James 4:1-12 The Wars Within

Wow! This is so relevant today!  James tells us about the wars going on within us and what causes them.

“Selfish desires lead to wrong actions … and they even lead to wrong praying… When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong … The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth … Covetousness can make a person violate all of God’s moral laws … Instead of being thankful for the blessings they do have, they complain about blessings they do not have.”

“The root cause of every war, internal and external, is rebellion against God …Sin is lawlessness and lawlessness is rebellion against God … We must not fraternize with the world, the flesh, or the devil.”

“The flesh means the old nature we inherited from Adam that is prone to sin.  The flesh is not the body.  The body is not sinful.  The body is neutral … The Spirit may use  the body to glorify God, or the flesh may use the body to serve sin.  This Spirit within jealously guards our relationship to God, and the Spirit is grieved when we sin against God’s love.”

“Pride is one of Satan’s chief weapons in his warfare against the saint and the Savior.  God wants us to be humble.  Satan wants us to be proud … God wants us to depend on His grace, while the devil wants us to depend on ourselves.”

Our instruction here are to submit to God, to draw near to Him, and to humble ourselves before Him.  “If we obey these three instructions, then God will draw near, cleanse us, and forgive us; and the wars will cease!  We will not be at war with God, so we will not be at war with ourselves.  This means we will not be at war with others.”

Father, cause me to look inside and be able to see anything that is not of You.  Point out to me where I hold back giving You full control of parts of my life, and reassure me that I can let go and let You be in charge.  Help me to submit to You, Father!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford