God's Motive Test

4 Why do you fight and argue among yourselves? 

In James Chapter 3, he described words being said in the Church with Satanic origin.

Could it be that those words have now germinated into an actual physical fight?  

Isn’t it because of your sinful desires? 

After the Christians fled from Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen, many left everything behind, and they are dealing with scarcity.  

Some were attempting to take care of their own desparate needs by taking the resources of other Christians.

They fight within you. 

If Satanic thoughts birth Satanic words, what follows close behind is Satanic driven actions.

2 You want something, but you don’t have it. 

When you are faced with scarcity and lack, what do you do?

So you kill. 

Could it be that Satanic thoughts have germinated Satanic actions up to and including murder? 

In the Church?  

You want what others have, but you can’t get what you want. 

Some were fortunate to escape Jerusalem with their stuff.  

Some were not that lucky.  

So you argue and fight. 

There was a tug of war between Christians for their scarce resources available to them collectively even though they weren't their's individually. 

You don’t have what you want, because you don’t ask God. 

Isn't God the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)?  

Why not ask Him?

Our gifts from God are good for us based upon a God who knows everything, and loves us with all His heart.

3 When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. 

God cares why we ask.

God wants His gifts to help us not harm us. 

If our request will not help us, James promises to us God will answer no.

God makes His decisions for us based upon what He knows to be good for us, and not by what we think will be good for us with our limited knowledge.

You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.

You ask not because you don't have enough.

You want more than enough.  

You're upset because someone has more. 

4 You are not faithful to God. 

They were chasing after unfulfilled desires instead of their relationship with God. 

They were asking for the wrong reason. 

When you ask God in prayer for something, you need to pause and ask yourself. Why do I ask?  

What is my motive?  

Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? Are you being lured into the world by Satan, and God won't be a party to it?

Is you're love for God turning to hate because you won't trust God's heart and His wisdom.    

So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. 

Are your thoughts so earthly minded that you've taken Satan's point of view against God? 

5 Don’t you know what Scripture says? 

God wants the spirit in us to belong only to him. 

God's will for your life is for you to belong exclusively to Him.

God caused this spirit to live in us. 

God desires for our born again human spirit to be Holy and dedicated exclusively to Him. 

Don't you know that it hurts His Holy Spirit to watch you have a love affair with the world? 

Don’t you think Scripture has a reason for saying this? 

6 But God continues to give us more grace. 

That’s why Scripture says,

“God opposes those who are proud.

If you insist on having your way, not only will God not give it to you.  

He will resist your every effort. 

But he gives grace to those who are humble.” (Proverbs 3:34)

If you want God's favor, surrender your will to His.  

This is not a one time thing.  

It's done moment by moment throughout the day.

7 So obey God. 

If you think that you know better than God,  you won't trust Him (now that's pride). 

If you trust God's heart, you will do what He tells you to do.

If you yield your will to God's heart and understanding, 

He'll give to you a gift that just perfect for you, and perfectly timed as an act of His grace just like the stars in the sky (James 1:17).  

Stand up to the devil. 

According to James, Satan has been prompting God's people to speak demonic words and to control their actions (James 3:15).

Satan has been prompting God's Church into an all out rebellion against God Himself.

Realize the source of your thoughts, words, and actions. Are they from God or Satan?

Align your faith, thoughts, words, and actions with God and against Satan, and James promises that... 

He (Satan) will run away from you. 

8 Come near to God, 

and he will come near to you. 

In your thoughts, realize God's presence. Remember that He is God and you are not.

Wash your hands, you sinners. 

Take a look at your hands. 

What's in them? 

Lay it aside.

Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds. 

Refuse to focus on your circumstances that's forever changing. 

Refuse to doubt your God who never changes who only gives good and perfect gifts.

9 Be full of sorrow. 

Feel how God must be feeling.

Cry and weep. 

Draw a line in the sand.  

Tell Satan.  

No more.

Change your laughter to mourning. 

Show God that your serious.

Change your joy to sadness. 

If God seen your sin, you can be sure that He'll see your genuine repentance.  

10 Be humble in front of the Lord.

And he will lift you up.

11 My brothers and sisters, don’t speak against one another.

Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister speaks against the law. 

In James 2:8, he talked about a law that was royal. 

It rules over all the other laws. 

If you obey this law, you automatically obey the others.  

The law is to love your neighbor as yourself.  

And anyone who judges another believer judges the law. 

If you believed in this law, you would obey it.  

By your own judging behavior, you are showing that you consider this law as useless. 

When you judge the law, you are not keeping it. 

The law says that we are to love others and not to judge them. 

If you're speaking against others, you're breaking God's law in favor of Satan's suggestions to disobey it (James 3:15). 

Instead of allowing God's law to judge you.  

You are judging it by refusing to do it.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. 

Let God be God and get off His chair.

He is the God who is able to save life or destroy it. 

Only God can judge motives.

Judging is guessing motives.

But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Who are you to judge your neighbor and not love them?

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. 

We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.” 

14 You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. 

God is judging our casual speech.  

When you talk to others, do you act as if He's not there and has no control over you?

What is your life? 

It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears.

Not only are we like a flower that dies on a summer day (James 1:10-11), but we are also like a mist that arises off the water and then is gone.

 5 Instead, you should say, “If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that.” 

Check in with the Lord throughout the day, or you'll be bragging.

16 As it is, you brag. 

You brag about the evil plans your pride produces. 

This kind of bragging is evil. 

You can't swallow your next breath without God's approval.

That's one of God's good and perfect gifts.

17 So suppose someone knows the good deeds they should do. 

But suppose they don’t do them. 

By not doing these good deeds, they sin.

If God prompts you with a good thought and you don't do it, then it's sin. 

Are you monitoring, your mind for God's thoughts to implement them throughout the day?

Don't let your sin be not paying attention.

James 4 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

KEY:

Highlighted in Red Means Command

Highlighted in Blue Means Explanation.

Highlighted in promise means a promise.

Highlighted in purple means a warning.

M. H. Dennis yellow highlights.