The Cause of Your Conflicts
IT STARTS WITH YOU
James 4:1-12 is a passage that, on one hand, everyone wants to hear, given its practicality and impact upon our lives. But, on the other hand, it just might be a passage no one really wants to hear, given the finger it points at you and I. It’s a passage that contains timeless wisdom from God on the matter of relational conflict. James asks, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?" (4:1). To which he does not reply, "Your difficult circumstances," "the difficult, immature, and troubling people around you" or even "It's all Satan's fault!" Instead, he says, "Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (4:2). In other words, the problem is us. The root of conflict and the first step in resolving it, starts with us. We need this kind of biblical self-awareness in order to examine our own hearts, sympathize with the brothers & sisters we’re prone to battle it out with, and seek the grace we need to turn away from selfish desires and place others above ourselves.