James (W8D1) The Cause of Conflict
Week 8. Monday: The Cause of Conflict
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: James 4:1
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
Fights and quarrels: At the end of chapter three, James teaches us to be peacemakers. Then he begins chapter four with an explanation of why we have conflict. Too often we deal with conflict at the surface level. It’s easy to be deceived and distracted by the symptoms of a problem. James goes right to the source of all conflict which he says is a personal, internal battle.
Desires that battle within you: When conflict arises the blame game begins. We always want to blame the other person without realizing or admitting to our own faults. James teaches us that conflict arises because our own desires are at war within us. This internal conflict leads to the external one (see Romans 7:21-25 and 1 Peter 2:11).
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
What are some things that cause you to fight and argue most often?
What desires are at war within you?
How are those desires related to the conflict in your life?
PRAY: Ask God to help you identify your desires and solve the conflict within you.
