James 4:1-10
CONFLICTING DESIRES
What is causing quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? James 4:1
My wants conflicting from your wants - quarrels and fights.
"Is it not because of this passion that relations are broken, and this natural goodwill changed into desperate enmity? That great and populous countries are desolated by domestic dissensions? And land and sea filled with every new disasters by naval battles and land campaigns? For the wars famous in tragedy ... have all flowed from one source - desire either for money or glory or pleasure. Over these things the human race goes mad" - Phi lo.
"All the evils which come upon man - revolutions and wars, stratagems and slaughters - spring from desire. All these things have as their fountain - head the desire for more." - Lucian.
"The sole cause of wars and revolutions and battles is noting other than the body and its desire." - Plato.
"It is insatiable desires which overturn not only individual men, but whole families, and which even bring down the state. From desires there spring hatred, schisms, discords, sedition, and wars," - Cicero.
Desire is the root of many causes.
3 Basic Desires that created Conflict:
- The Desire To Have You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. James 4:2.
There's nothing wrong with things. It's created by God as something neutral.
We all want things. God created things to be used and enjoyed.
Many are in MINING business: What's mine is mine, What's yours is mine.
Rick Warren : We are not going to let the money change our life.
We are supposed to use things and love people, and not the other way around. - The Desire To Feel Good "...you want only what will give you pleasure." James 4:3
God made everything for your enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17
Not wrong to enjoy live - feel good.
When my pleasure takes over what is my needs, full, and my priorities, I'm in trouble.
Also, when each one wants to hang on to their own comfort. - The Desire To Be Living in the Age of ME, with all the materials, capacity, etc.
"You do not have, because you don not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because yo ask with wrong motives." James 4:2b-3
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6
God is against the pride.
Number one : We don't pray - pride makes us forget about God, cause we don't look to God, but we look to others.
Number two : when we do pray, we usually pray with wrong motives - pray for the wrong things. We pray for not what we need, but for what we want.
THE RESULT OF HUMAN DESIRE.
First, they set people to war against each other.WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT?
Secondly, they lead us to do shameful things.
Finally, like we saw when we talked about pride, they shut the door of prayer - we don't want to hear what God says to us.
"Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure." James 4:2b-3
Deny - "What is not me there isn't a selfish bone in my body"
Admit and forget - "Yeah, it is there but who cares. Everyone else is the same. So let's not let people take advantage of us."
Embrace the truth and change our life - The ultimate choice is between pleasing one's self and pleasing God.
Do we live for ourselves or do we live for God?
Pleasing God is overwhelmed with love and joy.
THE CURE FOR ARGUMENTS IS HUMILITY.
"God...gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
"Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor." James 4:10
WHAT KIND OF THINGS DID YOU CHOSE?
Be a better person,
Be more like Jesus, or
Become richer, more goods?
HOW CAN I CHANGE?
- Give in To God 7So humble yourself before God. James 4:7
Put HIM in charge, when you started to run your own life, you get in conflict with others.
When things get scary, God's in charge.
When things get tempted, you're in charge. - Get Wiser than Satan Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
- Grow Closer to God You will keep in perfect peace, all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3
Spend time, listen, speak to HIM! - Be Willing to Ask Forgiveness. 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. James 4:8-10
When you hurt someone, doesn't matter whether you meant it, or not, or later you can minimized it or not. Whatever it is, you still need to apologize, coz you still hurt them. You need to humble yourself and He will lift you up.
Which of these desires cause the most conflict in your life?
Maybe it's the desire to have.
Maybe it's the desire to feel good - ("I have my rights") remember that we serve the "me" who gave up HIS RIGHTS for others!
Maybe it's the desire to be?
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