Hanging by the thread

The most admired marriages do not exist just by chance; they flourish as a result of hard work to love and cherishing one another. On the other hand, the marriages that don’t last, experience fears of brutal violence, abuse, marital unfaithfulness and lack of respect between spouses.

Unfaithfulness is one of the major causes of broken marriages. It’s not a one time event but a continues craving that starts with a thought, then an action, which grows to a habit and eventually makes a character. The inner character of a person is more important than what is seen from the outside because what is inside will always manifest on the outside.

The story of Judah in Gen 38:1-26 tells how he compromised his integrity and fear for God by taking his son’s wife Tamar and sleeping with her. Though he was known to be a man who is godly and worth of respect, he could not overcome the lust of the fresh which led him to sin against God. There is no one who plans to fall into sin but hanging by the things that one knows for sure they will lead him/her to sin.

The early stages of marriage is always romantic, full of love and enjoyment, however this is not guaranteed to last a lifetime. During his preaching, Dr. Paul Wangai says “Romantic love doesn’t last; it lasts between 6months to 2 years”. ‘When this reality strikes, the emotions and principles must merge for marriage to be successful”.

Marriage is a covenant and an institution that must be cherished and respected. It’s a God idea and no one should joke around with it. Spouses must learn to respect one another avoiding arguments that ignite conflict. They must respect each other’s sexuality and commitment to fulfilling each other’s needs.

One must avoid tension building things such as imitations and abuses that are not godly and which can end up breaking marriage. We must live a life that is worthy of godly character in order to bring healing and joy into our marriages.

Thought for today:

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.-

The focus of our lives is very important.-

Our desire and longings must be for greater things.-

We pursue what our hearts long for.-

This calls for a decision - what will your focus be?

No Sin Goes unpunished

Following David’s sin was a cover up that led to the assassination of Uriah. God was not happy with David and he sent Nathan to rebuke David for his Sin. '"The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." numbers 14:18.

David’s sin affected his own generation even though they had nothing to do with it. God will not let any sin go unpunished despite his attributes of love and slow to anger. When Nathan met David, he said to him,

"This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. On the seventh day the child died. 2 Sam 11-18.

Though David accepted his sin and repented before the Lord, the repercussion of his sin still remained. His own child is the one who had to pay the penalty of his sin. The same continued to his generation with Amnon David’s son raping his sister Tamar. As a result, Absalom struck dead his brother Amnon. 2 Sam 13:1-32.

Lamentation 5:7 Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment.

David’s story reveals to us that it’s the children who suffer whenever there is misunderstanding between parents, issues of divorce and unfaithfulness within marriage. Those who sin in darkness God will expose them in broad day light.

“If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished. Job 10:14

Don’t Cross the Bridge it’s not worth it.

Our current sermon series concerns marriages and issues that are affecting our marriages today "Ya pretty little thing". We would like to share with you some of the highlights from the sermon series and we hope this will change your life as well as your families: The story in 2 Sam 11:1-26 resemble so many situations that have broken the codes of many families not only here in Kenya but all around the world. King David was anointed by God and was set apart for His work. These however didn’t make him superior or an exception from the temptations and the sinful desires that other people go through. He remained a Man like any other.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

V1-6 This passage describes David’s sexual sin with another woman who was already married. There are so many people; men and women who have fallen in the same trap of falling into sin outside their marriage. Research shows that most of the people obsessed with lust and pornography are the married men and women. The reason why so many people fall into sexual sin is because of crossing bridges intentionally. The following reasons contributed to David’s mess:

1. David was at the wrong place at the wrong time when he saw Uriah’s wife from the roof of his palace one evening instead of being at the battle field with the army. You want to work late hours to meet someone of the opposite sex.

2. David recognized that the Woman was beautiful.v2 What we allow our eyes to see can register images in our minds that can trigger us towards sinful actions.

3. David sent someone to find details about her. Looking for avenues to interact and gathering details about someone, calling them for interviews, giving people special assignments at odd hours, all these with motives to gain personal agendas

4. David sent a messenger to get her with intention of going to bed with her. David created a pre-determined encounter.

5. David sinned with her. As a result God judged him for what he did. As powerful man he took advantage of a weak woman.

6. David attempts to cover up his sin v7-26.



Uriah’s wife was driven by the passions of the King but the King himself was driven by his own lustful passion with him. The devil is determined to destroy our families. He is the enemy of the Children of the light and we must resist him at all cost.

