter's
Will wants to be the Lord's Will whereas it should be: the Lord's Will is Peter's Will. To
explain further, like any other Jew at the time of Christ, Peter has a certain mindset
or idea that when the Messiah of Israel come, He will set up a kingdom upon the
earth and the Jews will once again have a kingdom of their own, a united kingdom
liken to the glorious kingdom of King David and Solomon. This was how the Jews
think and interpret the scriptures of the Living Lord but in Truth this was not the
Lord's Plan at that time.

James 4: 4

Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the

friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a FRIEND
OF THE WORLD is the enemy of God.
There is a physical (literal) and a spiritual (figurative) meaning to the word
'world' or 'Babylon' according to the scriptures. Both are the world but not many
know that there exists a spiritual and a physical meaning to it; the seen and the
unseen realm. The scriptures are very clear on the two distinct parts of Babylon but
because of the Laodicean age, we are blind and naked and wretched. We do not see
the implications of our attitude in the light of His Divine Nature.
The world is at enmity with God. So, whatsoever that is false and worldly is
not in union with Christ. It is against the Lord. The 'world' is referred to the prince of
this world in John 12: 31, 14: 30, 16: 11. The world in which we dwell temporarily
till Christ comes upon the earth and rules beginning in Jerusalem with His saints
are full of the manifestations and characteristics of Satan, therefore, sin reigns in
this world and we, believers are continually tempted to sin with the aid of our carnal
mind that pleases not the Lord. The book of Romans chapter 7 is the key to
understand what it means to commit adultery against the Lord. He compared the
relationship between two men and a woman with the spiritual laws of the Kingdom
of God. If we call ourselves believers in Christ, we MUST not return to our old ways
of living or be conformed to our past allegiance to the world as the 'children of
wrath'. We are free indeed but once we allow the powers of darkness to bring us to
sin, we are in bondage again, for we broke the laws of the Kingdom of God.2

The problem with the Christian church today is that, they do not see sin in the
light of Divine Holiness. They do not know whom they serve for the Fear of the Lord
is not present in their lives. Anyone who came to know Christ as their Lord and
Saviour will have the Fear of the Lord in their hearts but as they grow cold of the
Love of Christ so too does the Fear of the Lord grow cold. If the friendship of the
world is a rendering of the heart, then it is the serving under two masters that
renders any believer to be evil and unclean. If we say that we belong to Christ then
we have nothing that belongs to us and this I mean even what the Lord has given
unto us, our spouse, our children, our friends, families etc. Job said 'Naked came I
out of my mother's womb, naked shall I return thither, the Lord gave and the Lord
hath taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord'.
By being associated with the world, the believer is term an adulterer. This is a
grave matter. The kingdom of Israel and Judah were called harlot by the Lord. They
May I suggest a book for the readers to read? The book is written by John Bunyan who 2
also wrote 'the Pilgrim's Progress'. This book entitled 'The Holy War' is similar to 'The
Pilgrim's Progress' but differently narrated. It is a wonderful and simplistic in its illustration
on a believer's personal struggle with the Old Man. This book is suitable for believers of any
.age

committed fornication and were adulterers in the eyes of the Lord because of their
idolatrous ways by conforming to the other heathen nations and by relying upon
their power but not the Lord their God. (Jeremiah 3) Ephesians 2: 13 speaks clearly
that we were once associated with the world by our involvement in its activities. It
speaks specifically of our Old mind that is associated with the past. Therefore, to
sever the ties that bind us to this world, we ought to renew our mind and conform to
the mind of Christ. So, we see in this amazing and profounf verse how adulteress we
are. I use the word 'are', a present tense to show to the readers that as long as we
are not renewed in our minds to the Mind of Christ, we are adulterating oursvles for
if our minds are not in tune with the Mind of Christ then are our minds conformed
and mixed with the Old Man. And if the Old Man desires adn seeks to go back to its
former glory, then are we in peril for the Old Man given free reign seeks for the
destruction of all that is godly. It seeks to sear the conscience with a hot iron and
bring the soul back to its vomit.
The apostle puts forth the question 'do you not see, do you not know, do you
not understand why the scripture is clear on the evil of the human lust?' For where
there is envy and strife there are confusion and every evil work (James 3: 16). The
apostle is clearly warning any Christian believers to beware lest if the lust of the
human nature is continually been given free reign, then this lust will develop into
envy. This is carnality (1 Corinthians 3:3). This is the flesh at work. It demonstrates
clearly that the natural mind is prevailing and not the spiritual mind of Christ. Dear
readers, the word 'envy is used here to demonstrate the wickedness of men. Envy is
a very strong word to use. It is not a light matter to envy another. According to
Proverbs 27: 4, the book of Wisdom written byt he wisest of the wise, he declared
that envy is severer than wrath and anger. Anger is bad enough and wrath is worst
but envy excellest these two.
Pro 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Pro 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.

