The Cure For The Common Conflict Series

When a certain set of desires rule our heart -- we bring God down to the level of divine waiter, whose job is to fulfill the menu of our desires. We shrink God from the level of being an all wise, all loving, all powerful Father to a divine waiter who we expect to deliver everything we ask. And when God doesn't deliver the goods -- we are not a happy camper -- and everyone around us knows it. "If you stand in the way of what I crave -- then I lash out against you." Do you see the connection between spiritual adultery and the issue of dealing with conflict?

What's the Cure?

- verses 5 --6: Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

God is jealous for our hearts. He doesn't want to share our heart with anyone or anything. He says God resists the proud. The word "opposes" is a very interesting word. It's the word antitasso. It's a military word and what it basically depicts is a full army ready for battle. It has the idea of God setting His troops to do battle against the proud. The world is filled with pride. It isn't always that pompous external pride, but it's that pitting of our will against the will of God. "I know what God's Word says, but I have to live my life on my terms." And God sets His army in military array to do war and battle against the proud...very vivid language. - talk about a bad situation -- in verse 4 we set ourselves as enemies of God. In verse 6 God has set himself in opposition to us as an enemy. God opposes a man or woman whose focus is on their own desires and not his. And people still stubbornly want to hang on to their own desires and fight him. Just a clue -- you are not going to win when you get into a conflict with God.

But look what else it says: He gives grace to the humble. OK now make sure you catch this because James is giving us the cure for the conflicts in our lives. Here's what he says, "You want to talk about conflict -- OK- let's talk about conflict. Let's talk about the conflict you had going on in your life. When you arrogantly resisted God's love and mercy towards you. Let's talk about the time when not only did you hate God but God had set himself against you because of your pride. Yet he gives what -- grace. What kind of grace? Saving grace, forgiving grace, amazing grace. God uses a healing instrument that is more powerful than any of the devices you can utilize in resisting him. Grace is the most powerful tool in the war for our hearts.

In God's economy grace drives everything. Grace must permeate everything we come into contact with this side of heaven. Grace is when someone gives you something you didn't earn and you didn't deserve. In grace God walks up to you and says -- out of the boundless expanse of my love -- I want to save you. You didn't do anything to earn it. And no you really don't deserve it -- just out of the thrill it give me to expend my love on you -- I want to express grace to you. In grace God says, "I just going to erase all the mistakes and sin and indebtedness of your life. Jesus will pay for it all. And you - you just receive. You receive forgiveness and love and mercy and hope and joy and even inherit heaven itself. You get it all just for believing in him. Take the very worse thing you've ever done -- and grace covers it. The worse points of rebellion in your life -- the terrible mistakes you've made in your life that perhaps no one knows about -- the darkest times when you've hurt people who love you -- take it all, take all the sin, all the disappointment -- all the rebellion place it in one huge box all tied together and grace covers it all. And why does God extend his Grace towards us?