Trusting God
Reflection
Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question.
1. Would you change the way you are living if you could see your future? Why or why not?
Bible Reading
Read James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war
in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet
ye have not, because you ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts. 4 Ye adulters 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.5 Do you think that scripture saith in vain, The spirit
that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned
to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the lord, and he shall lift you up.
Discovery
Explore the Bible reading by discussing these questions.
2. What does the Bible mean when it says a war is waging inside of us?
3. What happens when we stand against the devil?
Question 3. Share this quote from a Christian teacher named Hermas who lived around 150 A.D: “[The devil] cannot dominate the servants of God who hope in him
with all their hearts. The devil can wrestle, but he cannot pin. If, then, you resist him, he will flee defeated
from you in disgrace.”
4. How can we stand against the devil?
Question 4. Show your group that they can resist the devil by: 1. Remembering God never leaves them (Romans
8:38–39); 2. Refusing to live in guilt (1 John 1:9); 3. Praying often (1 Thessalonians 5:16–24).
5. What promise is given to those who draw near to God?
6. Why should people humble themselves before God?
Inspiration
Here is an uplifting thought from the Inspirational Study Bible.
In order to know God's will there must be a willingness to do it.
Imagine a door in the path ahead of us. God's will is on the other side of that door. We crave to know what
that is. Will God show us what's on the other side of that door? No. Why not? Because we have to resolve an issue
on this side of the door first. If He is Lord, He has the right to determine what's on the other side of the door.
If we don't afford Him that right, then we are not acknowledging Him as Lord.
Why do we want to know what's on the other side of the door? Isn't it because we want to reserve the right to
determine whether or not we will go through it? Some boldly walk halfway through, but keep their foot in the door
just in case they don't like what they see and want to go back. It's going to be awfully hard to continue walking
with God if your foot is stuck in the door. Jesus said, “No one putting his hand to the plow and looking back is
fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
One man probably spoke for many when he said, “I'm so used to running my own life. I'm not sure I even can or
want to trust someone else. Besides, God would probably haul me off to some mission field I can't stand.” What
we need to realize is that if we did give our heart to the Lord, and God did call us to that mission field, by
the time we got there we wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Do you believe that the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect for you? That's the heart of the issue.
(From Walking in the Light by Neil Anderson)
Response
Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.
7. Why can we trust God's will for our lives?
8. How can people know whether they are following God's will?
9. When have you been convinced that you knew God's will for you? What convinced you?
Prayer
Father, help us renew our commitment to you—to release all that we have and all that we are to you. We long
to give ourselves completely to you so that we might know the freedom available to us only through your grace.
Journaling
Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.
How am I living my life to demonstrate my trust in God?
Additional Questions
10. List areas of your life that are difficult for you to turn over to God's control.
11. What truth in this lesson encourages you to trust God more fully?
12. What steps can you take to release every part of your life to God?
For more Bible passages on trusting God, see Psalms 62:8; 143:8; Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 25:9; Nahum 1:7; Romans
10:11.
To complete the book of James during this twelve-part study, read James 4:1–10.
From Life Lessons from the Inspired Word of God—Book of James by Max Lucado. Copyright 1996 by Word Publishing. Published by Word.
