James 4:6-10
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Often life is all about choices. There is often a push and pull between two ends of a spectrum. There are things we can pursue, but then that drives us away from something else. And when we are seeking to live for the Lord, what kinds of choices do we have to make?

1. We can choose pride or humility. We can choose to live for ourselves and do what we want to do and go by what we think about things. Or we can surrender to God and His leading and choose His way and go by what He thinks and what He says.

2. We can resist God or resist the devil. In a way, both seek to draw us to them. God loves us and wants to save us, grow us, use us, bless us, give us eternal life. The devil hates us and wants to destroy us, take away what is good, hinder us, and make us useless to God. So when we submit to God, we are resisting the devil and his ways, and if we resist, he will flee.

3. We can choose to draw near or to stay at a distance. We choose how we spend our time, whether in God’s Word or not, whether in prayer or not, whether in church or not. We choose whether to dwell in close proximity to God or whether to create distance in our relationship with Him by giving in to sin or self.

4. We can choose to cleanse or defile. We can choose sin or forsake it. If we do sin, will we repent of it or ignore it? Will we seek things that help us avoid sin—guarding our minds, seeking accountability, being honest with ourselves and with God about where we are, making a commitment to follow God’s path? Are we willing to examine ourselves, to confess, to repent, to make those hard changes that keep us from temptation and sin?

It’s not like we have to do it alone. God responds to each of these choices we make. When we humble ourselves, He gives us grace and lifts us up. When we seek Him and draw near, He draws near to us. When we confess, He forgives. When we turn to Him, He helps us. So what kinds of choices will you make today?