Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Speak no evil "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (Jas.4.11 KJV) Speak no evil of your brother or sister. This is a clear instruction given by the Apostle James to believers everywhere.  We are all members of the body of Christ and we all have God for our Father. One is not more God's child than the other. He is our Father and every one of us has equal access to Him. As siblings, if we have an issue with one another, our best bet is not to bad-mouth that person. If you do, the text says you make yourself a judge. But only God sits that high to oversee His children.  So the proper thing to do is to report such a one to the Father and let the Father deal with such a one as He sees fit. God did not put you as the class monitor nor did He appoint you assistant Holy Spirit. Some people feel the ne

The way up is down "Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." (Jas.4.10 MSB) The way up is down and to stand on your feet, you have to first get down on your knees.  We have too many people trying to stand without first learning how to sit, crawl, and then walk. We have "too many" experts who know little next to nothing.  No one wants to "get down on their knees before masters" anymore. We are all our masters now. But we must remember that the way up is down. It is only when we learn to humble ourselves, that we are then ready for a raise. When you learn you will earn, when you serve, you will be served, when you become a slave to your gift, the world will beat a pathway to your doorstep. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (Jas.4.10) Good day, Have a great day today,  EmmA (aka Mr. Lift)  @Liftemma

Draw near to God "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (Jas.4.8 NKJV) This admonition is even more important today than ever. The courses of this world constantly remind us of the need to draw near to God.  What does it mean to draw near to God? From our text, It means to consciously cleanse one's hands. To not be involved in anything that corrupts one. We say in local parlance "My hand no dey" when one plans something untoward. The Psalmist talks about a clean hand and a pure heart.  "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Ps.24.4) Secondly, to draw near to God means to purify your heart. Jesus told his disciples, "You are cleansed by the word that I speak unto you"  "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (John.15.3) The word of God is a cleansing agent. The

Tears for a wrong done "Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. (Jas.4.9 NLT) If there was one time God wants tears in our eyes it is when we have done something wrong. These are the tears that say "I am sorry for what I have done".  Tears do not always mean being sorry hence the axiom crocodile tears. God wants us to say sorry and mean it. He is more interested in our character than our convenience.  So our text says let there be tears for wrong done. The  Apostle Paul says this in a little different way. He called it godly sorrow. This godly sorry leads to repentance, which leads to a right standing with God. That is the end game as far as God is concerned.  "For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but wo

Submit yourself to God "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (Jas.4.7) Submission is a critical posture and one of the most misunderstood topics. Some think that submission is agreement and that in submission one does not have an opinion. If one does not have an opinion, then it is just being obedient and not necessarily submission.  Submission requires that you have an opinion but because you are submissive, you let go of your opinion and submit to the other person's. We see a vivid example in the story of Jesus Christ and Peter in Luke chapter 5.  Peter's opinion was that they had toiled all night and according to his fisherman's acumen, they had not taken any catch but at the word of Jesus, he would abandon his opinion and take Jesus' opinion.  "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." (Luke.5.5) I

Willful proud and willing humble  "But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). (Jas.4.6 AMP) One thing that is consistent with God, among other things, is that God is always giving grace. The grace of God is always available.  Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to meet every evil tendency and surpass or overcome it. That means the grace of God is readily available until you overcome it. One's attitude of being either "willful proud" or "willing humble" determines what you get from God. Which are you? "And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." (Jas.4.6 MSB) When you are willing t

The Holy Spirit yearns...  "Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love? (Jas.4.5 AMP) God is jealous over you. Wow! That calls for rejoicing that the Almighty God of the universe is jealous over you. The prophets put it this way "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." (Zeph.3.17) God is dotting you with everlasting love. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us.  "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John.3.1) And because of this unending love, He gave the Holy Spirit to dwell in the believer to help the believer reciprocate that love back

Friends of the world or friends of God  "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." (Jas.4.4) There is a constant decision that needs to be made between what I want and what God wants for me. There is a danger in constantly indulging in areas that do not encourage one's spiritual growth, this is what the Apostle James referred to as a friend of the world.  We can contrast this with one who was called a friend of God. And the picture of Abraham comes to mind. We know that Abraham chose God's way and not his. When he was asked to sacrifice his son, whom he had waited for over seventeen years or so, he did not hesitate.  "You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way." (Jas.4.4 MSB) If all you want is your own way and not God

Ask amiss "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (Jas.4.3 NKJV) God has promised in His word that when we ask we will receive. But countless times it appears God did not come through.  Why does one not receive when one asks? God is very concerned about things that we seem not to be so much concerned about. For example, one's motives are very important to God. Let's see this same verse in the Amplified Bible  "[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. (Jas.4.3 AMP) Here it says the reason we do not receive Is that we ask with the wrong purpose and selfish motives. So before you accuse God of not answering, check your motives. Check your why.  We know that once the conditions are right, God always answers. Jesus said it thus: "And I knew that t

A better way "You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? (Jas.4.2 MSB) One reason most of us do not take the time to ask God for the things we need is that we do not believe that God is willing to give us whatever we ask Him for.  "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matt.7.11) God is willing to give us what we ask Him for. There is a superlative qualifier in that verse that says God is "much more" interested in giving us what we want if we ask.  So in it text the Apostle James tells us that there is a better way to get what we want and that is to ask God for it. Whatever you desire, whatever you need, and whatever you want, instead of getting jealous of othe

