James outlines five strategies to employ when times of testing invade:

1. Celebrate the reason behind your trials (v. 2).
2. Calculate the results of your trials (v. 3).
3. Call upon God's resources in your trials (v. 5).
4. Consider your reactions to your...

Take Action: When Temptation Comes

• Assume the responsibility of temptation (vv. 13, 14).
• Anticipate the inner working of temptation (vv. 14–16).
• Activate God's provision for resisting the temptation (v. 17, 18).

James uses a series of Greek imperatives (commands) to communicate nine principles for appropriating grace so that believers can withstand this world's tendency to pull us from God:

1. Relinquish control of your life (4:7).
2. Resist the devil (4:7).
3. Restore...

In Palestinian agriculture, the farmer sowed seed on ground that received no rain at all during much of the year. The fields were brown and the soil was dry. Modern irrigation techniques were unknown, and dependence upon the rains was crucial. Therefore, the...

It is not uncommon to hear this phrase in modern conversations: "God is my witness!" It is usually offered as a guarantee when something has been said that others find doubtful or suspicious. The speaker is saying, "God is my witness; He will back me up when...