Lawlessness vs Righteousness. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Therefore we cannot address our sin issues in a carnal way. Our weapons are obedience and faith. We fail without them. It is the Lord God that fights for us.

We must subdue, and mortify the deeds and passion of this flesh. We must begin by making no excuse for sin. We must hate it. As James 4 call for 1. Submit unto God, his will and his way, 2. Resist the devil and his trappings, 3. Draw near to God, you do the work to advance and foster a healthy relationship that will build your confidence and 4. Experience the delight of the Lord as he draw near to you.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

In this chapter he says “be wretched and morn” this morning is a result of afflicting your desires and cravings of your sin nature. Your drawing near to God will cause you to morn as well as celebrate in great joy. We must make a decision, God has already seen this day. He need not get ready. It is us…

So lawlessness is the turning away from God’s order to take maters into our own hands. Sex outside of marriage, coveting things of another, gossiping/slandering the character of another. Doing things our way, our sexual orientation, craving, and will, which leads to brokenness and separation. This is seen with both God and man. And when the God that is does not answer, an idol is erected in his place that we can manipulate.

Righteousness is the trusting and obedience to what God says. Righteousness is right relationship with God, peace. The sin nature will not like it and as long as it is not leading. and God is then peace is your portion. Back to chapter 4 of James. He says we pray for things we know that are out of the will of God even though we feel it is a good idea. It’s pretty much a hale Mary, pretty much a shot in the dark our prayers are vain and hopeless.

We know the right way, question is will you walk in it?

…If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,…

Deut 30:16-19 ESV

God bless your day!