How to be God’s Enemy

James 4:4-6 You people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to be friends with this evil world becomes God’s enemy. Do you think the Scriptures mean nothing? The Scriptures say, “The Spirit God made to live in us wants us only for himself.” But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.”

So, humour me for a moment – whatever you happen to believe about the existence of an all-powerful, all-loving God … if He does indeed exist, would you really want to become His enemy? Would anyone?

Being God’s enemy … now that’s a scary thought. And yet so many people – even those who profess a faith in the Jesus who died to pay for their sins, who rose again to give them a new, eternal life – have become just that. God’s enemies.

How can that even be possible? Well, here’s how:

James 4:4-6 You people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving what the world has is the same as hating God. So anyone who wants to be friends with this evil world becomes God’s enemy. Do you think the Scriptures mean nothing? The Scriptures say, “The Spirit God made to live in us wants us only for himself.” But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.”

The more we love the things of this world – the comfort, the money, the status, the recognition, the decaying morals, the twisted lies – the more we step into that dangerous territory of becoming God’s enemies. And come on … how incredibly easy is it in this day and age to do just that?

But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.”

So, imagine … what would it look like for you to humble-up, to let go of that worldly pride, to be faithful to God?

Loving the world is the same as hating God.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.