What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. (James 4:1-4, NLT)
Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. (James 4:8, NLT)
When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor. (James 4:10, NLT)
- What causes quarrels and wars are because of our own desires. Because we are not content, we tend to seek what is not ours and do everything to have them. Or we curse the people who has what we want.
- And the reason we don't have what we want is because we do not ask. Though we ask, it is not given to us because our motives are wrong. Because we want it for our own pleasure, not because it is the will of God. Not because it is God's desire.
- Being friends with the world will make you an enemy of God. Because the world and God does not have the same desires, they will never desire for the same things. You can never serve two masters.
How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:14-17)
- We can never know what will happen tomorrow, nor we can boast about it.
- We cannot also boast about our own plans, because that is evil. God can turn our plans around if He wants to. We must still be dependent on Him no matter what.
- We may have ideas, but all these must come and approved by the Lord.
PROMISE
When you draw close to God, He will also draw close to you. We must wash our hands, we must be pure. And as we declare our dependence on God and we repent, he will lift us up and give us honor.
COMMAND
- Seek the desires of God over your own desires. Do not be jealous of what other people has, trust in Him that He will soon give the desires of your heart.
- ASK. The only way to get what you want is ask and surrender every desire to God. Let your desires be His desire as well.
- Repent and admit your dependence on him.
- Draw close to God. Wash your hands and purify your hearts from all sin.
- Surrender your plans to God. Do what he wants you to do.
WARNING
Seeking
your own desires without considering God is evil. You can never reach your
destiny without the guidance of the Spirit or with your own plans.
APPLICATION
- Seek God's desire. Pray for His word over your life. Every decision will depend on Him, every crucial decision of your life will always depend on His word. Never neglect the fact that His plans are better than mine.
- Repent and purify my hearts of all lust, jealousy and evil.
- I will not be friends with the world. I don't need to do everything that they are doing, I don't need to please anybody here. I only need to PLEASE GOD. And by pleasing Him, I decide to do what is right at all times.
Draw yourself closer to Him
and you will draw closer to your DESTINY.
♥
