Sensual, but not too far from innocence . . .

. . . Resist the devil and he will flee from you.8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  James 4:7-8

When I was growing up there was a comedian named Flip Wilson who made famous a character he created called “Geraldine.”  Geraldine would get into all sorts of trouble always ending the skit with the statement when asked why she did whatever, “the devil made me do it.”  The crowds would laugh and howl in response.  And deep down inside we came to quietly embrace this misstatement of the truth. 

I punch my brother.  The devil made me do it.  I lie to the teacher.  It’s not my fault, the devil made me do it.  I cheat in a game, purposefully hurt another, and slander someone’s good name.  It’s all his fault.  Blame the devil.  Remember, I am a creature born in sin.  Formed in iniquity (said with deep reverberating voice). It’s his fault not mine.

But here James comes around and gives us a solution with a sure result

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I like that all three of these verses are put together, however, I must admit that I think that I would like to have them in a slightly different order.  I think I would have written them like this:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

See absent the power of God working within me, I do not think I can truly resist the devil.  It is comforting to have the formula as to how to tap into that power to resist . . . Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  See when we draw near to God, spend time in His word, seek His face and direction, lean upon His truths, trust Him at what He says, follow in obedience to Him, . . . then HE draws near to us.  When He is near I then have the power to stand, to obey and to do what I would have written next: 

Cleanse your hands, . . . purify your hearts . . . from what? Being double minded of course.

See how often do we vacillate between whether we want to do the right thing or not.  We toy with the idea of doing the wrong.  We “taste” just a little of the wrong, too not get too burned.  We flirt with the idea of, the thought of, the imagined feeling of, . .

A number of years ago the makers of Channel#5 perfume had a commercial on television that was quite successful and memorable.  The would show a barefooted beautiful lithe woman dressed in a very free flowing and very sheer, layered gown riding a stunning white stallion across an open meadow along the side of a gorgeous dreamy mountainside covered ever so slightly in a light mist.  The announcer would come on and be heard to say . . .”Channel #5 . . . Sensual, but not too far from innocence. . .”

I love that phrase, “Sensual, but not too far from innocence. . .”  I have spent many whimsical hours trying to determine exactly what that means.  To this day I cannot tell you.  I just have a vague notion that it somehow may be interpreted as you get to taste the sin but get away from the consequence.  A truly double-minded thought, one which must be purified from your mind.

So you have drawn near to God, you have cleansed your hands, and you have purified your thoughts in accordance with His word. . . Well surely you can resist the devil at that point.

Or perhaps, James put it in the order that he did because he knew that it took first our willingness and choice to resist the devil before we could draw near to God.  That he understood that when we have drawn near to God, God will then draw near to us showing us how to clean our hands, and leading us in purification of our thoughts.  Perhaps James knew that once our thoughts were purified we would no longer be double-minded.  Perhaps . . .

Well I will leave the interpretation up to the Holy Spirit and you.  I have no doubt the Spirit will make it clear to you.  Ask.

Got Word?

Love yah, 

PS:  Sorry about yesterday, fighting a cold.  Thanks for your patience.