James 4
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
This text speaks about fighting and quarreling because of the desires that people have within them. They want the upperhand and this causes wars and quarreling. Everyone believes that they are doing the right thing and want to prove their point. They think that they are better than the other person and are often jealous. This creates a grudge and then you despise a person. You try and prove from the word of God what you think is right and wrong. The Bible says that you can’t attain something because you ask for your own gain and not for the Lord’s glory. You want to be the beneficiary of everything and the centre of attraction. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures. You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Instead our whole being should be according to the Lord Jesus. We should stop fighting in the family, church and in the whole world and fulfill the desire of the Lord Jesus’ heart. We must allow God to glorify the Lord Jesus in our lives. v 6 says grace is given to those who humble themselves. We must submit to God and resist the devil and he will have to flee. Then God will entrust us with talents and make us useable in His hands.