[6] You may think that the situation is hopeless, but God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That's why Scripture says, God opposes the proud, but He pours out grace on the humble. [7] So submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure. [8] Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close to you. Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God on one side and selfish pursuits on the other. [9] Now is the time to lament, to grieve, and to cry. Dissolve your laughter into sobbing, and exchange your joy for depression. [10] Lay yourself bare, facedown to the ground, in humility before the Lord; and He will lift your head so you can stand tall. [11] My brothers and sisters, do not assault each other with criticism. If you decide your job is to accuse and judge another believer, then you are a self-appointed critic and judge of the law; if so, then you are no longer a doer of the law and subject to its rule; you stand over it as a judge. [12] Know this-there is One who stands supreme as Judge and Lawgiver. He alone is able to save and to destroy, so who are you to step in and try to judge another?
