Perspective
( James 1:22-25 ; Rev. 22:14 ) Christian life is one of commitment to God and His Word. It is not to be part-time, of casualness, of indifference or of neglect. It is one of doing, of practicing, of exercising in the pursuit of excellence, in the spirit of integrity, working through failures time and time again. An effective Christian life thus uses failures as opportunities to grow into a mature Christian in the image of Christ. It is not enough to listen, to hear, to know. The word must be practiced, exercised, and applied until the person is set free from the bondages of sin and death.
Hope
( James 1:19-21 ; Matt. 13:23 ) Be quick to hear the word of God, not hanging on to one's own ideas, but be willing to listen to God's word instead of insisting upon what one thinks and likes. Respond rather than react to life by being slow to speak and slow to wrath, developing a gentle spirit as a child. Listen to God's words and allow God's words to be born within one's heart and life, which is the core of healing and growth, of patience, kindness, and goodness.
( Col. 1:9 ; 2 Cor. 10:5 ; Ps. 143:10 ) Nothing is to flow through us nor out of us that is not of God's will. God's will involves all of life, everything we do, every moment of the day. Through His word God tells us how to live.
Knowing God's will involves both wisdom and understanding. Wisdom means a person knows the first principles of life. Understanding means the person has the ability to apply the basic principles to everyday life.
( Prov. 2:1-2 ; Acts 20:32 ; Acts 27:7-16 ; Eph. 1:17 ; James 1:5 ) We secure the wisdom and understanding by studying God's word and by prayer. Praying is the process by which we are being filled with the knowledge of God's will, and by which we find union with Jesus. This union is marked by a loving exchange of friendship between God and the soul.
Change
( Rom. 12:1-2 ; Col. 1:10 ) It is not enough to know God's will, to possess wisdom and understanding, it all must be put into practice. We are to live out the will of God. Christ is the pattern, and our conduct and behavior is to be upon Christ. To face life, death, disease, accidents, we need God's power. We secure this power through prayer.
( James 3:17-18 ; Matt. 5:8 ; Heb. 12:14 ) Source of true wisdom is God. To be pure is to be free from fault and defilement, from moral impurity, from iniquity and, thus, separated unto God. We must be peaceable and gentle, forbearing with people, being in a state of reconciliation with self and with others, weave with self , with God and with others. The last thing to do is to criticize, condemn, neglect and ignore people. We must be ready to listen to reason and to appeal - being willing to change when one is wrong. We are to have feelings of compassion, affection and kindness, eager to help others, and not show partiality or favoritism, being without hypocrisy, insincerity. The fruit of righteousness is brought about by making peace, being at ease with each other and with God.
Work Out Your Salvation (Phil. 2:12-13)
BSAF on James 4:1-5 .
Study James 3:17 . List personal failures in each of the categories listed in James 3:17-18 . Then prepare a plan of action on how to deal with each item biblically. Use Section A.4, “Victory Over Sin Worksheet” or Section A.9, “Contingency Plan” as appropriate. In each encounter in life, your basic plan of action is to call upon the name of the Lord by quoting, "Thy will be done". This unites your will with His will which initiates and insures a biblical response. This is a lifetime endeavor.