In Sermon Illustrations: "James 4:4-10"

Trying To Walk Two Roads

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 13, 2011

TRYING TO WALK TWO ROADS There is an old West African proverb which says, "The man who tries to walk two roads will split his pants." (Janet Weiss, Leesburg, Florida, heard in a conversation by her father, a missionary to the Maninka tribe) That’s the way it is with those who try to live for the ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4

Tags: Worldliness

Facing Down A Mountain Lion  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 14, 2011

FACING DOWN A MOUNTAIN LION Did you know that in the United States, mountain lions are the number one predator of human beings? So says author and naturalist, Craig Childs. On one occasion, he was doing research on the lions in Arizona’s Blue Range Wilderness. As he approached a water hole from ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Satan

The World's Accent  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Mar 22, 2012

THE WORLD'S ACCENT When I was a boy, my Arkansas cousins moved to California for two years. When they moved back, they talked funny. Just living in California for two years influenced how they said "You guys" and how often they said it. I prefer "Y'all" to "You guys" any day. My cousins promised ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4, Romans 12:2

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

Deepika And Discipline  PRO

Contributed by Bala Samson on Aug 27, 2013

DEEPIKA AND DISCIPLINE James 4:8 "Come near to God and He will come near to you..." She is just a doll! Fair, pretty with a smile that could steal anyone's heart; her name is Deepika, four year old daughter of a couple who pick up garbage from residential quarters. She was untamed, dirty, ...read more

Scripture: James 4:8

Tags: Intimacy With God, Drawing Near To God

Denomination: Pentecostal

Chapter 11

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 4, 2014

Two old friends met one day after many years. One graduated from a prestigious college and was very successful. The other had not attended college and was very poor. The poor friend said, "How has everything been going with you?" The successful friend said, "Well, one day I opened the Bible at ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-11

Tags: Wealth, Riches, Success

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer Meeting Week After Week With A Woman ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 2, 2008

Prayer meeting week after week with a woman praying every week this prayer: "Lord, please get rid of the cobwebs in my life." Every week, the same prayer, without fail. Over and over again. Finally, one of the men in the prayer meeting got so fed up, he offered up his own ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-10

Pride (Augustine)

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 31, 2018

Augustine on pride: Every proud man heeds himself and he who pleases himself seems great to himself. But he who pleases himself pleases a fool for ...read more

Scripture: James 4:6-8

Tags: Humility, Pride

Denomination: Pentecostal

C.s. Lewis And The Conversation Between Two Devils

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

One young devil asked an older devil: “How did you manage to bring so many souls to hell?” The old devil answered: “I instilled fear in them!” Answers the youngster: “Great job!" "And what were they afraid of? Wars? Hunger?” Answers the man: “No, they were afraid of the disease!” The ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Hell, Community, Devil, Relationships, Demons, Excuses  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Still Has One More Move

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 22, 2023

This is a story about a painting in a famous art gallery in France. The painting depicts two chess players, one of whom is Satan, who appears arrogantly confident, and the other is a man who looks forlorn. If Satan wins, he wins the man's soul. (The painting is now popularly known as ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:11, 1 Peter 5:8-9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Painting, Control, Player, Chess

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Tired? I Am.

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 22, 2023

Can you believe it? Another year is in the books. I don’t know about you, but as magical and wonderful this time of year is, it is exhausting. I’m tired! And the fact is that it’s not just this time of year. I find myself getting weary and tired often. Life is like that. It can wear you down. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7, Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Perseverance, Endurance, Temptation, Discouragement, Weariness, New Years, Tiredness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Get Away From Me, Satan!

Contributed by Subasini Peter on May 8, 2024

Get away from me, Satan!" Jesus said to the devil. It is a statement and the tone of speech of Jesus towards the tempter. When you want to chase a puppy or dog which you don't like and if you say to it very softly "ssshhh...shhh...shhh..." will the dog leave you? No, he will ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:10, James 4:7

Tags: Confession, Authority

The Desire For Love

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Aug 8, 2024

The Desire for Love Humor: A couple who had been chatting online for weeks finally met on their first date. After an expensive meal in an upscale restaurant, the lady plucked a daisy from the flower arrangement on the table, pulling the pedals off one by one. She repeated to herself, “He loves me, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:5, 1 John 5:4-5, 1 John 5:10, James 4:4, John 15:19  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Romance, Humor, Priorities, Love Of World  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Definition Of Sin

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 4, 2025

The Greek word for sin is ‘hamartia.” It means ‘to miss the mark.” This classic interpretation refers to an archer missing the bullseye with an arrow. There are three possible causes for the miss: • Unintentional – archer did not mean to miss – still wrong – Hebrew word: ‘chattah’ – ...read more

Scripture: James 4:8

Tags: Sin, Iniquity, Transgression

Denomination: Methodist

[084]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three "fs"

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 16, 2025

[084]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Fs There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the third one in the first set - FOR ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:14, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Friendliness, Fellowship, Faithfulness, Poetry, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[087]. A Message From A Poem – For All Christians - The Three Os

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 25, 2025

[087]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR ALL CHRISTIANS - THE THREE Os There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the third one in the second set ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:45, James 4:6, 1 Samuel 15:22, Hebrews 5:8-9

Tags: For All Christians, Obey, Opposition, Poetry, Open, Poem, Oppose, Obedience, Wrong  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational