James 4:1-7
Experience Victory Over Darkness (Series)
What causes fights and arguments between believers? We are at war with ourselves.
James 4:1 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”
The essence of sin is selfishness.
James 4:2-3 “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Sometimes we veil our religious quarrels under the disguise of spirituality.
(v.2) Selfish desires are dangerous things. They lead to wrong actions.
(v. 3) Selfish desires even lead to wrong praying.
Psalm 133:1 “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”
Christians must not act like God in passing judgment. Let’s examine our own lives, and then try to help others. (Matthew 7:1–5)
The root cause of every war, internal and external, is rebellion against God.
James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world, means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
How does a believer declare war against God? By being friendly with God’s enemies.
There are 3 enemies listed here that we must not associate with, if we want to be at peace with God:
1)The World (v. 4). Referring to society apart from God
2)The Flesh (v. 1 & 5) The old nature that we inherited from Adam, that is prone to sin.
3)The Devil (v. 6 & 7) The devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan’s great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against the saints. God wants us to be humble, Satan wants us to be proud.
Submit to God: This word is a military term that means “get into your proper rank.” Any area kept back from God, will always have battles.