Thought For today

Psalm 84:10

"Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked"

There is nothing as important as God's presence.
One moment in His presence can change our lives.
Sometimes we settle for so many other things.
With God's presence in our lives we can face anything.

PRAYER: Lord, more than anything else I long to enjoy more of Your presence in my life. Help me not to be distracted by other things.

April 30. A Rescue from Death’s Mouth 5:19-20

In our previous reflections, James has expressed to us about a God who is personal and good; he gives good gifts and gives them generously (1:5, 17). A God who is absolute; his word is true and his judgments are supreme (1:18; 4:12). The effects of prayer, the value of speech, wisdom and other elements that help us to grow deeper in the Lord.

Having walked with Apostle James for the last couple of weeks, we now come to the very last two verses of the book and also to the end of our journey with Apostle James.

V19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, v20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

It’s possible to know absolute truth in regard to God’s plan for us and yet wonder from that truth. When we think about athletics, Christian faith is like a marathon and not a relay. It’s a long journey with many obstacles, challenges as well as victories. James is aware that for someone to conquer this journey and win the race, one has to comply with what the master our Lord Jesus Christ desires of us.

The unique thing with this marathon is that you need others and they need you in order to win the race without competing. James now tells us to think about others who are walking through the same journey with us.

There are those who will feel weary along the way and may attempt to wander or drift from the truth. We who are steadfast should bring them back. It always seems difficult to speak to a friend, brother or sister who is going on the wrong direction but the truth is that; in this journey, no one is an exemption and therefore we should all be our brother’s keeper.

“Snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh” (Jude 13).

When we turn others from drifting away from the faith, we are literaturaly saving them from the mouth of death. James's conviction is that sin represents a life-threatening danger, not just a harmless blemish on our otherwise good character. Sin is not to be tolerated complacently; it destroys us. James may have in mind physical death from the illness associated with sin in 5:15. We must therefore note that genuine faith includes repentance for sin and a life of obedience to Christ as Lord.

The Effects of a Fervent Prayer 5:13-18

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that God has chosen to change the lives of people. It’s the way we talk to Him and Him to us. The way prayer works cannot be explained by human mind because it’s entirely supernatural in the sense that God listens and responds to the petitions and the cries of His people when they call to Him. The bible records many instances where God urged his people to seek him with all their hearts and with all their minds and they will find Him.

Some one may ask why God watch people go through challenges without doing anything until they call to Him. My response to these will be, prayer is not just a way of speaking to God but also a discipline where God trains people how to put their trust in Him.

James emphasizes this fact by saying that the prayer offered by faith is powerful and effective. Faith here shows trust and total dependence. “Without faith it impossible to please God” Heb 11:6a. God is pleased by those who do anything with total trust and dependence on him.

James mentions how prayer works out miraculous in the natural world and makes impact in people’s lives. There are things He suggests that engages the prayer of faith; e.g. asking elders of the Church to pray for you and to anoint you with oil. Elders in today’s set up can refer to those who are leaders and mature Christians among us. The prayer of faith is effective and powerful to make the sick well; though he/she has sinned, the Lord will forgive him. Another aspect added in v 16b is the ‘prayer of a righteous man’. This means is not just a prayer offered by faith but by a righteous man.

Prayers that are hindered by the sins of the people and the best way to approach God’s throne is by first cleansing ourselves before making our requests made known to Him. In teaching his disciple to pray, Jesus responded to their request and taught them how to approach God’s throne through prayer.

‘Teach us” should be the prayer of every Christian heart’ said DL moody. “Each Christian should ask himself the question, "Can I pray this prayer?" This prayer has been called by a good many "the Lord's prayer," but it wasn't; it was the disciples' prayer. The disciples had been with Jesus, and He was praying. And when He finished, they said to Him, "Teach us, Lord, how to pray." They didn't ask him to teach them how to preach; man knows how to do that; but they wanted to know how to pray. They'd all soon know how to preach if they only knew how to pray” moody.

Among those who affected their world through prayer is Elijah. James tells us that he was a man like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced it’s its crops. V17-18. Elijah was upright before the Lord and had total trust upon the Lord that when he prays, the Lord will hear him.

In conclusion, God is interested in our hearts when praying and not the many words we can mention before. He is always willing to respond to our requests when we have no other way to depend on apart from Him.

