In typical realistic fashion, James turns from the harvest that results from sowing righteousness in peace (James 3:18 ), and confronts the warring of combatant foes that shatter peace and produce a harvest of unrighteousness (James 4:1-7 ). He then issues commands that, carried out in obedience, brings victory (James 4:7-10 ). He takes into calculation God's mighty assistance that ensures triumphant living (James 4:11-17 ).

James 4:1 "Where do wars and fights come from among you? ..."

James is not emotionally carried away by the vision of people possessing the wisdom that is peaceable so that he becomes blind to the factual state of war ('polemoi'), and the individual disputes or battles ('machai') among these believers. Regrettably there are leaders who flatter the people, fearing to confront them with their true condition, because they fear decrease in attendance, and loss of membership, leading to loss of finance. Thank God for the many faithful leaders who do not hold back the truth from the people.

Ephesians 4:15 "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"

It is a mature people who sow the fruit of righteousness in peace, and are peacemakers. The responsibility of anointed leadership is the "equipping of the saints" and nurturing to the "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13 NKJV). James not only reveals their condition by his rhetorical question, he exposes the real causes by his answer.

James 4:1 "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?"

"Desires" - 'hedone' - sensual passions, Literally "pleasures" are the inner cause of conflicts and battles. These overriding desires for self-gratification are a sensual force that drives for satisfaction or possessions, rejecting moral and spiritual laws that stand in the way of satisfying their craving. The Greek word 'hedone' is the source of the English word "hedonism", explained in the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the doctrine or theory of ethics in which pleasure is regarded as the chief good or the proper aim." This devotion to, or the pursuit of inner cravings are the source of warring and quarrelling among people, even in the Christian community. Believers in their past, lost state, allowed themselves to be dictated to by their "passions and pleasures" so that they became enslaved to them.

Titus 3:3 "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."

Involvement in battling and quarrelling with others indicates a turning again to serve our own passions and pleasures. It is a reverting back to being dominated by desire, passions and hateful envy. It was "foolish" then (Titus 3:3 ) and it is even more senseless in those who know the love of God our Saviour (Titus 3:4 ) and His saving mercy, and the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5 ). When the pleasuring of oneself dominates, the word of Christ cannot take root to mature, and make fruitful.

Luke 8:14 "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

There is a readiness to blame teachers and the Word itself, complaining that it is too difficult to comprehend, for lack of personal growth and maturity, when in fact the problem is the condition of the heart, passions of pride, prejudice, lust for position, possessions, that choke out the effectiveness of the Word. The illicit controlling passion of wanting that is never satisfied.

James 4:2 "You lust and do not have ... "

What you do have is fighting, quarrelling, felt frustration because you do not have what you desire, and this is so continuously, because covetousness has no lasting possessions. Frustrated passion tears down what seems to bar the way to what it wants.

James 4:2 "... You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war ..."

Murder and hatred have equivalent judgment, because equated the same in the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5:21-22 ). John also links hatred and murder.

1 John 3:15 "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."

To hate is to have murder in your heart for the one standing in the way of your consuming passions. In that kind of heart condition there is no eternal life manifested. Certainly it is not life under the control of Christ. It is a dangerous position (Romans 8:13 ). One of the most common expressions of murderous hate is character assassination. Let those who do it know that they stand in peril. Should there be a refusal of the appeal of the offended, and rejection of the call of the Church to repentance, then according to the Lord's teaching, such as assassin of His people will become as a heathen to them (Matthew 18:17 ).

As believers we are to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to let the word dwell richly in us, yielding the fruit of maturity. This means not pleasing the passions of the old nature - rather, all we think, do and say should be to please Him. This is possible through the Holy Spirit so abundantly poured out on us (Titus 3:6; Galatians 5:16; Philippians 4:8 ).

James 4:2-3 "... 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."

There is a need to recognise and deal with things that combat an effective prayer life. Not asking will mean not getting. Christ's teaching makes this abundantly clear:

Luke 11:9,10 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Those who persist in asking are answered. James is not saying "You do not have your sensual desires because you ask not." What is assured is that there is dissatisfaction in pursuing lustful self-pleasing, but satisfaction for those who ask God for the good things He wills for us.

1 John 5:14,15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵ And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Like the Psalmist, we know God gives good things to those who walk uprightly, want God's good things and ask for them and receive them.

Psalm 84:11 "... no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

When God withholds, then what is asked is not good - or good for us (Romans 8:32 ). Don't lose out because of failing to ask.

James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

James insists that there is no receiving from God when He is asked "amiss" - 'kakos' meaning badly or evilly - certainly not when asking with wrong motivation. The word 'kakos' is translated in its different usage - "sick" (Matthew 4:24; 8:16; Mark 1:32; Luke 7:2 ), also "diseased" (Matthew 14:35; Mark 1:32 ). "grievously" or "severely" (Matthew 15:22 ), and "miserably" (Matthew 21:41 ), and "evil" (Acts 23:5 ).

Asking amiss or with wrong motivation indicates spiritual sickness, a warped or diseased heart - grievously or severely, miserably affected; speaking out evil. Of such "amiss" asking James says you do not receive. God withholds answers from those who ask "amiss" because they are out of step with Him, and are bent on their own selfish advancement and fulfilment of their own schemes that God will not assist or be part of.

The word "spend" is used in the sense of prodigal waste - "desires" (James 4:1 ) and "pleasures" (James 4:3 ) are the same Greek word 'hedone' meaning "desire for pleasure" showing that wrongly motivated prayer is a brazen attempt to manipulate God, to squander what is granted on selfishness. In bringing a request to God it must be remembered God takes into account not only what we want but why we want it. The asking that is sure of being clean from selfishness is prayer in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 6:18 ).

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. Would you rather be flattered by those who teach you, or be told your true condition? (James 4:1; Ephesians 4:15 ).
2. What would you say are hindrances you need to deal with? (James 4:1-4 ).
3. What is meant by asking badly or evilly? (James 4:3 ).