My way or the highway "Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves." (Jas.4.1 MSB) I have heard it said that self-interest is legitimate. This is a valid proposition but it is also one of the root causes of the world's problems today. Everyone wants their way and when it does not go their way, the highway it is.  When we look at the challenges of the world today,  problems in marriages, problems in businesses, and all, a better part of them would have been resolved if we heed this verse of scripture. The verse says the appealing wars and quarrels come from deep down inside because we want our way and fight for it. What if we start looking out for the good of others, and place others as priority? If our attitude is, I won't get it until the other person is satisfied.  I think one of the outcomes of the fa

Getting along with others  "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." (Jas.3.18 MSB) Living right with God is the basis for living right with fellow man. Our robust relationship with man is only a result of our robust relationship with God. When we live right with God it translates to living right with man.  But we must do the hard work of getting along with each other. Interestingly, the Bible refers to it as hard work. And in another place, it says as long as it lies with you, live peaceably with all men.  And then the Bible says the way we do this hard work of getting along with each other is by treating each other with dignity and honour. If you understand that you are dignity and honour, nothing less than who you are should flow from you. The way you treat others is a reflection of how you see yourself w

8 attributes of God's wisdom "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." (Jas.3.17) 1. Pure: The wisdom of God is pure. That means it is not diluted and has the right motives. In certain quartets, people do things in a certain way and think they are "smart", No, they are not, at least it is not the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is pure.  2. Peaceful: The wisdom of God is peaceful. That means the action resulting from this wisdom is peaceful. It avoids strife and dissent but leads to peace.  3. Gentle: It is gentle. When it speaks its words are soft. And by soft I  speak of the tone. It is not hash. It reminds me of Prov.15.1 - "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." 4. Easy to be intreated: The wisdom of God listens. It may not always agree but it listens and understands. It gives a second c

It is the way you live not the way you talk that counts "Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts." (Jas.3.13 MSB) It is the way one lives and not the way one talks that counts. Talking with no corresponding action really amounts to nothing.  Live your life. There's is the popular slogan YOLO - you only live once. It is said that some people do not really live, they just exist because they have refused to venture out. They sit in their comfort zone and do nothing significant with their lives.  Our text asked the question "Do you want to be counted wise and build a reputation for wisdom? It says to live well, live wisely, and live humbly. Live, do not just exist. Step out today and live your life. Do something that matters and when the counting is done, you will be numbered among the wise. It is the way you live

These things ought not to be so  "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." (Jas.3.8, 10) Why is easy to tame wild animals but not the tongue? One gets the wild animals to do what one wants them to but when it comes to the tongue one is not able to get it to do what one wants it to because it is still at the level that is in your control. To tame the tongue one's mind has to go higher.  It is said that to resolve a problem the mind has to think on a higher level. A problem cannot be resolved on the level at which it was created.  How do blessings and cursing proceed from the same mouth? Is it because we keep sliding downward where the problem was created?  These things ought not to be so. We have to stay true to who we have been called. The Bible speaking of Abraham says in you all nations of the word will be blessed. Not ble

A careless word from your mouth? "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything-- or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell." (Jas.3.5 - 6 MSB) After reading through these verses, I paused awhile, to ponder the power of the tongue. The Bible did not lie when it says that the power of life and death is in our tongue "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov.18.21) The Apostle James confirms this again in our text. With a spoken word, you accomplish or destroy nearly anything. It says with one careless word -and the operative word being careless - we ruin the world, turn harmony i

Dead faith "The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse." (Jas.2.26 MSB) The part of man that makes man active is not visible to the eyes.  The part of man that is visible can at best be described as man's house. When the spirit departs from the body, we say the person is dead.  This is the analogy that the Apostle James used as he describes for us faith without corresponding action, it call is a corpse. He says that when one separates faith and works, the result is a corpse, that is, the body without the spirit.  Jesus spoke to us about different kinds of faith; great faith, little faith, no faith but we see what James referred to as dead faith and that is the faith that does not have corresponding action. It is the faith that is all talk and no action.  If you say you have faith, demonstrate that faith not only by speaking but also by the flip side of speaking which is

Faith and works hand in glove "I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove." (Jas.2.18 MSB) When we read through the book of James, if one is not careful, one gets the impression that the Apostle James contradicts the Apostle Paul. But on a careful stance, one begins to see that they truly were on the same page.  The Apostle Paul placed a lot of emphasis on the speaking faith. He spoke about the faith that speaks because he believes.  "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;" (2Cor.4.13 And the Apostle James on the other hand, speaks about the faith that acts because it

God-talk without God-acts "Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? (Jas.2.17 MSB) We could not over-emphasize the importance of corresponding action to our faith-talks otherwise known as confessions.  The Apostle Paul told us that holding on to our confessions is important and that he that promised is faithful.  "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)" (Heb.10.23) So when we confess, we proclaim the faithfulness of our God. But we must do our part of that God-talk and that is God-acts. Do more than talk, act. Do more than confess, step out.  Peter could have confessed all he wanted but if he never acted, it never would have mattered.  "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." (Matt.14.28 -29) "I be

Prove your faith "Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone." (Jas.2.14 NLT) There is so much power attached to what we say. We call it confession. Morning after morning we proclaim and confess what we believe the word of God says about us and there is nothing wrong with confessing and proclaiming.  Only we have not learned, that confessing and proclaiming comes with a corresponding action without which faith is not complete.  Our text asked, "What's the use of saying..." if we will not follow it up with action? So we are admonished to "prove our faith by action". If you say you are healed, then act as though you are healed because you are. Don't say you are healed and act sick.  Whatever you are saying in faith, prove that faith by action. Abraham didn't just "say", he acted on his faith. Prove your faith. Pete