Thought for today:
Psalm 62:2

He only is my Rock! I shall not be moved.- God is the rock on which you can stand.- This speaks of Permanence, Stability and Divine Protection.- God wants to be all of this for you.- BUT He must be your ONLY rock!- THEN you can be secure no matter what storms may come.

PRAYER: Lord, I declare that you are my ONLY rock. As I trust you I can stand secure. In Jesus Name. AMEN

Let Your Yes Be Yes

James 5: 12

"Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your yes be yes and your no, no or you will be condemned."

Swearing with an oath common practice in the Old Testament. James firmly tells Christians not to swear. We frequently use phrases or words of exclamation that often indicate that we do not take the holiness (apartness from us) of God seriously. We use them to get around using the literal name of God when we swear. Such include: "Gosh" "Golly" "G’darn" "Gad," "Jeez" "Gee" etc. These have their origin in or mimic the name of God or Jesus. Even "mild" oaths like "Good Grief" and "Goodness Gracious" are indirectly related to the name of God. "Goodness knows" presumably means "God knows." The use of this kind of language dishonors God. One of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" Deut 5:11.

I want to believe that James is talking about more than merely swearing using the name of God and its derogative derivatives. It is about needing to prove your word. Swearing to prove the truthfulness of our claims is actually an indication of an undisciplined or uncontrolled tongue. You are likely to find someone who needs to swear to prove they are honest also committing other sins of speech, such as gossiping, lying, malice, filthy language or unkind words. Or they might just be like my friend who says that she puts her foot in her mouth and then has to go home quickly to brush. That is, she speaks without thinking about what she is saying first and therefore ends up saying things that hurt others or puts people off. These are the ways that Paul told new Christians to put to death along with other sins of the body in Colossians 3: 1-11.

James is in fact following Jesus teaching in Matthew 5: 33-37. Both these scriptures references are condemning the flippant use of the name of the Lord or a sacred object to guarantee the truth of what is being said. We are to live with enough purity of heart such that our word as Christians is our bond. Our integrity guarantees his truthfulness. We should be of such holy character that others would never expect us to lie.

What we speak is an indication of what is in our depths “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings the good things stored up in him, and the evil man bring out the evil stored up in him” Matthew, 12: 34, 35. “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction” Prov. 16: 23. Therefore, “above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” Prov. 4:23.

God’s standards for our speech as for our purity of body are very high. No matter what the world says or does, he does not lower the bar--not with matters of morality and not with matters of speech. God expects us to be pure in every way. And by prayer, by discipline and by dependence on the Holy Spirit it is possible to uphold those standards. Don't settle for less. Go for God's best in every area of your lifestyle. That includes your tongue.

Patience in Suffering

James 5:7-11

Today's passage closely follows the previous passage of rich people that oppress the poor. Believers are suffering at the hands of the wicked rich. James encourages to focus their hope in the imminent return of the Lord. They are not to retaliate or try to get vengeance for themselves. When the Lord comes back, he will make all things right.

Remember when we studied Jonah? We said that the prerogative to avenge, to make things right belongs to God, never to us. And he would rather have mercy than destroy if people repent. That is why James gives stern warnings to the rich in earlier verses, perchance they will change their ways and use their wealth in the right way. Yet it is true that those who persistently do evil pile up their sins to the sky, and God will punish them, just like he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and other ancient cities that sinned persistently in spite of recieving severe warnings from the prophets of the Lord..

James urges patience in suffering, just the same way a farmer patiently waits for rain so that he can plant. The coming of the Lord and the punishment of the wicked is as certain as the spring or autum rains that signal the arrival of a new season. The rains may delay, but they will certainly come for the sutaince of life. Christians may not know when the Lord will come back, but he will come, like a thief in the night when he is least expected. Peter urges "The end of all things is near; therefore be clearminded so that you can pray" 1Pet4:7

In the verses that follow their texts, both Peter James give Christians a set of values to help them in the face suffering. These are the values that have sustained Christians throughout the centuries when they have been tested for their faith:

They are to stand firm: in the face of suffering it is easy to compromise values so that suffering can stop. We are to be faithful to the convictions of our faith no matter what. Peter says

Do not grumble: It is easy to complain in the face of suffering. Complaining creates bitterness and spreads ill feelings or negative energy among others. People that are complainign cannot be patient in suffering.

Look to the examples of others that have suffered patiently in the past and endured. This will bring encouragement. Listen to the example of others that endured in suffering—like Job.

No matter what you as a christian go through, do not loose sight of the coming of the Lord and the fact that this will bring a new season of life without any tears and pain.

When Wealth Becomes Bitter

James 5: 1-6

Some months ago we took a drive with some friends to Lake Bogoria out in the Rift Valley. The lake is famous for its natural hot water geysers that spurt from underground. A favorite pastime for the visitors is to boil eggs in the geysers. But that’s just about all you can do on this lake. Two other things strike you about the lake: there a disturbing calmness on the surface of the water. It is not stillness of Psalm 23. It is a deadness that is not consistent with a water body. There is no activity on the water, no movement, no ripples that suggest to you there is life. There are flamingos that inhabit the shore; they live on some form of bacteria, but that’s about the two forms on life you find on this lake.

But with flamingos inhabiting its shores, Bogoria is not nearly as dead as what they say of the Dead Sea in Israel which is the receptor of the water from the great River Jordan, but has no obvious outlet. There no form of life in that highly saline lake. Scientists say that Lake Bogoria was once a fresh water lake. Its waters used to flow out on Lake Baringo. But now there is no overflow. With time it might just become another dead sea with no form of life in it.

The tragedy of Lake Bogoria and the Dead Sea is the tragedy of rich people as James warns. James is not condemning wealth; he is against the preoccupation of accumulating wealth at the expense of others in need (including your workers) and to the abandonment of all virtue. Resources that are stolen, withheld from others that need them or are just not shared corrupt the owner. The outcome of hoarding is growing greed—the desire to accumulate more and more without ever getting satisfied. Hoarding and greed come from the mistaken belief that there is not enough for all of us, and we have to grab as much as we can and keep it for ourselves. James offers admonishment against this attitude in the strongest terms possible “your wealth will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire”.

James is blunt about why people hoard wealth—so that they can secure their own future, live in wealth in luxury and self-indulgence. But that, he says is fattening themselves up for the day of slaughter (vs 5). When people have so much, they have no use for God and for others. Look at some of the richest people around us who have turned accumulation of wealth into their vocation, even politicians who have inherited a lot of wealth. Their lives and those of their families are marred by all kinds of miseries resulting from indulgence.

This passage reminds of the source of true blessing as God would have it “If you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry, and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday. The Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails…you will be called repairer of broken walls…”Isaiah 58: 12

Well, the choice is your—to become a spring whose water never fails or to crystallize into a dull and dreary Dead Sea that can support no life.

Day 13-The danger of living tomorrow 4:13-17

We are leaving in times where first speed lifestyle is the order of the day. Modernization and the current technology have left nothing to chances but that anyone who wants to catch up with the first world must plan ahead and must see ahead. In looking at the subject of the future James can be mistaken to say, it is not right to think or plan things ahead. No. It’s always good to project for the goals and the dreams that we have.

With all these in mind, there is a great temptation to take things for granted and view things just as normal or as usual. Saying things will still happen like they did yesterday. That we shall do this and that like we did yesterday. It sounds good because by doing these we are positive about what is to come.

On the other hand, James is giving us caution in Ja 4:13-14a, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, and carry on business and make money ’,‘ why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

His caution is not a condemnation to those who plan ahead because of course without planning there can be no results. A farmer who doesn’t prepare for planting can’t see the harvest in his/her mind. He must project everything ahead of time and after planting he can now wait with expectation for the good results. The scriptures records people who planned about what they wanted to do. E.g. Paul, “Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea”. 2 Cor1:15-16.

In verses 14b James says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”. This means everything we are and do is in the hands of God. He knows all that will happen tomorrow while we do not know a thing about tomorrow. We must not therefore, put our trust in our plans or in the things we are planning for. We must always put our trust in the Lord.

James encourages that, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’. As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil”.

In acts 18:21, Paul promised, “I will come back if its God’s will”. And also in 1Cor4:19, “but I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing”.

When we trust the Lord for our future, we’ll not need to fear even about the present because the Lord will take care of everything. Our boasting therefore should be in the Lord. We should not boast about our success or else we will be taking the praise that belongs to the Lord. If we praise our success and work we sin. In verse 17 James says that when we fail to do the good we ought to do and do not do, we commit sin.

