I was told a long time ago that when you see a "therefore", you need to discover what the "therefore" is there for. In this case, it points back to the previous verse (James 4:6), where we are reminded that God gives a greater grace, that He is opposed to the proud, and that he gives grace to the humble.
Because he is opposed to the proud and because he gives a greater grace (mega grace) to the humble--Humble yourself before God (submit to Him). Allow God to have His way in your life without all of the kicking and screaming. As they say, "Let go and let God".
Also, because of God's great grace, we should resist (literally in the Greek--"oppose") the devil and he will go away. Now remember this is in the context of God's great grace. The word "devil" literally in the Greek means "slanderer". Listen...God loves you. God forgives you. God cleans you up. God accepts you. God exercises mega grace on your behalf. Therefore, when you are slandered by someone, something, or even your own guilty conscience--oppose it! Resist it!
Let me also add that we need to be careful not to let the devil use our words to slander others. Resist!
Without question, today, you will have the opportunity to practice grace. You will likely be slandered at some point and you will likely be tempted to slander. Remember, God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Resist the devil and he will flee. Go grace someone today (maybe start with yourself).
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