The rejection in the ladies in particular but also in the brothers is of such a nature that when the
lusts to satisfy oneself arises no matter what aspect it is, it must be fulfilled. If not, the sisters
would 'throw a tantrum' by their emotional upheaval and domination and manipulation and the
brothers would turn aggressive, demanding and commanding.
And what is the answer?
1

2 Peter 1: 2-4. The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and upon you and in you,
fully manifested and expressed in your whole being. Your spirit, your soul and your body
must be subjected unto the Love and Grace of God. When we are saved by Grace in
Christ, we are translated into the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 2: 35) putting off the Old
Man and dead to its lusts.
2 Luke 14: 26, 33; Matthew 19: 29 Learn to let go of everything that binds you to the earth.
Desire not after your spouses, children, friends, a good life etc. but seek first the Kingdom
of God and His Righteousness.
1 Corinthians 4: 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power

Romans 14: 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost
3 Humble yourselves unto the Lord and submit one to the other by acknowledging your
faults and receive the counsels of those who are elders or spiritual persons. Do not argue
or justify yourselves!
4 Submit to the Lord. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. You must first submit unto
the Lord by allowing the Lord to deal with you and acknowledging that He is directing
your pathway each and every day. If you will seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness, then you will begin to understand and be convicted in your hearts that it is
sin. The temptations to fulfill the desires of your flesh shall be greatly reduced by virtue of
your submission to Christ. How do you submit/ make diligent your calling and election.
Add unto your faith works that you may show the faith which is in Christ in your life
through your actions and deeds. (1 John 3:18)
5 Learn not to take offence (James 3:2). Do not get offended by the words of others or their
actions. Do not be easily provoked. Do not allow the fiery darts of the enemy strike into
you by virtue of the actions, deeds or words of another even from your close ones. Do not
give place to the enemy or give any cause to get frustrated, irritated, agitated and
offended. For if you take offence no matter what wrong the person has done, you fell into
the flesh, into strivings, fighting, envying and war against your brother and sisters
6 James 3. Govern your tongue. Be slow to speak. A soft answer turns away anger (Proverbs
15:1) When a believer is under temptations and trials, the tongue of that particular person
is rough, harsh, sharp and stingy. So, be careful indeed when a person is in such a state
less more words that comes out of a defiled or fallen spirit cause others to stumble.
7 James 4: 11. Do not speak evil against any of your brothers and sisters. Do not be critical,
spiteful, and revengeful or backbite your brothers or sisters.
8 James 1:2-4. Be patient. There is a difference between craving and wanting for more for
the self-life and yearning for more of the Lord, to grow in Grace. In the fleshly wisdom
and attitude, the believer is moved and stirred by one's emotions and feelings but with
the other, there is a perfect balance between the intense desire and yearning and the
Lord's patience in waiting for the answer. The former will get upset with him/herself and
self-condemnation and self-pity comes in while the latter have such longsuffering and
hope that he/she will wait with continual expectation, strength and faith from the Lord
for the promises to be fulfilled according to the timing of the Lord.

This document was written by Shoshannah. She is a member of the Watchmen of the Night
Ministries that is based in the Netherlands and New Zealand. The Ministry is based upon the
Word of God and we upholds the truth set by the Reformers of the 16 th Century. We also love
Israel and are strong supporters of the Modern Israel nation. Because of our connection with
Israel, we conduct Jerusalem Walks tour whenever we are in Israel.
For more information, please contact Shoshannah through the watchmen email account:

watchmen_min@hotmail.com