James 4:1-10

The Cause of Turmoil

James 4:1–10 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. 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. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be…”

James the writer notes for us what is the cause of fights?

Your own sinful passions!

These are naturally within us. All of us! Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Even the best of us is still sinful to our core! Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”

Your own sinful desires for the Satan’s kingdom! “Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God?”

God created us!

He has a right to our passions, our life, and our loyalty!

We struggle and desire peace, but wont find peace until we know the God of peace!

What is the answer? Submit to God! Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

What is the answer? Resist the devil~ Romans 10:10 “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” We resist the devil by confessing sin, and belief in the only one to save our soul!

Conclusion: My encouragement today is to know the God of all peace! The world needs to know Christ, the mind of Christ, and experience redemption. Stop resisting the Lord! Trust Him today and He will set you free.

In the New Testament, Paul and Silas were imprisoned for their faith. Instead of despair, they prayed and sang hymns in the dark cell. Their hearts were free, even when their bodies were confined. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison, and the doors flung open, allowing them to escape. This illustrates that when we embrace the Lord, our hearts remain free, regardless of our circumstances, proving that true freedom is found in Christ alone.