Peggy Crans Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? The danger James is warning us about is doing things our way instead of seeking the will of God. We want things to happen right now. We do not know if we will be here tomorrow. Only God knows what is best for us. We are boasting like we are in control. God is in control. Only He knows the future. We must humble ourselves before the Lord with a sincere heart and seek His will for our lives. He hears our prayers and He is so faithful and just. He wants only the best for us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows the desires of our heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Riv Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? James is warning us about assuming, taking our lives for granite predicting what we will do tomorrow or deeper into the future without the will of God. We can invite Christ into our lives and share with Him our ideas, actions and our desires and ask Him what He thinks and what His will is. Proverbs 16 vs 9 says-" A MANS HEART PLANS HIS WAY, BUT THE LORD DIRECTS HIS STEPS," 19 VS 21- THERE ARE MANY PLANS IN A MANS HEART, NEVERTHELESS THE LORDS COUNSEL-THAT WILL STAND." Thanks be to God! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithj7 Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? James is warning us about being too pride and boustful. When we flatly say what we will do such and such in the future, we are being presumptuous. We should be saying if God wills ,we shall do this or that. Otherwise, we are being prideful. When we say we will do such with God's help, we must be in tune with what God wants us to be doing. However, we should not use "if God wills" as words only. We must really summit to God in this. We must let God be the master of our future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? we must cast out pride and boasting re any plans, any achievements. We can make humble plans for the future in jobs, marriage and in helping others. We must ask Jesus about our own plans and ask for sanction and approval before embarking on the action. If the Lord agrees, then it will be success. We need positive thinking, and faith that the Lord will satisfy our hearts if what we seek is good and follow his commandments. Be sure our actions are according to the Lord's will, there should not be any indecision on our part in doing it. I go to the Lord and depend upon Your wisdom not mine. Lord, let they will be done in me. Let me be confident that my actions follow your commands. In Jesus name, Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifee Posted November 17, 2009 Report Share Posted November 17, 2009 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? James is warning us about our pride and boasting. About our own achievements, our own capabilities and talents. This is a very controversial subject vis a vis believers and non believers. People tend to make plans for the future education, jobs, marriage and retirement. Its natural. We have to be foresighted. But not at the cost of our Lord. We should not relegate Jesus to a corner and go about our own plans and ask Jesus for post-facto approval. That's not to be done. We have to go to the Lord with the plans and go for sanction and approval before embarking on the course of action. If the Lord agrees, then it will be a success story. God has given us minds, knowledge, wisdom and the Bible for guidance. We have to be positive in our thinking, along the lines of the Lord. When we are sure we are doing it according to the Lord's will, there should not be any indecision on our part in doing it. It boils down to the basic of going to the Lord and depending upon His wisdom rather than our own wisdom. We need to let God always take the lead in our lives, and be guided by his word,listening to his answers when we pray.It is so easy for us to think we are letting God lead us, but infact let our experiences and thoughts cloud our judgement. If we act humbly, and say each time if it is the lords will..., we will get our focus on what God is saying to us more clearly.Avoiding being presumptious, and boasting in any way that we have the answers, only acting in a humble way. If we go to the lord with every step, to get approval about each point before moving on, we can have total assurance once we have sensed his leading, that the path indicated is the best one, and to go for it, depending on his wisdom not ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bower Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bower Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? They say the people perish without a plan. Planning stages need to include communication with God - asking receiving and being really llert for the signposts that the Lord gives us . When we go on our own journey there are so many details that it is very likely through our boasting and determination we won't get to the destination in the centre of God's Will. If we realise that every aspect of our journey needs to berecognised as God Given by acknowledging that it keeps us closer to the Lord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashech Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? The danger James is warning us,is pride. Because boasting is the work of foolishness that implies God is not in control of our lives Proud people always boast about their achievements and would not give glory to God. In this act, may God forgive me for being careless in boasting before His sight. How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? We need to do plannings in hope to be blessed not only for ourselves but also at the same time those around us, share our blessing. By the way, whatever planning we make must be commited to the Lord because He is our Provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramon Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? Answer: James is exhorting His Readers to be Humble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy L W Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? If we lay our own lives down and ask the Lord what is His will for our lives that's how we humble ourselves. Let our answers be yes and no. Keep our answers honest and to the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljmnkscart Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 James is telling us that we do not have final control over what we may plan; when he says that our life is like a fog, here today and gone tomorrow that we can plan all we want but we may not be here to carry out the plan. We are being arrogant, proud and boastful in thinking that we can do something unless God allows it. In planning we must always seek God in the planning. We must not go out on our own without humbling ourselves in our own eyes and realizing that we need help from the Source of all power. If we do this we can know that we have done the right thing and be confident that we have asked in His will and wait patiently for His answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodR Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 James is warning us against believing we are in charge of our future. Humble planning includes an understanding of Proverbs 16:9 - “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Being humble in our planning involves decisively submitting to His timing and His will. This is especially difficult when we have the means or ability to move ahead on our own. We must always seek His wisdom and His guidance on His timetable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 The danger that James is warning us about is being arrogant. We think that we have the future in our hands when we don’t. We need to rely on God to do the good things that we are planning on doing. We need to be sincere that we are sincere in our plans by saying the “Lord willing”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragnew Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? James is warning us against the arrogance of thinking that we are the masters of our own destiny. He reminds us that our lives are fleeting and can end at any moment. Therefore we need to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord when we make plans for the future by saying (as a reminder to ourselves and to others) that we will do various things "if the Lord wills." By making this statement we are humbling ourselves before the Lord and His plan for us while at the same time not being stalled in our fear of making a wrong move. In the end, the Lord's will will be done regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwalane Mofokeng Posted January 23, 2013 Report Share Posted January 23, 2013 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? Yet you are stupid enough to brag, and it is wrong to be so proud How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? Only if we let Christ to live His life in our body, we will always wait for Him to lead us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Jim Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? When things are going our way it's tempting to neglect God and rely instead on our own resources. We make grand plans and tell the world about them. Such planning is prideful boasting. That heart attack could come tonight while you're asleep! Anything at all can or could happen and all our plans will come to naught. An old friend of mine at a young age mapped out what course he wanted his life to take. He's just begun work as a first year apprentice fitter and he mapped out his life in great detail. When he took up playing the drums he even factored that in to his life plan and if the band made more rapid progress than he'd planned, he'd call a break and not rehearse for a month so that we'd be back on his timetable. He wouldn't even try to learn a difficult piece of music because it was too soon for him to be that good just yet! Then he got married and God threw the biggest spanner ever into the works. His wife became pregnant on their honeymoon. All his plans went out the window. He was devastated and I counselled him to not even try to amend the plan but to abandon it altogether and let God have His way. He's now working in a totally different career altogether. How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? We need to be in tune with God. If we feel led to go in a certain direction we can never be 100% sure it's God's will for us. I don't know anyone who has heard the voice of God tell them exactly what to do. Most of us muddle through life drifting in and out of God's Will. It's a rare Christian indeed who unwaveringly walks the path God prepared for him/her with a clear vision of where they're going. A pastor's kid will feel he needs to be a pastor as well. God may have other plans. The family business may not be God's direction for the heir to the empire. In prayer and humility we may say: If the Lord is willing I'll take on this or that career. We must be prepared to veer from that course though if it becomes clear to us that God wants us to do something else. The same goes for money. Don't squander what you have and say: "The Lord will provide." It's not good practice to keep expecting God to make up the difference when we squander our gifts and blessings. I always use Samson as the prime example of someone who squandered his potential and God had to keep tidying up after him. He could have delivered Israel if he'd been more faithful in serving God. As many Philistines as Samson killed, he could have practically wiped them out if he'd stuck to walking in God's will!! Living in faith is fine but the Bible clearly teaches the wisdom of putting aside something for a rainy day. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akkjl Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Submission. It is a word used to express our choice to rely on someone else. We as humans view submission as weak or giving up. If God is the creator and giver of life, it should be the natural response. But our arrogant nature makes us fight this. If we focus on what He has done perhaps there could be no other response than submission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akkjl Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Submission. It is a word used to express our choice to rely on someone else. We as humans view submission as weak or giving up. If God is the creator and giver of life, it should be the natural response. But our arrogant nature makes us fight this. If we focus on what He has done perhaps there could be no other response than submission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? The danger James is warning us about in verse 13-16 is the fact when we become too arrogant in our plans and leave God out of it, we try to produce benefits on our own power. We can be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy washy by praying that by the Lord's will we will do whatever he allows us to do according to his will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyreek Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 James counsels in 4:14-15, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." We are all held accountable to God and our lives are brief. God wants to guide each of our lives, I Chronicles 15:13(b) says, “We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way,” and we must discern His will for our lives to do things His way and not our own. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Q Posted October 13, 2017 Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 Nothing wrong with planning. It's the bragging that gets us into trouble. Also excessive competition or running over others to achieve these plans. We also need make sure that we are seeking to do the right things, not just asking God to bless our latest pursuit. In all, do good, do well, stay humble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted June 8, 2022 Report Share Posted June 8, 2022 "We need to be in tune with God. If we feel led to go in a certain direction we can never be 100% sure it's God's will for us. I don't know anyone who has heard the voice of God tell them exactly what to do. Most of us muddle through life drifting in and out of God's Will. It's a rare Christian indeed who unwaveringly walks the path God prepared for him/her with a clear vision of where they're going." These wise words are from Guitar Jim, above. I don't know how to link to them. -- I am so convicted by this question. I'm a planner. Since I can remember, I've set goals and plotted my way toward them. Actually, it's worse than this because I'm in love with both graph paper and excel spreadsheets and actually chart my progress toward goals EVERY DAY. Not kidding. I'm totally convinced that without goals, I won't get anywhere, which perhaps is the point of James. Maybe we're not supposed to have plans and goals? Maybe plans and goals are like material goods that we're to hold lightly? I'm thinking of the apostles who had no more than the clothes on their back, no plans or expectations or thought of the future. They weren't stocking their IRAs for when they're old, but rather completely and totally relying on God for daily sustenance as well as daily goals. Is this what we're supposed to be like? If so, it's a chimera. I suppose I could be homeless and penniless and utterly dependent on God BY CHOICE, but, frankly, I don't want to live like this. Would I be willing to live like this if I clearly heard Him tell me to? Probably, but like Guitar Jim said above, we muddle through life not completely certain that the voice in our head is our own or the Holy Spirit. There's both a humility required both in planning and in submitting -- we can get them both wrong! Or, right. I suppose this is the wishy-washy-ness that Pastor Ralph asks about, that the humility I have before my own plans as well as knowing His plans is such that I become tentative in all I do. I hold my plans lightly, but still plan. I submit strongly, yet still allow for the real possibility I got His directive wrong. What's does "stepping out in faith" mean, really? Is it having the guts to plan, announce the plan and then humbly say I'm wrong ... or right? Is it having the courage to say I heard God tell me to do something, and then, perhaps, have to say, "oops ... got it wrong again?" If pride is the problem, it's all relative. If I went to a church in which everyone was, say, very poor, and I told them that I felt God telling me to start a new company, borrow the money ... whatever, they'd probably think I was proud and arrogant, but if I went to a church composed of wealthier people, it wouldn't be arrogance, would it? It would be typical behavior; no big deal. So perhaps the antidote to arrogance -- which I'm learning now -- is to only talk to people who would have compassionate understanding of how I hear God's voice as well as make my own plans. Sorry for the long post. This hit a sore spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 Q1. James is warning us about ignoring God when it comes to planning our lives. We tend to plan and then say please bless these plans Lord. James wants us to be humble and to seek the Lords approval before we embark on anything in our lives. If we are walking close to the Lord we will want to do everything to please Him and to be ‘in His Will’. We must not use spiritual jargon to cover our indecisiveness we must be committed but know we can only do something or be somewhere if God allows it. We must let our yes be yes and our know be no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 Q25. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? We are warned about the danger of not consulting God in all our future plans. We must realize that our destinies are under His control. Our decisions should be made in prayer. That is including our Heavenly Father in all our planning, so that way forward will be and should be in compliance with His will. As a new believer, before I knew about the dangers of making important decisions without including God in my plans, I bumped my head very hard, and had some scary business experiences. It is only when I included our Lord in my plans that I found I could go ahead in peace, and full confidence. His Word teaches us: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. We come humbly before our Lord, and discern His will through His Word. Remember that when we abide in Jesus – living in Him, day by day – then our will becomes more and more aligned with His will, and we can ask what we desire, knowing that more and more of our asking will be according to His will. “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). Then we see answered prayer. In this, we see the purpose of prayer and the secret of power in prayer. We are not boasting about things done in our power, but in the power from above. No indecision or wishy-washiness here! It is to ask; to ask anything; to ask anything according to His will; and once having so asked, to have the assurance that He hears us. We should be very careful in leaving God out of our planning and priding ourselves in our boastful plans for the future. We can sometimes act as if we are the masters of our own fate. We need to humble ourselves before God, acknowledging that He is control. We must also be careful in saying ‘I will’ or ‘we will’ without first consulting God. We should note the ‘I wills’ of Lucifer in Isa 14:13-14: “for you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne coffey Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 Jesus said that we must make good use of all the abilities that have been given to us so it is our responsibility to see that we do,we must ask him for guidance so that we can do this according to his will and remember when using our abilities that we were given them for his purposes and not for our glory this will keep us humble. ” It is he that has made us and not we ourselves”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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