The Book of James

So, the more I am reading the book of James, the more I am understanding the way God works. First of all, I read through the book about three times and then I began taking each verse and really reading it and translating the words into Greek to see what they meant and then God opened my mind and eyes.

The first book of James has taught me that the trials we are going through are to refine us and make us stronger so we can do God's work.

Do you know that the greek word for Joy is Euphrosune which means good cheer or Agalliassis which means with exultation and extreme joy? Asmenos means with joy and gladness .

So, God wants us to turn to Him with great joy and exultation when we are going through our trials. This is where it gets good. The Greek word for trials is Purosis which is the burning of metals by fire to be refined. When I read the meaning of this in Greek, I was beginning to see why God wants me to have patience.

Then there is Suntrupto and that is Greek for to break ones heart, deprive of strength and courage or incapacitate for enduring trials. Now, I feel God opening my eyes here and whispering...do you get it? Do you understand now? Suntrupto in my mind is what the devil tosses at us because he wants to deprive us of strength and courage and he will incapacitate us if we allow him to.

The devil will cause Astheneia...sapping our strength, causing us to be frail and sick in our soul.

The Lord allows this to happen so He can refine us. He isn't punishing us like I believed in the past, He is allowing us to endure trials because He understands we are being strengthened. James tells us we are to be patient and let patience do its work.

Do you know me? Some of you do and telling me to be patient is like telling the sun not to shine.

But there are many types of patience as well. Makrothumia which is enduring patience, constantcy, steadfastness, perserverance and slow in avenging wrongs. Okay, so I am working on many of these traits!

But I do have Dunatos patience which is strong in soul, to bear with calamaties and trials with fortitude. I have been through the fire many times in my life and while none of them have been pleasant, they do help to make me strong and a fighter.

Further, James is telling us that we must be true believers. If we ask for something, to expect it not doubt or waffle or sit on the fence believers, but the no matter how much I am being refined I will keep my eyes and heart on God! If we waffle in our beliefs, we are not believers and we are untrusting!

We are to stand strong in our trials and not revel in our circumstances, but allow the testing to refine us so we can received Gods maximum blessing from the teaching we have gone through.

Are you going through some difficult trials today? God wants you to ask for wisdom and understand the big picture He is drawing for you. Today, ask Him to remove your blindness and allow you to see through His eyes.

Remember, no matter how much we fight against it, feel angst in our hearts, feel we are battling a bigger battle than we can handle. God is with us and Jesus has already won our battle when He hung on the cross. Our battles were won and the victory is ours because of the blood.

Now all we have to do is to mature in Him to understand that. I am learning!