James 3:14-17; 4:4,6-7; 5:16: "If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit . . . . (for) friendship with the world is hatred toward God . . . anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God . . . . That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you . . . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
As we read through the above cited passage, we are reminded that obedience to God through surrender to Him as Lord and submission to others in love is counter to the prevailing philosophy of the world. Whereas God would have believers renounce any quest for selfish ambition over Him as Master and Savior, the world would advise each person to get all he can (even at the expense of others), for personal desire transcends all other motivations and loyalties in life.
Scripture tells us that a self-absorbed disposition is not only worldly and unspiritual, but it is also "of the devil." When a person is consumed with his personal appetites as the foundational driver for his life, he cannot deny that such a preoccupation is utterly detestable to the Lord. Such sin is abhorrent to the Lord for it attempts to assert one's quest for divinity over the One True God. One need only look at the early chapters of Genesis to see that this craving by man was the catalyst that introduced sin into the world in the first place (see Genesis 3).
What God desires from His devoted followers is a heart inclined to "peace, consideration, submission, and mercy." God wants a people who have renounced everything to follow Him as their Master and will demonstrate the above character traits with those in whom they come in contact. So strong is this imperative from the Lord that He calls those who follow after their wanton desires "enemies of God (whom) God will oppose" in His Sovereign Power. Therefore, Scripture compels the one who is saturated with personal exaltation and satisfaction to forsake such sins and instead submit himself to God. A person who continually recommits himself to God as His Lord will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be able to resist the temptations of the devil.
If one is asking how he might be able to reorient his life from selfishness to surrender, he need only look at James 5:16 as the antidote. In this passage, God implores us to "confess (our) sins to one another and pray for one another to experience healing." Notice that when a person confesses his sins, he is owning up to the wickedness in his life and in a spirit of humility is renouncing such vain pursuits. Notice too that Scripture compels the person to pray for others. Praying for others takes the focus away from self and puts it instead on loving others and seeking their best. The mind is taken away from what the flesh desires and instead thinks how he can be an agent of blessing to those for whom he is praying.
If we don't want to become an enemy of God, we will forsake the desires of our selfishness and instead put God first in our lives and love others with self-sacrificing love. God tells us that if we humble ourselves before Him, He in turn will bless us by "lifting us up" (James 4:10).
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