甚麼導致爭鬥的出現？
雅各書四章1至10節
1你們中間的爭戰鬥毆是從那裡來的呢？不是從你們百體中戰鬥之私慾來的麼？
2你們貪戀，還是得不著；你們殺害嫉妒，又鬥毆爭戰，也不能得。你們得不著，是因為你們不求。
3你們求也得不著，是因為你們妄求，要浪費在你們的宴樂中。
4你們這些淫亂的人（原文是淫婦）哪，豈不知與世俗為友就是與神為敵麼？所以凡想要與世俗為友的，就是與神為敵了。
5你們想經上所說是徒然的麼？神所賜住在我們裡面的靈，是戀愛至於嫉妒麼？
6但他賜更多的恩典，所以經上說：神阻擋驕傲的人，賜恩給謙卑的人。
7故此，你們要順服神。務要抵擋魔鬼，魔鬼就必離開你們逃跑了。
8你們親近神，神就必親近你們。有罪的人哪，要潔淨你們的手！心懷二意的人哪，要清潔你們的心！
9你們要愁苦、悲哀、哭泣，將喜笑變作悲哀，歡樂變作愁悶。
10務要在主面前自卑，主就必叫你們升高。
信息分享
雅各在這段經文提出幾個非常直接的問題。為甚麼會出現爭戰和鬥毆？教會裡面為甚麼會出現紛爭？雅各認為，問題是在於信徒的心中還有很多私慾，既貪求世界的物質，又想保留基督給予的福分。
人性總喜歡追求享樂。換言之，信徒因為沒有棄絕舊我，仍然追求滿足肉體或自我的私慾，所以便出現彼此爭鬥。每當我們要按著自己的心意或喜好而行，而不順服神的心意，我們的內心就充滿各式各樣的慾望，顯得浮躁不安，結果便會很容易與別人發生衝突。
雅各卻指出，只要我們把心中所想念的一切，專心向神祈求，我們就可以得到真正的滿足和平安。當我們順服神的時候，我們的心就會得著真正的平安。反之，我們的生命若被慾望所牽引，內心就永遠得不到安寧。
有人可能說：「我已經向神祈求，可是祂卻沒有應允啊！」雅各的回應是：「是的，我們有時求也得不著，但是，你知道是何原因嗎？」雅各說的原因，是因為我們只求滿足自己，卻不是求神得著榮耀。凡事都可求，但是，我們要知道自己是為了甚麼向神求。
我們如果求而得不著，或是神沒有按我們所求的賜給我們，那又如何？雅各說，神會賜下更多的恩典（6節）。但最首要的，是我們要有一顆順服神的心（7節），當撒但前來攻擊我們，叫我們質疑神的愛時，我們務必奮力抵擋。要記著，當我們愈親近神，就會發覺神愈親近我們。
反思：
神應許將平安賜給凡祈求的人，而不是那些好爭鬥的人。
WHAT CAUSES FIGHTING?
James 4: 1-10
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
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.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses!Do you not 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.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more grace.Therefore He says:
“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
7 Therefore submit to God.Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep!Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Message
James asks some very direct questions in this section. Why do fights and wars occur? Why does trouble arise in a church? James says it all comes from within hearts that haven't learned to control the desires of the old nature. It comes from hearts that want to have all that the world offers while still keeping what Christ has already given them.
Human nature always wants what will give it pleasure. In other words it is the satisfying of self or the flesh that causes trouble. Whenever we seek our own will and desires instead of God's will, there will be unrest and unsatisfied longings. These will finally break out into strife with somebody else.
On the other hand, says James, you could have real satisfaction and rest by asking God for it. You will find rest in his will. As long as your life is governed by pleasure, rest will be beyond your reach.
Someone may say, 'I asked God for some of these things and he didn't answer my prayer'. 'Quite true', says James, 'but you know why, don't you? The only reason you asked for them was for your own pleasure and not for the glory of God. It is all right to ask for some of these things. But we need to have the right reasons for asking.
What if we don't have things we want, and what if God doesn't give them to us? Then God will give us the grace to go without them (v.6). We may have to come to a fresh place of submission to God (v.7). We may have to stand against Satan when he tempts us to doubt God's loving care. But the closer we come to God, the closer he will be to us.
A THOUGHT:
God promises peace to those who pray, not to those who fight.