War Within You

April 3

Read: James 4:1-3

War Within You

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (v.1)

What is it that you want that you are not getting? What is it that you think you deserve that you do not have? There are passions at war within us and this is what causes quarrels and fights among us. Not every passion within us is bad. Not every passion within us is good either. Nevertheless, this is what leads to our fights with one another. It is a serious issue… look at what James says: “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

I don’t think that we are very aware of what “passions are at war within our members”. When you find yourself becoming angry or in a fight, ask yourself what it is that you think you deserve that you are not getting. Work the problem backward… asking yourself “why” until you hit the proverbial “bedrock” of the matter. ( I know I have written about this before in previous devos.) Ask the Lord to lead you to the heart of the matter… to open your eyes to the truth. When you get to the bottom of it, ask the Lord if this passion or desire is noble and true or if it is corrupted and “of the world”. Let me give a simple example:

I will often get angry driving. When someone pulls out in front of me and cuts me off I get steamed. So I ask myself, “What is it that you want that you are not getting?” The answers start coming to the surface: “I want to drive wherever I want, whenever I want, as fast as I want to!” I sound like a little kid throwing a tantrum! HA. My passions are selfish and unreasonable. If that is truly what I “deserve” (and it is not), then why wouldn’t it apply to the other guy as well? Do you see how it starts to become clear that this “anger” is not leading to the righteousness of God? (cf. James 1:20)  There are many more facets of the matter, even in this simple example. The point is that, unchecked passions and desires at war within us lead to the destructive quarrels and fights of humanity… even as far as murder.

Look at the final instruction in these three verses:

“You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (v.2,3)

We need to start talking to the Lord about what it is that we want. We need to have more conversations about these “bedrock” / “heart” matters with him. Remember the verses from our last devo: “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (v.3:18)  Quarreling, fighting, murder, and anger will never bring about God’s righteousness… but PEACE will. We can be peacemakers… “sowing righteousness and peace” when we submit our passions and desires to the Lord. Sometimes the Lord is waiting to give us what we are asking for! It is right there in the scriptures… we do not have it simply because we have not asked for it. The final check is what are we “spending” our life on. What are we using our resources for? Selfish ambition? Self-centered narcissism? If so, God loves us enough NOT to give us what we ask for in that case. He does not want to feed those passions within us. I for one am glad he doesn’t! Imagine if we actually got what we asked for in our first moments of anger and quarreling with one another?! I am afraid it would be the opposite of sowing peace. Love you guys. - JDP