James 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

Striving for Strife

What you sow is what you reap. Have you ever heard of this concept before? We will get back to this in a bit. Where do our desires come from, mostly? Let’s be honest. The flesh is attached to us as a covering for our souls. But the covering wants to become the focus of this life. The war starts within us. Then it spreads out from there.

The problem is that the desires we seek are not from God most of the time. These desires stem from worldly wants. Sex, drugs, money, power, and a host of other sins. These are the seeds that we mostly plant. If this is what we sow, then what do we expect to reap? The fruits of these seeds are spoiled and cause trouble. This is where wars and other struggles come from.

The fruits of our labors

James 4:2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. The seeds we sow sprout, and the outcomes are predictable. Murder, covetousness, and struggle. These are the rewards for the labors we invest in the wrong seed. Why do we waste so much effort for the futile struggles that we find ourselves wasting our lives on?

We don’t have what we need because we don’t ask. James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. When we do ask, we ask for selfish things. We ask out of greed and pride. We want things that God can use and bless, not things that will make us more uncomfortable. We need to learn to be comfortable with what makes us uncomfortable.

Being humble

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” Humility is the beginning of restoration. When we rid ourselves of any pride that we may dwell in, then God begins to work in our lives. We can take our first steps with Him as we humble ourselves. Will you take your first steps with Him today?