Day 12- Petitioning to the true Judge 4:11-12

For the last couple of days we have been studying about self control when conversing with others, quarrels that arise among us and yesterday we looked at how God deals with pride and his promise to the broken hearted.

Today we are going to look at slander; what is slander? Slander is speaking about someone from his back. It is exposing the weaknesses and the faults of your brother/sister or a friend to another person. Someone may say, because everyone has weaknesses, then slander can be positive but the truth is, whether what you say behind your brother is true or false, that is slander and it is sin before the Lord.

A good example in the Old Testament is Exodus 12:1-16 when Miriam and Aaron spoke against their brother Moses. His weakness of marrying a Cushite woman and they discussed among each other, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” Hasn’t he also spoken through us? And the Lord heard them and was angry with the two and struck Miriam with leprosy. Aaron pleaded with Moses to intercede for her and when he did, the Lord commanded that Miriam be confined outside the camp for seven days and she will be well.

He who speaks against or judges another speaks against the law and judges it. “When you judge the law you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it”. v 11b. We judge the law (God’s word) by disobeying what it says we should do. Judging the law can also mean making ourselves greater than the law. When we judge others we are not only taking the law in our hands but also assuming the position of the judge. It is very easy to interpret scripture in away that fits the circumstance that we are in, in order to blame others or to hold them accountable for our own responsibilities.

Who then should we petition when wronged? James tells us that, “there is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge”. God is our judge and we must petition or our concerns before Him because He is just and merciful. We must approach His throne of grace with confidence so that we may find mercy to help us in our time of need and not to take his place to judge others. It’s a greater sin when someone attempts to be in the place of God who is the Judge. He also says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath for it is written: ‘it is mine to avenge, I will repay”. Rom 12:19.

He is sovereign and he says in His word that He shares His glory with no other. We are His creation and we must revere Him and acknowledge that He is all in all and that we cannot do without Him. We should not therefore, dare to judge our brothers because God knows them better than we do and He does whatever He pleases. He saved Paul when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Church. He would have preferred to do away with Paul by destroying him but instead he held him captive to be a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the good news. Paul’s passion was to judge but God revealed Himself to him as the true judge and that marked a turning point in Paul’s life.

Day 11- The Secrets of God’s uplifting 4:5-10

Welcome to these weeks study with Apostle James. Our prayer is that these reflections from God’s word will minister to you and help you in your day to day walk with the Lord.

We begin today by asking ourselves, what is the secret of being uplifted by the Lord. In verses 5 James says, “Or do you think scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why scripture says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. In an earlier study with James we said that it is a dangerous thing when God gets to place where He can oppose your plan or your idea.

Ezekiel the prophet was commanded by the Lord to speak against the City of Jerusalem that became proud and started practicing detestable things before Him. Ezekiel spoke to them and said, “O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols you have made. You have brought days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore, I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughing stock to all the countries. Those near you and those far away will mock you, O infamous city, and full of turmoil”. “Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? Ezek 22:3-5, 14.

The bible is and has been very categorical that God is never pleased when his people becomes proud and turns away from Him to things that are detestable before Him. His judgment is hash on them. God has always been faithful to us his children but on the other hand, His people remains unfaithful and ungrateful of the things He has done. We always long to follow our own ways such us self ambition, money, power and these have become idols in our midst.

The most amazing thing is that, no matter how far we stray, the Lord always continues to call us back in His grace and mercy. And no matter how great our sin looks, God’s grace is greater than our sins and all he wants from us is to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness. To the humble He gives grace because He looks at the heart and not the outside. This means God does not give his grace to all.

He will oppose the proud but give grace to the humble and broken; those who recognize their hopelessness and that without God they are completely nothing. To them God will never turn away His face but will stretch His hand to help and lift them. This is the secret of God’s uplifting. Note, to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart according to psalm 50:17 is not automatic, but is as a result of what James suggest in 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will free from you”.

Broken people will always see the need in their heart and cry to God for mercy but proud people will focus on other people’s failure and what they can gain out of them. The proud will claim to be served by others but the broken person longs and enjoys serving others. The broken will sense the limitation within them and recognize that they can’t make it in life without the savior but the proud have a personal drive that longs for power positions and pleasure which eventually leads them to destruction. Prov 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall”.

God’s desire according to James 4:8, is that His people will come near to Him and He will draw near to them. "humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up".v10