Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord - In James 4:7 they were exhorted to submit to God; here they are exhorted to humble themselves in his sight. Submission to God's authority will precede humiliation of soul, and genuine repentance is performed as in the sight of God; for when a sinner is truly awakened to a sense of his guilt and danger, he seems to see, whithersoever he turns, the face of a justly incensed God turned against him.

He shall lift you up - Mourners and penitents lay on the ground, and rolled themselves in the dust. When comforted and pardoned, they arose from the earth, shook themselves from the dust, and clothed themselves in their better garments. God promises to raise these from the dust, when sufficiently humbled.

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James 4:6,7 But he gives more grace. Why he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble...

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1 Samuel 2:9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

Job 22:29 When men are cast down, then you shall say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

Psalm 27:6 And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy...

Psalm 28:9 Save your people, and bless your inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

Psalm 30:1 I will extol you, O LORD; for you have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

Psalm 113:7 He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill;

Psalm 147:6 The LORD lifts up the meek: he casts the wicked down to the ground.

Matthew 23:12 And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Luke 14:11 For whoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased...

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

April 4. "Resist the Devil and He Will Flee" (James iv. 7).
"Resist the devil and he will flee" (James iv. 7). Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. This is a promise, and God will keep it to us. If we resist the adversary, He will compel him to flee, and will give us the victory. We can, at all times, fearlessly stand up in defiance, in resistance to the enemy, and claim the protection of our heavenly King just as a citizen would claim the protection of the government against an outrage or injustice on the part of violent men. At the same time we …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Next Let not Man, Now that He Knoweth that by the Grace of God...
44. Next let not man, now that he knoweth that by the grace of God he is what he is, fall into another snare of pride, so as by lifting up himself for the very grace of God to despise the rest. By which fault that other Pharisee both gave thanks unto God for the goods which he had, and yet vaunted himself above the Publican confessing his sins. What therefore should a virgin do, what should she think, that she vaunt not herself above those, men or women, who have not this so great gift? For she ought …
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Whether Strife is a Daughter of Anger?
Objection 1: It would seem that strife is not a daughter of anger. For it is written (James 4:1): "Whence are wars and contentions? Are they not . . . from your concupiscences, which war in your members?" But anger is not in the concupiscible faculty. Therefore strife is a daughter, not of anger, but of concupiscence. Objection 2: Further, it is written (Prov. 28:25): "He that boasteth and puffeth up himself, stirreth up quarrels." Now strife is apparently the same as quarrel. Therefore it seems …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica