Conflict Management

Conflict Management Text: 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 morn 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.

Major companies throughout America spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure their employees can get counseling. Conflict among the job place can become very stressful. Conflict will make a good employee into a disgruntled employee. There has to be a reason for conflict. The writer James the half brother of Jesus ask the question in James 4:1 What causes quarrels and conflict among you? And then he answers his own question by writing- is the source pleasures /Self-indulgence waging war in your members?

What causes quarrels and conflicts? Envy! Webster’s Dictionary: Envy: "a feeling of antagonism towards someone because of some good which he is enjoying but which one does not have oneself!”

Vine’s: "envy, is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others; this evil sense always attaches to this word…envy desires to deprive another of what he has,

Vs. 2 says, You lust, commit murder (hate) but don’t have- you are envious but cannot obtain! In other words…ENVY is saying… "I like what you’ve got, I don’t like the fact that you have it, and I want it”

But then verse two tells us where these person priorities lay. You do not have because you do not ask!

To ask in this manner means you are going to seek Him, humble yourself and place God first!

Vs.3 You ask with wrong motives, you want so you can satisfy your fleshy desires! (Praying with the wrong motives.)

Vs. 4 Says you try to be a friend to the world but your worldly friendship makes you an enemy of God.

Spiritual unfaithful- I John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Vs. 5 Do you think that God doesn’t care if you don’t care about the Holy Spirit? (God jealously desires our faithfulness and love!)

Exodus 20:5-6 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

You know we have problems when three children rob another small boy and kill him for his ‘Nike” shoes.

James 4: 6 God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 3:34 Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.

Here’s the remedy, James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:11-18 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—